Amazon Echo Club

[wodin]

Wow! Just wow.
iMCO CoWatch - Alexa-Enabled SmartWatch

[tubemonkey]

You’re not alone: 51 percent of Amazon Echo owners have it in the kitchen

Amazon’s Echo voice-controlled speaker can perform more than 3,000 skills today thanks to its Alexa technology, but the most common use case is still simply setting a timer, a recent survey of early adopters found.

And that makes sense when you consider that about half of Amazon Echo owners — 51 percent, to be exact — surveyed place the device in their kitchen. The second most popular location for the smart speaker is the living room, with about one out of three using the device in that gathering space.

The findings come from a survey of about 1,300 smartphone owners who have used voice-controlled virtual assistants from companies like Apple, Google and Amazon. Of that group, 180 respondents — or about 14 percent — said they own an Amazon Echo. The survey was a partnership between Experian and the market research firm Creative Strategies.

[copyrite]

I'm in the other 49%.

from my Galaxy S6

Originally Posted by wodin

Wow! Just wow.
iMCO CoWatch - Alexa-Enabled SmartWatch

That thing looks incredibly uncomfortable to wear, and dangerous too. Apparently they know little to nothing about easing sharp edges. there are points on that thing that look like they could be used to cut glass with.

[tubemonkey]

Exclusive: Google Home will cost $129, Chromecast Ultra will cost $69

That's $50 cheaper than the Echo. I wonder how Amazon will respond.

Speaking to Android Police, two sources claim that Google will announce its Google Home and the 4K 'Chromecast Ultra' devices will be priced at $129 and $69, respectively, at its October 4th event.

Google Home was announced at Google I/O in May. Our sources also confirmed that the personalized base covers Google showed at I/O will be a feature of the final device. The $129 price point for Google Home matches that of the previously-unrumored Google Wifi, a router that will allegedly be able to create a single, large wireless network using multiple access points. $129 also undercuts Amazon's Echo by a full $40, and though matches the price of the portable Amazon Tap, it's clear Google has Amazon's flagship smart home product in its sights with Home. As far as Home features, we don't have anything new to report at this time, just the price.

We rate our confidence in this rumor as a 9 out of 10. The price points have been corroborated independently by two sources. We subtract a point, as usual, because it's always possible product announcement plans or prices can change - nothing is truly, completely certain until it is announced. But we don't have long to wait: October 4th is just around the corner.

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Exclusive: Google Home will cost $129, Chromecast Ultra will cost $69

That's $50 cheaper than the Echo. I wonder how Amazon will respond.

Yes, but it is a Google device. MEHHHHHHHH!!!!! Any device from Google will request all your personal info to sell to third-party spammers. Google seems to make a living by copying high selling items invented by other companies, or copying Atavista search engine but turning it into a huge billboard advertisement that favors results from their paying clients. Even Google Maps now sucks as it too is just a big advertisement billboard. It cannot even figure out you are typing in an address from a mile away, but instead suggests addresses half way across the country. Google devices are the equivalent of buying a used Yugo rather than a Toyota. Might be cheaper, but it just might fall apart on the way home too.

I just installed a Sony HT XT1 Sound Base surround sound system in my living room. It is connected to my Sony Bravia TV, DirecTV, Fire TV box, and Blu-Ray player. So basically it does all of that but also can do the Alexa stuff via the remote controller and the Fire TV. Way better sound than the Echo I have in my study. I was considering getting the new Dot just released, but not any more!

[wodin]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Google seems to make a living by copying high selling items invented by other companies

Apple got VERY wealthy doing exactly that.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by wodin

Apple got VERY wealthy doing exactly that.

Re,Apple and Google.
Not sure why making a success of acquisitions is being cast in some sort of negative light, but more to the point, both of of those companies got where there are, in no small part, by inventing and innovating like no else had ever done.

AltaVista? Yeah it was a search engine. So was Yahoo! and Ask, and NONE of them offered anything like the kind of seamless performance and relevant results that Google invented.

As for Apple, aside from stuff they genuinely invented, like the Apple II, to get where they are, they also took concepts and ideas that were sitting underdeveloped and ignored and turned them into well engineered and designed--and wildly successful-- products. For all I dislike about their marketing culture and ecosystem choices, I can't take that away from them.

As for collecting and monetizing user data...why on Earth single Google out? They are the most open about what they do with your data, and give huge value in return, unlike many companies, who just sell it, with your consent buried in the fine print, and you don't even know about it until there is a hack or abuse discovered.

[wodin]

Well said ApK, being a consummate capitalist I'll never fault anyone from making a buck or two (or a few billion). But your statement "For all I dislike about their marketing culture and ecosystem choices, I can't take that away from them." is exactly why I don't own a single Apple product, and probably never will.

[wodin]

My iMCO CoWatch Alexa Enabled SmartWatch will arrive today, I'll post a short review in a few days.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by wodin

Well said ApK, being a consummate capitalist I'll never fault anyone from making a buck or two (or a few billion). But your statement "For all I dislike about their marketing culture and ecosystem choices, I can't take that away from them." is exactly why I don't own a single Apple product, and probably never will.

I won't predict the future, I'm with you for the time being.

(Full disclosure, I do still own some old stuff: an iPod 5th gen classic that I won't get rid of yet because it has composite video/audio out for use in the minivan, and a 2008 Macbook Pro I got on eBay for work-related dev stuff, which I ended up not pursuing. Now my 10-yr-old daughter uses it. It really is an elegant machine.)

I'm much happier participating in Google's ecosystem, and, at the risk of staying on topic, Amazon's.

Because of our Echo and Dot, I'm actually considering using Amazon's cloud music storage for my personal library. Maybe.

[tubemonkey]

What's new?

Set your device location

Setting your device location in the Alexa app helps you receive accurate results for weather, local search, and more. To learn more about setting your device location, go to Change Your Alexa Device Location.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

What's new?

Set your device location

That's not new.

[wodin]

My iMCO CoWatch - Alexa-Enabled SmartWatch arrived yesterday and initial impressions are four (out of 5) stars. It was a bit fiddly to get set up (more on that later), and the notifications are a little uh... unreliable. But I really like the UI, it's what Android Wear should have been. And Alexa works, and answers come right on the watch through the built in speaker.

A more in depth review will come later, after I've used it for a few days to get better acquainted.