Amazon Echo Club

[ApK]

Originally Posted by John F

Here is what I see on IOS.

Notice "All devices" under smart home and above lights.

Wow, here's what I see on the Alexa app on Android. Hard to believe it's the same app. Notice all the nothing.
(And, no, "More" just goes back to the setting screen.)

[John F]

Originally Posted by ApK

Wow, here's what I see on the Alexa app on Android. Hard to believe it's the same app. Notice all the nothing.
(And, no, "More" just goes back to the setting screen.)

It looks like you are in "when this happens". I was talking about " add action".

[ApK]

Originally Posted by John F

It looks like you are in "when this happens". I was talking about " add action".

Yup, that's because I completely misread the first post of yours I responded to about this.
So never mind!

[ApK]

Some time ago, Amazon announced a feature to prevent the wrong device from responding to voice commands. It was supposed to acoustically determine the nearest of the devices on that account, and only have that one respond. My thought at the time was "That should have been there from the beginning! But, better late than never." It didn't seem to work all that well, for a time I resorted to the unacceptable work-around of changing the wake word on one of my devices. But I figured, well, it's non-trivial tech, so give them time. Eventually it seemed to work better! Then a short while later Alexa started occasionally following up her responses with something like "By the way, I'm trying to get better. Did the correct device respond?" Wow, I thought, that was very cool! Actual work on improvement! Maybe even machine learning! Kudos!
Now, for the last few weeks, I'm back to facing right at my Dot 4, speaking in a quiet conversational voice standing 3 feet from it in my kitchen, and 6 out 10 times, the blue light won't even react, but the Dot 2 in the living room 15 feet behind me, and hidden by a couch cushion answers immediately. IT'S STARTING TO DRIVE ME BATTY!
I take back every defense I thought of when OtinG insulted Amazon firmware devs!
Amazon forums are replete with similar complaints, and bursting with no help at all from Amazon.
ApK

[OtinG]

With Amazon and their Alexa devices it has often been one step forward then two steps backwards. Fix one thing (sort of) and break two others. I tried the different names for some of the devices, although I have six devices in all and there isn't that many unique names for Alexa. But that was kludgy at best. I finally gave up and just turned off the microphones for the Alexas that were most problematic, which is just as kludgy but works better. Each device seems to have a different level of hearing ability. My Show 5 is like talking to a person who needs to replace the batteries in their hearing aids. An old Dot 2 hears like a Mom who can hear your snarky, whispered reply from six rooms away. The other devices are somewhere in between the hearing sensitivity of those two.

[tubemonkey]

Amazon Introduces Upgraded Echo Show 8, Echo Show 5, and the All-New Echo Show 5 Kids

May 12, 2021 at 9:07 AM EDT

Echo Show 8 features a powerful 13-megapixel wide-angle camera that digitally pans and zooms during video calls, a vibrant 8-inch HD screen with adaptive color, a new octa-core processor, and dual stereo speakers—still only $129.99

Echo Show 5 comes with an upgraded HD camera, more color options, and a new, even lower price—now just $84.99

All-new Echo Show 5 Kids offers all the things parents love about Alexa—parental controls, curated content, a worry-free guarantee, plus a colorful new design—for just $94.99

Alexa can now show you even more—securely access the built-in camera to remotely monitor your home, see on-screen music recommendations from Amazon Music and Spotify, add reactions to video calls, check your workout history, watch Prime Video, Netflix, and more

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 12, 2021-- (NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon today introduced its newest Echo Show devices—the new Echo Show 8, Echo Show 5, and the first Echo Show 5 Kids. Echo Show is the fastest-growing family of Echo devices, and the new models feature more powerful cameras for better video calling, alongside new ways to enhance your Alexa experience.

more...

[tubemonkey]

Amazon Echo - New Releases

$129.99 -- Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) -- release date: 09 Jun 2021

Echo Show 8—Featuring a 13-megapixel, wide-angle camera that keeps you centered in frame—still just $129.99

The new Echo Show 8 has a vibrant 8-inch HD, adaptive color display; a powerful 13-megapixel camera with a built-in camera shutter; a new octa-core processor; and dual stereo speakers for clear, balanced sound. The upgraded camera automatically pans and zooms while you’re on video calls, so everyone stays centered in the frame. Just ask to make video calls via Alexa or say, “Alexa, call my family” to join a group call with multiple people. To add some fun to an Alexa call, soon you’ll be able to simply tap on the screen to choose from animated visual and audio in-call reactions, like hearts, laughs, or confetti. You will also be able to turn on in-call Augmented Reality (AR) effects, so you can appear in street art, a classic painting, and more. Support for Zoom also means you can quickly join meetings with coworkers, friends, and family by just saying, “Alexa, join my Zoom meeting.”

With dual stereo speakers and an HD display, Echo Show 8 delivers an immersive entertainment experience. Simply ask to browse TV series or movies from Prime Video, Netflix, and Hulu, or ask Alexa to play your favorite music from Amazon Music, Apple Music, or Spotify. Alexa will also now show you music playlists or station recommendations based on the Amazon Music or Spotify song playing, making it easier to discover your next favorite artist or song.

Echo Show 8 also offers even more ways to personalize your experience. With the new shared home screen, approved family and friends can share recent photos with you, and they’ll appear right on screen so you never miss an important moment. Plus, if you’re a Prime member, you have unlimited, full-resolution cloud photo storage with Amazon Photos—and the adaptive color display on Echo Show 8 makes your photos look great in any light.

