Amazon Echo Club

[WT Sharpe]

I wonder how the sound is on the Dot. I guess we'll have to wait to hear from someone who owns both a Dot and an Echo.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I wonder how the sound is on the Dot. I guess we'll have to wait to hear from someone who owns both a Dot and an Echo.

They sure seem to be going out of their way to imply "not very good" but I wonder if they actively prevent music playback from the internal speaker?

They say things like "small speaker" and "for alarms" and "for voice feedback" but I don't know if they are merely setting expectations because music may not sound very good, or if they are preventing music and other audio streams, like audiobooks, from playing altogether.

ApK

[tubemonkey]

Ever since Amazon started airing those Echo commercials, my Echo comes to life and starts to answer. It's quite jolting to hear her come alive when I didn't give her permission. So I now give her the red ring of death whenever I watch TV.

If Amazon implemented voice recognition, that would certainly solve this problem. It would also open up the possibility of using more wake words that would be paired to specific voices.

[Blossom]

Mine comes to life by accident all the time. In a typical day it happens at least five times. We can be having a conversation and she starts talking out of the blue.

[wodin]

I keep telling her, "I'm talking about you, not to you!", and she keeps saying "I didn't understand the question."

Stupid woman!

[Blossom]

You don't even need to say her name. She misinterprets what we are saying all the time and lights up.

[wodin]

I asked Alexa to order an Echo Dot, and she said it would ship on April 15. When I looked up the order at Amazon it said it would be delivered on the 11th.

I wonder what shipping company Bezos found that delivers four days before it ships. Pretty good service!

[tubemonkey]

My Echo is currently sporting the red ring of death. That's the best way to shut her up.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by wodin

I wonder what shipping company Bezos found that delivers four days before it ships. Pretty good service!

THIS ONE, obviously.

[ApK]

Hey, question for all you other suckers enthusiast early adopters who ordered a Dot: Did you get a discount off the $89.99 price? I apparently got a $10 "courtesy credit." That brought the cost down a third of the way to Tube Monkey's upper limit....

I thought my wife just had a previous credit of some sort waiting on her account, but she says no.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Catlady

It's not really paranoia. It's just that I don't see any point for the device to be constantly listening. It annoys me that so much I what I do is already being tracked and stored; I don't feel like adding to it. Is it a dealbreaker? No, not if I really really really was convinced that I couldn't live without Echo--but I'm not convinced, and when I tote up the pros and cons, the eavesdropping is a big con.

1. The point of the feature is so it can be voice controlled without needing the user to touch anything. I understand not wanting that, or wanting it optional, but it is certainly a key feature for the Echo and the Dot. Virtually the whole point for some of us.

2. I want to repeat this question just once more because I'm curious: Why do you think think the Echo/Dot tracks or stores anything you say before the wake word? Amazon says it doesn't. If you don't trust what Amazon says about how the device works, why would trust that a device like the Tap isn't constantly listening and tracking you? Maybe all that button does is tell the device to stop pretending it can't hear you?

I hope this doesn't sound too judgmental or argumentative or whatever the right word is when you argue against someone's perfectly valid preference. I don't mean it to. I'm just trying to understand the reasoning.

[tubemonkey]

Has anyone accessorized their Echo with skins, sleeves, holders, etc?

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Has anyone accessorized their Echo with skins, sleeves, holders, etc?

Not yet, but I've thought about having a custom skin made. (On Skinit, they're listed under Custom > Audio, if anyone goes looking there.) Can't settle on a design though. I have a handful of mockups. If I still had a color printer, I'd probably just print and tape the pieces on. It sits on a shelf so it's not like it would be that obvious that it was a budget DIY job.

Edited to add: There are template images available with instructions at http://lovemyecho.com/2015/08/19/diy...skins-so-easy/

[ApK]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

Not yet, but I've thought about having a custom skin made. (On Skinit, they're listed under Custom > Audio, if anyone goes looking there.) Can't settle on a design though. I have a handful of mockups. If I still had a color printer, I'd probably just print and tape the pieces on. It sits on a shelf so it's not like it would be that obvious that it was a budget DIY job.

Edited to add: There are template images available with instructions at http://lovemyecho.com/2015/08/19/diy...skins-so-easy/

My wife has one of those die cutter machines that cuts custom adhesive printable vinyl etc...I'm sure she could hook you up.....

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by ApK

My wife has one of those die cutter machines that cuts custom adhesive printable vinyl etc...I'm sure she could hook you up.....

Ooooh! I actually have a friend with a Cricut. I didn't even think about that! Thanks for the idea, and if my friend can't help me out, I may be in touch!