Amazon Echo Club

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by OtinG

I didn’t find anything on Amazon I wanted or need that is on sale, at least not yet. I checked all my Wishlist items, and none are on sale. I don’t need, or want, any new Echos, Kindles, FireTVs, etc. I’m being extra frugal this year with the pandemic apparently picking up speed again, at least in my region. The longer this goes on, the more expensive groceries will get. So it is probably good that Amazon doesn’t have anything to temp me with this year!

I bought 5 Echo Flexes so far and that's probably were I'll stop. I'll see what BF has to offer.

The HomePod mini is priced the same as the Echo 4. Apple sure likes to charge a lot of money for their stuff. That's one of several reasons why I avoid Apple.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I bought 5 Echo Flexes so far and that's probably were I'll stop. I'll see what BF has to offer.

The HomePod mini is priced the same as the Echo 4. Apple sure likes to charge a lot of money for their stuff. That's one of several reasons why I avoid Apple.

Yes they do! The full size HomePod is $300, twice what a Echo Studio costs right now on sale. Plus Apple rarely puts their devices on sale, unlike Amazon. The issue with the Echos and HomePods and other smallish speaker devices is that they are physically too small to separate the speakers enough to get good stereo sound, so you have to buy two and pair them. Personally I think a good old fashioned stereo system will outperform all of them, hands down! But they are still good for casual listening to music of course, but not what you would use at a party for entertainment. Thankfully I’m not that picky with music and speakers, so the Echos are good enough for my tastes. Hell, at my age I can barely hear them anyway! I’m sure my neighbors probably think I’m jamming out all the time, but in reality I’m just hard of hearing.

[OtinG]

Did anyone purchase any nice Prime Day specials?

I actually behaved. I purchased a few inexpensive items which I would have gotten anyway, and none were on sale due to Prime Day. I did see a good deal on a Sony 4K TV which was a few hundred $$$ less expensive, but that was way over my budget! Maybe I’ll get something during the Xmas sales , but not that TV though!

[ApK]

Ordered a pair headphones that my daughter wants for a holiday gift, cuz I had some gift card balance and there was a small checkout coupon on it. I don't think it was related to prime day though.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by OtinG

Did anyone purchase any nice Prime Day specials?

I actually behaved. I purchased a few inexpensive items which I would have gotten anyway, and none were on sale due to Prime Day. I did see a good deal on a Sony 4K TV which was a few hundred $$$ less expensive, but that was way over my budget! Maybe I’ll get something during the Xmas sales , but not that TV though!

I bought 5 Echo Flexes (2 for me, 3 for gifts) and 2 Moto E6s (1 for me, 1 for a gift).

[mlewis78]

I just got my Fitbit Versa 2 watch delivered Sunday. I have not set it up, but I downloaded the app and registered. Had to get the app on my kindle fire, because my iphone is messed up, needs a new battery or maybe I need a new phone. The bad phone was my inspiration for ordering the watch. I like to keep track of my miles walked and # of stair flights (there are 4 to my apartment). The purchase is also a consolation for my broken wrist. I am in Day 31 of wrist fracture (day 42 should show healing if I have an x-ray then).

I plugged in the watch to charge. I hope it's easy to set up.

Other than that, I bought two long-sleeved v-neck t-shirts (or tunics, haven't tried on yet) and a nightgown that I haven't tried on. I used the $10 from buying at Whole Foods on that order.

[cc_in_oh]

Originally Posted by mlewis78

I just got my Fitbit Versa 2 watch delivered Sunday. I have not set it up, but I downloaded the app and registered. Had to get the app on my kindle fire, because my iphone is messed up, needs a new battery or maybe I need a new phone. The bad phone was my inspiration for ordering the watch. I like to keep track of my miles walked and # of stair flights (there are 4 to my apartment). The purchase is also a consolation for my broken wrist. I am in Day 31 of wrist fracture (day 42 should show healing if I have an x-ray then).

I plugged in the watch to charge. I hope it's easy to set up.

Other than that, I bought two long-sleeved v-neck t-shirts (or tunics, haven't tried on yet) and a nightgown that I haven't tried on. I used the $10 from buying at Whole Foods on that order.

I was considering a fitbit but I found a nice android app sponsored by Underarmor - MapMyWalk (or run or ride). The free version does everything I need - distance, time, speed, elevation gain. Steps are just an estimate based on your height -they overstate mine but it's easy to count 1/10 mile and apply to whole distance to get a pretty accurate count. I get one ad screen when I save so not bad in that regard.

[OtinG]

I was watching a decent three part docu-series on the Prime Video BritBox channel yesterday called “Dunkirk” from 2004. This isn’t the movie from 2017 which IMO was not very good. It is a three part series of one hour episodes that is a narrated documentary with actors. It is not too bad. I watched the first two episodes and went to watch the third and final episode only to find that I have to pay $1.99 for it! WTH! They bait you in for free with the pretext that the pay for channel includes shows at no extra cost, then tell you to pay for the ending. @#$&$! That is the most chicken manurish thing Amazon has done lately. I’ve watched a lot of shows on BritBox and have never been told I have to pay for them. I pay a monthly fee for BritBox, and shows should be covered under that monthly fee.