Specs

• Camera ----- front-facing | 13 MP | physical shutter
  
• Display ----- 8.0" | 1280 x 800 | 189 ppi | touch screen
  
• Speakers --- stereo | 2.0" + 2.0" | 10W ea
  
• Warranty --- 1 year

[tubemonkey]

Amazon Echo - New Releases

$84.99 -- Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen) -- release date: 09 Jun 2021

Echo Show 5—Compact design, improved camera, even more colors—now only $84.99

With its compact, 5.5-inch display, Echo Show 5 fits easily in any room of your house, and with three colors to choose from—Charcoal, Glacier White, and the new Deep Sea Blue—it seamlessly blends into your décor. You can ease into the day with a Sunrise Routine that turns your lights on gradually, plays the news, and shows you the weather for the day. You can also catch up on video highlights from your favorite sports team; watch news from NPR, CNN, ABC, and more; or, after working out with your Echo Buds, say, "Alexa, show my workout history" to see how many calories you burned, the distance you ran, or the duration of your workout.

Echo Show 5 has an upgraded HD camera with double the pixels, making it perfect for a quick video call or to Drop In on the kitchen to see if dinner is ready. You can also securely access the built-in camera on Echo Show through the Alexa app to check in on home if you’re out of town, or just to see if the dog is on the couch.

Alexa is getting even more proactive. Now, set up a Routine to turn on the lights as soon as you walk into a room in the morning to start your day. Or, to conserve energy, you can create a Routine to have Alexa power off your Fire TV if you left it on after going to bed. Soon, you can also set Alexa to recognize certain sounds—like a baby crying, dog barking, person coughing or snoring—and automate a series of actions. For example, you can create a Routine that gradually turns on your bedroom light when Alexa detects the sound of a baby crying or turns up white noise when your partner snores at night.

Specs

• Camera ----- front-facing | 2 MP | physical shutter
  
• Display ----- 5.5" | 960 x 480 | 195 ppi | touch screen
  
• Speakers --- mono | 1 x 1.65"
  
• Warranty --- 1 year

[tubemonkey]

Amazon Echo - New Releases

$94.99 -- Echo Show 5 Kids (2nd Gen) -- release date: 09 Jun 2021

Echo Show 5 Kids—Built for kids to be entertained, learn, and stay connected—just $94.99

The all-new Echo Show 5 Kids comes in a new and fun design that fits into the coolest of kids’ rooms. Kids can easily personalize the home screen of their device with colorful, kid-friendly clock themes; ask Alexa for homework help; make video calls to pre-approved contacts; and set alarms to wake up to the voice of their favorite characters. Amazon Kids+ also offers thousands of hours of premium entertainment and educational content—listen to Audible books, have dance parties to your favorite music, learn while having fun with skills like Lemonade Stand and Name that Animal, and more. Echo Show 5 Kids includes a 1-year subscription to Amazon Kids+ and a 2-year worry-free guarantee—if it breaks, return it, and Amazon will replace it for free.

Specs

• Camera --------- front-facing | 2 MP | physical shutter
  
• Display --------- 5.5" | 960 x 480 | 195 ppi | touch screen
  
• Speakers ------- mono | 1 x 1.65"
  
• Warranty ------- 2 years
  
• Subscription --- includes 1 year of Amazon Kids+

[Tarana]

Originally Posted by John F

Cat lady's posts got me thinking how I could use a timer on a plug. My father likes to watch the bird feeder, but doesn't like the squirrels. I bought a vesync outdoor plug. 1st I tried a siren, it worked the 1st couple of times, but then the squirrels ignored it. Then I put A sawzall by it, and that is working. I would use the app to turn the plug on then off. So now my father just needs to yell "Alexa, squirrel" to get rid of the squirrels.

I'll have to set up something for my Mom. She won't use it until the current crop of baby squirrels have set off to new places. Dog barking might work.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Amazon Echo - New Releases

$84.99 -- Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen) -- release date: 09 Jun 2021

I've had issues with my 1st gen Show 5, including those @#$%ing Tips not wanting to stop, even when told to, and the clock is pretty wonky and tries to change the selected background image on occasion, and the microphone is nearly deaf. Amazon has had plenty of time to fix these issues via FW, but hasn't. So buyer beware...

I also want to point out that the 1st gen Show 5 can only display video surveillance footage for a few cameras and those have to have a cloud subscription. It will NOT display footage from cameras that use locally stored footage even if they are connected to your WiFi network. So expect to pay more per month for cloud storage.

[OtinG]

Just FYI, Amazon has the 1st gen Show 5 listed for $49.99.

As mentioned above, it does have its gremlins, but the 2nd gen might have those too.

[mlewis78]

This morning when my Alexa alarm went off, I reset it for a half hour later because I was so tired. Then it asked me if I wanted to learn how to set up a routine to make it say "Good Morning" to me. I said no. Geez, what a nuisance it is sometimes! Why would I need a speaker to say good morning to me? (Don't answer that!).

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by mlewis78

This morning when my Alexa alarm went off, I reset it for a half hour later because I was so tired. Then it asked me if I wanted to learn how to set up a routine to make it say "Good Morning" to me. I said no. Geez, what a nuisance it is sometimes! Why would I need a speaker to say good morning to me? (Don't answer that!).

[mlewis78]

I played the "Hello Dave . . ." video and Alexa said "playing from laptop BMXXX and I had to replay it to hear "you're looking well . . ."

New thing going on with my Show 5. The daytime clock on my chosen photo just gave me a white clock over a black background. Eventually my photo came back after I said "Echo go to the home page" three times. Same thing when I checked later on. I don't look at it much, but when I do, I want to see the clock and outdoor temperature over my ocean photo.