Amazon Echo Club

[Keslynn]

Would a Google Voice number work in place of a cell phone number? Those numbers can receive calls and texts through the Google Voice app via wifi or on a pc.

Originally Posted by wodin

Well, I found the Conversation Icon (the balloon at the bottom) in the Alexa app, but I'll Be darned if I can find the Drop In bar.

It lets me see people on my contact list who have Calling and Messaging, but it doesn't show me a list of my devices. I didn't try calling anyone as both of the contacts listed are co-workers, and I didn't want to inadvertently disturb them.

I see that on my iPhone in the Alexa app, but not on the iPad in the Alexa app. So it must be only for phones. The Alexa app is butt ugly, BTW! I haven't set up Calling and Messaging, so I cannot get past the setup screen for that when I press the balloon icon. I really don't want to receive any spam via Alexa, and I suspect that is all I would get since I have NO contacts who will use it.

...

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by DreamWriter

I didn't.

I think it's an interesting device, though. If it comes down in price and I get a cell phone someday (which is necessary to set up the Show!), I may consider it. That's not likely to happen anytime soon, however.

I don't think a phone is necessary for the Show. Near the bottom of the product page it says "Simple to set up and use" - Plug in, connect to internet using the Echo Show, start using.

Originally Posted by booklover6

I don't think a phone is necessary for the Show. Near the bottom of the product page it says "Simple to set up and use" - Plug in, connect to internet using the Echo Show, start using.

Whenever I press the Call and Messaging icon on my iPhone, it prompts me to enter a confirm-able phone number. It says I will get an SMS confirmation message. It makes sense that a working phone number will be required to get Calls and SMS Messages, though I don't think that would be necessary for the Intercom or any other feature that doesn't require a phone number. But I'm just guessing.

ETA: Since the Show can receive Calls and Messages, I suspect it will require a phone in the mix of devices. Again, just guessing.

Sounds off topic, but really isn't. For those of you who don't have Apple stuff, it is possible to receive/answer SMS messages and do video conferencing on Mac computers and iPads that do NOT have a cellular radio. However, to do so does require an iPhone, else you could not receive calls or messages. So I think the Show and Echos will mostly work without a phone in the mix, but I doubt you will get calls or messages without a registered phone. I suspect it will work similar to the way Apple allows calls and messages on multiple devices.

[booklover6]

Well, I was referring to a phone being required to register and set it up for use. I don't know about making calls etc. I haven't set that option up on my Echo or Dot.

Originally Posted by booklover6

Well, I was referring to a phone being required to register and set it up for use. I don't know about making calls etc. I haven't set that option up on my Echo or Dot.

I doubt a phone will be required for general set up of the Show. I didn't need one for my Echo or Dot or Fire TV. I think someone mentioned in this thread that they thought a phone was required, or might be required, but I cannot imagine that to be the case. Hopefully we will start hearing some reviews soon.

[Catlady]

Amazon has now shipped my Dash Wand, arriving Friday. Just what I need, another gadget to try to figure out.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Amazon has now shipped my Dash Wand, arriving Friday. Just what I need, another gadget to try to figure out.

Mine arrived last Friday, it was a snap to set up but I can't imagine why it would be useful. As mentioned previously, any time I scanned a bar code it sent me to a vendor that was 3 or 4 hundred percent overpriced.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by wodin

Nine arrived last Friday,...

...you ordered nine of those

[wodin]

opps, should have proofed that. I'll fix it.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by wodin

opps, should have proofed that. I'll fix it.

They need to move one of those letters to a different location on the keyboard

[Conan46]

Originally Posted by Keslynn

Would a Google Voice number work in place of a cell phone number? Those numbers can receive calls and texts through the Google Voice app via wifi or on a pc.

Yes and no. Google Voice is set up to work in concert with a cell phone number, but using the Google Hangouts Dialer it can work on its own for calling, not so much for sms text messages though. For instance, I rarely talk on the phone except to my wife and daughter, so I have a tracfone and google voice. I save minutes using google voice and just keep a minimum of voice minutes on my tracfone. Google Voice works via VOIP through wifi so you could just use it when around wifi on an Android phone with the Hangouts Dialer app. It will also work in Chrome browser on a laptop or desktop.

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

The Echo Show is now shipping. If you pre-ordered one, it should arrive today.

Who ordered one?

Wow, so I guess no one from this thread ordered one! I'm surprised. New Amazon devices usually get snapped up by a lot of people here. Maybe they are waiting to see what first buyers are saying in their reviews. There are a lot of unanswered questions about what it will and won't do, after all. I personally am not interested in the Show at the moment, but I do want to find out two important things:

• Is the sound quality significantly better than the original Echo?
• What is the actual screen resolution?

Screen resolution is important because of the video. I've tried looking at SD (Standard Definition) Amazon videos on my two TVs, and they look terrible. Amazon video in SD on a HD TV looks really horrible, so bad that it is unwatchable. So if the screen is only say 1024 x 600 px like the new 7" Fire tablet, then that is not HD and Amazon will likely push SD videos to it. Maybe SD video looks okay on Fire tablets that are low resolution, but they look like garbage on HD TVs.

I do think the Show has a lot of potential if the specs and sound are really good. But the common complaint I hear from the tech review sites is that there are very few apps and skills available at current which take advantage of the touchscreen. This reminds me of the earliest days of the iPhone when few decent apps were available. But once 3rd party developers got busy, things got a lot better. Time will tell. Who knows if the developers will embrace the Show are just give it a cold shoulder.

ETA: As of 10:00am CDT on June 29, there are still no reviews for the Show on Amazon.com. Maybe Amazon is locking out reviews to make sure people have them before they write reviews. I know there are some websites, including Amazon.com, who have shown reviews before the items even ship, so those are not from actual buyers.

[tubemonkey]

Here's a nice video review. It's 15 minutes in length.

Amazon Echo Show Review - Alexa with a Screen ! Special Guest AFTVNews.com