Amazon Echo Club

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by OtinG

Yep, here is something similar to what I used as a kid growing up in the 1960's:



Worked pretty well and those old AM stations could be heard from hundreds of miles away! And during the winter those vacuum tubes could keep you warm. FM was not an option in my area then, and you didn't even have FM radios in most cars back then either.

Oh yeah, lots of fun. My school years were in the 60s and I remember listening to the radio late at night trying to pick up stations hundreds of miles away. After high school, I got a shortwave for even greater listening options.

Now it's easy to listen to pretty much any broadcast thanks to the internet.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Oh yeah, lots of fun. My school years were in the 60s and I remember listening to the radio late at night trying to pick up stations hundreds of miles away. After high school, I got a shortwave for even greater listening options.

Now it's easy to listen to pretty much any broadcast thanks to the internet.

My dad brought home an old wooden SWR that was probably over 36 inches tall with a huge speaker in it. It had a round dial like a clock and the smaller hand was the fine tuning while the big hand got you into the band you wanted to listen to. My brother and I put up a 100 foot longwire antenna and listened in on broadcasts from around the globe. That was in the mid 1960s when SWR was still king! I don’t remember what happened to that old radio, but I sure wished I still had it. There is very little SWR being broadcast anymore, and most of that is from holy roly preachers in the USA. When the solar cycle is active I listen in on the ham HF bands, but I rarely bother with SWR anymore. I still remember listening in to the Louisiana Hayride on Saturday nights in the 1960s, and even the Grand O’le Opry sometimes, as far as AM went. Too many restrictions today though that prevents those powerful stations from operating at those levels.

[tubemonkey]

Is this Alexa's future?

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Is this Alexa's future?

I saw it a few nights ago--funny. I like the pizza delivery! I think that is fairly accurate for what we can expect from current technology when it comes to autonomous package delivery. And we thought the FedEx guys who throw packages over fences were bad...

In a way I feel sorry for the Millennials and the latest generation who will grow up with virtually no face to face social skills because they will only have virtual social skills (pun intended). Silly us, we went to things like Woodstock, the local hangouts, and what not to hone our social skills. We could have just stayed home and rotary dialed random people all day and night...

[OtinG]

I saw this article on the CNN.com website this morning.

According to a Wall Street Journal report on Sunday, Amazon (AMZN) staff members are peddling internal data and other advantages that independent merchants can use to try to get higher rankings for their products in searches on the site. The practice is "particularly pronounced in China," the article said.... The Journal reported that Amazon was investigating several incidents, including some involving employees in the United States.

I'm not surprised. Personally I've always thought their reviews were being manipulated by sellers, but I didn't suspect employees to be involved, though I probably should have... I thought it might have been an issue of Amazon turning a blind eye to obvious manipulation because they wanted to keep their 3rd party sellers happy. It looks like it is a much deeper issue. At any rate, I never trust the ratings on sites like Amazon, Walmart, or any other retailer. That seems to me very much like believing what a used car salesman tells you about the car he is trying to sell you.

[tubemonkey]

Amazon plans to release at least 8 new Alexa-powered devices, including a microwave, an amplifier, and an in-car gadget

Alexa, tell the microwave to bark like a dog

Amazon is doubling down on its Alexa-powered devices, with plans to release at least 8 new voice-controlled hardware devices before the end of the year, CNBC has learned.

The devices include, among others, a microwave oven, an amplifier, a receiver, a subwoofer, and an in-car gadget, people familiar with the matter said. All of the devices will be Alexa-enabled, meaning they can easily connect to the voice assistant. Some of the devices will also have Alexa built in.

Amazon is expected to reveal some of these devices at an event later this month, according to an internal document describing the plans.

Amazon doesn't disclose sales numbers for the Echo, but has previously said "tens of millions" of Alexa-enabled devices sold worldwide. And in its most recent earnings report, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos hinted at his ambition for making Alexa more widely used.

"We want customers to be able to use Alexa wherever they are," Bezos said in a statement in July. "There are now tens of thousands of developers across more than 150 countries building new devices using the Alexa Voice Service, and the number of Alexa-enabled devices has more than tripled in the past year."

[Tarana]

I discovered yesterday that Echo now provides hourly data on your weather.

Alexa, what is the weather at 5 pm today?
Alexa, what is the hourly weather report? (Gives you 4 hours)

Only as accurate as your local weather folks put out there.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Amazon plans to release at least 8 new Alexa-powered devices, including a microwave, an amplifier, and an in-car gadget

Alexa, tell the microwave to bark like a dog

Maybe a trashcan that turn on the TV like in the commercial you posted?