ETA: Added screen capture from Prime Video app on my iPad showing Dunkirk docudrama in the BritBox channel page. Note how it says “season one included in BritBox subscription” but shows episode 3 available through purchase only.

ETA2: I found this link on the BritBox website explaining why this sometimes happens on the Amazon Prime Video BritBox channel:

Why are some episodes showing up for rent or purchase?

Some shows will have new episodes on a schedule, such as a new episode every week or twice a week. You can check when to expect new episodes in the show's season description.

If you're viewing a show or season on Amazon Prime or Apple TV Channels before all episodes have been added by BritBox, the remaining episodes may show for rent or purchase by Amazon or Apple. As BritBox is a subscription streaming service, we don't offer rent or buy options for our content.

You'll be able to watch all episodes using your BritBox subscription when all episodes have been added.

Amazon needs to explain this on their page. It is rather confusing, especially when I’ve never seen Amazon release a partial season of a really old BritBox series like this one.

[mlewis78]

I have Britbox but wasn't aware that the Dunkirk movie was available but with a charge on the 3rd episode.

My Fitbit would not set up while trying to do it last night with the fitbit app on my kindle fire. My phone was messed up, so I put it on the kindle fire. I contacted their help. It was strange that when I clicked on "continue set up" it went to another page that asked me again and when I click on that it went back to the other page, over and over.

I bought an Apple iphone SE tonight to replace my 6s that had no power (needed new battery) and was too full, even though I kept deleting things. I had an appointment Tuesday night at the Apple store on 5th Avenue. They are open 24/7. I was leaning towards just getting a new battery but realized I might have to replace the phone in 2021, so I went ahead and bought the SE. Apple was very organized with the check-in outside and someone meeting me down in the store. They started only a few minutes after my appointment time. I traded in my 6s (only $60 credit).

So tomorrow I will try again with the Fitbit Versa 2 set up, using the app on my new phone.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by mlewis78

I have Britbox but wasn't aware that the Dunkirk movie was available but with a charge on the 3rd episode....

To be clear, this is not the Dunkirk movie from 2017. This is a TV docudrama which aired in three parts on BBC or ITV back in 2004. Personally I think it is better than the 2017 movie, though both are only so-so IMO. The 2017 movie was so bad I stopped watching it after 15 minute or so. Fortunately I got to stream the 2017 movie for free, but I don't remember which service was offering it at the time. I would have been extremely disappointed if I had paid for it. The 2017 movie is yet another example of a terrible movie winning a lot of awards simply because of the subject matter even if it is boring. The 2004 TV docudrama was at least narrated so you could follow what was happening.

[tubemonkey]

Amazon Echo (4th gen) review: Hold my sphere

CNET -- Oct 22, 2020

The fourth-generation Amazon Echo sports a spiffy new shape, great sound quality and easy smart home setup for a reasonable price. It’s one of the best smart speakers we’ve ever tested. Check out the video for all of the details including a head-to-head sound comparison with the Nest Audio.

[tubemonkey]

AMAZON ECHO (2020) REVIEW: MUSIC OF THE SPHERE

Amazon’s latest Echo brings room tuning and impressive sound quality to the $100 price point

And sure enough, the Echo is physically deeper than the Nest Audio, which is a little bit taller. That depth allows Amazon to use two tweeters (each 0.8-inch) compared to the Nest’s single one, while still fitting in a 3-inch woofer and enough space for it to radiate bass.

The net effect is the Echo has a greater sound stage than the Nest and fills larger rooms better with sound. It also has noticeably better bass — you can feel it in the floor as well as just hearing it. That’s something I haven’t experienced from a $100 smart speaker before.

In general, the Echo has a wide soundstage, deeper bass than typically found on speakers at this price, and some stereo separation thanks to those two tweeters. It also gets loud — when I compared it side by side with the Sonos One, a speaker that’s twice as expensive, the Echo was able to go toe-to-toe with the Sonos in terms of output.

The Echo isn’t quite able to match the Sonos on sound quality, and I do prefer the sound of the Sonos overall. But the differences are small: the Echo can sound more “processed” at times and it lacks the warmth in the midrange that the Sonos is so good at.

But now Amazon has brought excellent sound quality and a ton of features to a price that’s much more accessible. That price is likely to get better once Amazon’s frequent and aggressive discounts are available for the new Echo. If you already have Alexa speakers in your home, whether that’s a cheap Echo Dot or an older Echo model, the new Echo is a noticeable upgrade to throw into the mix.

And if you have been eyeing the smart speaker world for the past half-decade but haven’t jumped in yet, the new Echo is an excellent place to start. It’s a great-sounding speaker that also happens to do a million other things.

[John F]

Originally Posted by John F

This was actually quite useful.

I've been wanting to open apps from routines, and with two Alexa devices, I can now do this (my son was laughing like crazy when I showed him what I needed to do to get it to work).

And now this doesn't work for me. I noticed one of my other dots updated today, and I assume this is why.

But ...

Browsing through the routines, there is now a "custom" action which lets you type a command you would normally speak. So now I can start an app from a routine (without needing two Alexa devices).

Thank you Amazon.

[OtinG]

Amazon has some pretty good deals on various devices with Alexa today. See web page here.

[tubemonkey]

I can't believe it's been 6 years since I got my first Echo. It seems like it's only been 6 years

The sale prices are the same as the prices on Prime Day.