Amazon Echo Club

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I'm really tempted by this. I'm hoping there's a Prime Day offer, and/or a trade-in deal.

I'm interested also. Not sure why I am, but just am.

Originally Posted by wodin

I dropped the hammer for a $90 invitation, haven't gotten a response yet though.

Cool, you can be the guinea pig

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by CRussel

To answer your tagline -- for the fat, of course! How else can I cook my potatoes?

Best answer to that question yet, by the way!

[issybird]

Originally Posted by CRussel

To answer your tagline -- for the fat, of course! How else can I cook my potatoes?

I saw duck fat in a spray can in the market the other day. Just sayin'.

[CRussel]

In a spray can? Now that is a new one to me! Duck fat Pam -- I love it!

Charlie.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by issybird

I saw duck fat in a spray can in the market the other day. Just sayin'.

At first, I seriously thought you'd made that up, just to mess with me. But no, it's true, there IS such a thing. They even sell it on Amazon. (Though NOT on Amazon.ca. )

[OtinG]

The ducks react to news of this product:

[issybird]

Originally Posted by CRussel

At first, I seriously thought you'd made that up, just to mess with me. But no, it's true, there IS such a thing. They even sell it on Amazon. (Though NOT on Amazon.ca. )

I'm cut to the quick. Where's the trust?

I did indeed see it in a specialty food market where it was slightly cheaper. Right next to the Pam.

[OtinG]

Garmin has released the Garmin DriveSmart™ 65 with Amazon Alexa at $299.99 USD. The device is a premium GPS Navigator for cars with Amazon Alexa built-in. I'm not sure why I would want to buy this, but different strokes for different folks. I like my current Garmin and it already has voice command, but not Alexa. The concept of adding Alexa seems to be a very bad one because with it the driver will have the added distractions of a GPS device with Alexa screens for things like lists, etc. Something extra to take away the driver's attention to the road. It looks like it will have some of the functionality of an Alexa Show, including the ability "to create to-do lists, check your calendar, news, weather and traffic, control smart home devices and play interactive games." So imagine how distracting a Show mounted on the dash would be. Hopefully those Alexa functions will be locked out whenever the GPS senses that the vehicle is moving.

Garmin states:

Drivers should focus on driving and only use this function when safe to do so.

It does require a smartphone connected to the internet for the Alexa stuff, not sure about the GPS commands though. I prefer my older Garmin which works well even way out in the boonies without internet.
......

[ApK]

Google maps can download offline maps so can work out in the boonies, too. My wife and I both just retired our standalone gpsrs.

I HATE features that disable while in motion, unless it can be easily overridden. _I_ will be responsible for my own driving, thanks, and I typically want the passenger to
be able to handle nav and com duties while we drive.

[OtinG]

The problem with using a smartphone is they are too difficult to see the screen during daylight. And even with downloaded maps a smartphone GPS is not as accurate by any means as the full GPS chip used in a Garmin. I still much prefer the Garmin to a smartphone.

[Dylrob]

Originally Posted by OtinG

The problem with using a smartphone is they are too difficult to see the screen during daylight. And even with downloaded maps a smartphone GPS is not as accurate by any means as the full GPS chip used in a Garmin. I still much prefer the Garmin to a smartphone.

Only tangentially related, but I do love that Garman has stuck with transflective displays. I picked a Garmin watch over an Apple Watch in no small part because I can see the dang thing outdoors!

[OtinG]

I wear a Garmin Vivosmart HR watch. It is very affordable, especially compared to the Apple Watch. I only want the health functions, which of course the Apple Watch has, but I don't need all the other functionality because I always have my iPhone XR on my belt in an Otterbox cradle. I prefer to use the iPhone XR for all the other functionality. I wouldn't mind having an Apple Watch, but I really can't justify the expense.

BTW, the new Garmin DriveSmart™ 65 with Amazon Alexa costs about $75 more than the older Garmin DriveSmart™ 65 without Alexa, so getting it enabled with Alexa is going to cost an extra $75. Probably worth that for some people, but not me as I really wouldn't use the Alexa part very much in the car. As far as lists and what not, I prefer using the iPhone anyway. I like getting Alexa reminders when I'm at home, but I doubt I would need that function very often in the car, and with all the traffic noise and distractions from driving I might not hear or notice a reminder anyway.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by OtinG

The problem with using a smartphone is they are too difficult to see the screen during daylight. And even with downloaded maps a smartphone GPS is not as accurate by any means as the full GPS chip used in a Garmin. I still much prefer the Garmin to a smartphone.

I find just the opposite, Google maps is more accurate than the native sat-nav in my Nissan Rogue (in Hawaii at least), and if I enable Android Auto it comes up on the counsel, so reading the screen on the phone is moot.

The only issue I have is the Nissan sat-nav lady's voice is a bit more pleasant than the Google lady's.

That's offset a bit by the Nissan sat-nav reducing the radio volume when she talks, and Goggle's just talks over it so I don't miss comments on the radio because sat-nav is a butinski.

I haven't experimented with Waze, but I find Google's traffic routing seems a bit more up to date than Nissan's.

[ApK]

Yeah Android Auto integrated into a nice console display is pretty sweet. We had that in our rental last month, but we don't have a problem seeing our phones in the car. The display is better than my old Tomtom for sure.

I believe that dedicated GPSrs are more accurate on sat-only positioning, but for directions on road trips it's a difference that makes no difference. If I were doing off-road rallies, or for when I'm hiking or geocaching, it might matter.

Alexa in the car....meh....I have Google via a my phone and barely use that. I prefer a clean, easy-to-use touch interface 90% of the time.

[OtinG]

According to this article on MacRumors, Amazon Surpasses Apple and Google to Become World's Most Valuable Brand. Title says it all.