[OtinG]

Here is Alexa's grandfather Hal, built by Bezo's grandfather. Unfortunately he had real AI, and that didn't end well. Also he was rather large, as in the size of small high-rise building, so no free delivery.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by OtinG

Maybe a trashcan that turn on the TV like in the commercial you posted?

Fingers crossed

[OtinG]

I will be truly impressed when I can say, "Alexa, take out the trash" and it actually gets taken out. Better still, "Alexa, clean out the litterbox" and it actually gets cleaned out and disposed of.

AI today would probably just result in a robotic trashcan or litterbox spreading stuff all over the house and/or yard!

[ApK]

Originally Posted by OtinG

I will be truly impressed when I can say, "Alexa, take out the trash" and it actually gets taken out. Better still, "Alexa, clean out the litterbox" and it actually gets cleaned out and disposed of.

That may actually work in my house, depending on how I enunciate the name and how closely my son Alex is paying attention.

[tubemonkey]

Cross-posted from the News Forum:


Amazon introduces a ton of new Alexa-enabled products, including a microwave and car gadget

The company announced a new Echo Dot, its most popular Echo speaker. The Echo Dot is best selling speaker of all-time, according to Amazon senior vice president of devices and services David Limp.

The new Echo Dot, which will cost $49.99, will be 70 percent louder and have clearer sound. It will have an industrial design, and the fabric face will come in multiple colors. Orders for the new Echo Dot start on Thursday, and it will ship next month to every country Alexa is available.

Amazon also announced a new Echo Plus, which has cleaner sound and better bass. It too will have a fabric design, as well as an internal temperature sensor. This new model will build on last year's smart home hub, and will add lock controls so home commands will still work even if the WiFi is unavailable. It will cost $149, with orders starting Thursday. It will ship later this month.

Echo Show will get an upgrade with a 10-inch HD display, fabric body, and improved sound. It will have dual side-firing speakers, and an eight microphone array. Bonus features include integration with Vevo for music videos and Hulu with live TV, as well as Microsoft Skype for video calling. Amazon Silk and Firefox browsers will also be included. It will sell for $229, with pre-orders starting Thursday. It will start shipping next month.

[tubemonkey]

All-new Echo Show (2nd Gen) - Premium sound and a vibrant 10" HD screen


$229.99 -- Echo Show 10 -- buy 2, save $100 -- release date: 11 Oct 2018

Meet the all-new Echo Show

The all-new Echo Show features a new look, a vibrant 10” HD screen, built-in smart home hub, and improved speakers. Just ask Alexa to show you a recipe, watch live TV and sports with Hulu, make video calls, or see who’s at the front door.

Echo Show’s new speakers feature dual 2” premium drivers, a passive bass radiator, and Dolby processing to deliver expansive stereo sound with deep, powerful lows and crisp highs. Adjust the treble, mid, and bass levels using only your voice, or set up multi-room music to play music across compatible Echo devices throughout your home.

• Premium speakers with Dolby processing let you stream music and books in crisp, stereo sound. With a vibrant 10" HD screen for watching videos, movies, and TV shows—in a new fabric design.
  
• Ask Alexa to see lyrics and album art with Amazon Music. See weather forecasts, calendars, to-do lists, and your favorite playlists.
  
• Watch live TV and sports with a Hulu subscription, movies and shows from Prime Video, or the news.
  
• Make video calls to anyone with the Alexa app, an Echo Spot, or Echo Show. (Skype coming soon!)
  
• Your new kitchen companion—watch recipe videos, set timers and alarms, and add items to your shopping list.
  
• Set up compatible Zigbee devices without the need for a separate hub. See your front door camera stream with 2-way audio and notifications.
  
• With eight microphones and far-field technology, Alexa can hear you even while music is playing.
  
• With over 50,000 skills and counting, Alexa is always getting smarter. Skills are like apps and let you do more with Alexa.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

All-new Echo Show (2nd Gen) - Premium sound and a vibrant 10" HD screen


$229.99 -- Echo Show 10" -- Buy 2, save $100 -- will be released on 11 Oct 2018

The resolution on this thing is pitiful. A 1280 x 800 10.1" screen yields a whopping 149 ppi. That's worse than the resolution on Amazon's cheap Fire 7 Tab (171 ppi). By contrast, the resolution of the Fire 10 Tab is 224 ppi.

Is this a joke Amazon?