|
Just bought an Amazon Echo to replace our ailing DAB radio in the kitchen. Just the job. Decent sound, easy to use, reasonable price. Recommended
|
|
indeed, my echo plus is slightly better than my bose. Linked it to my firestick, whcih plays through the JBL creature 2.1 system. That rocks
|
I've not got an Echo and I think I don't quite get the concept.
Is it just a radio with voice control or more than that?
How do you two (and anyone else) actually use them day to day?
Perhaps I'm missing the point and should want one.
|
|
It's got a multitude of uses. The main ones we use in the kitchen is the radio feature (both live and catch up on BBC Sounds - other broadcasters are available) - Shopping list is particularly useful in a kitchen environment (adding items on the fly when cooking), multiple timers The speaker on my Mac Book is crap, so bluetoothing to it is handy. Playing music of your choice as and when - there are some functions which are more rarely used, such as setting the heating to come on and off. We have two in the house, both are used on a daily basis. Quite useful. I recently replaced my old iPad with an Amazon Fire thing, that also rpelicates the functions of the of an echo device.
|
|
You can also link it to your car to lock it remotely not used that function on the Volvo, but hey ho you can
|
Not trying to be negative, just trying to find a reason why I will enjoy having one of these...
>The main ones we use in the kitchen is the radio feature
I'm a radio person, more than any other form of music. I tend to switch it on and leave it on. It's be a rare day when I did more than use the on/off button, or very occasionally the channel select.
On the other hand, being able to play radio stations from other countries without using my phone would be great - typically R2, R4 or Talksport.
If I do listen to anything else then for the most part it is one, large, playlist on Spotify.
Can you play podcasts on it?
>>Shopping list is particularly useful
That could be, though in more case it'd be more of a general aide-memoire.
Does it have good quality speakers?
>>such as setting the heating to come on and off.
I'd love to get into the Smart House stuff. I worked on the original Orange Smart House pilot about 20 years ago which predicted and prototyped all the stuff we take for granted now. Hans Snook was the driving force at the time.
I think though that it's just too difficult living here. The electricity goes out more or less every time it rains which admittedly isn't very often, the broadband goes t/u at least once a week, and in any case I'd have to bring equipment in myself rather than buy it here. Typically package delivery is two to three months, sometimes longer.
|
I got an Amazon Echo Dot free with my Hive heating. Stayed in its box until my kitchen radio broke.
Currently only used for background radio in there.
I almost always have my phone to hand or nearby. I can control my Hive heating from it, buy stuff online with it etc etc. If I want a light put on I flick the switch on the wall.
My sister is a total gadget freak. She has 4 of these things around her house so that she can always talk to one to ask it to do things. She also has a robot hoover thingy that she will sit on her couch for an hour whilst it does its thing up and down the floor - I would prefer to take 5 mins and hoover it myself!
Interesting what Zero says about speaking to his missus through it from the car, my sister has CCTV cameras inside her house and she can remotely speak to my niece through them - when I suggested why doesnt she just phone her mobile instead I got hit with a blank look!
All of this is strange as I love my gadgets, especially in the car. But sometimes, like these smart speakers, I just don't get! I gave in with the Hive heating when my thermostat needed replaced and British gas were offering them for 50% off - it is useful to be able to put the heating on remotely so the house is warm for you getting in. But of course for 5 months of the year its redundant!
|
It tells me when my stuff from amazon is going to arrive, (you can order stuff through it as well) it operates some of the plugs and lights in the house, it tells me the days weather, and any reminders that day. I send messages to it for the missus while I am away, I chat to her on it, via the car, I talk to the dog while we are away. I connect to the car functions on it. You can ask it for traffic info, It links to my amazon music, and my spotify account, it plays near most any radio station, its my TV remote control, and it sounds great, and it was only 130 quid.
apart from that its ruddy useless.
Oh and I have it sounding like "computer" from star trek
Oh and it barks like a guard dog when I am away
Last edited by: Zero on Thu 4 Jun 20 at 21:36
|
|
Even just using it as a replacement for a radio, the voice control makes it a worthwhile upgrade especially in a working environment like a kitchen.
|
We've got a amazon echo, don't use it a huge amount for doing anything vaguely useful, but I do like it for the games you can access, pointless mainly.
|
|
A bit unfair. A quantum leap as the "hub" for a smart home if that's your thing.
|
|
I mean the gameshow 'pointless' although I don't use it beyond that, not really.
|
>>I mean the gameshow 'pointless'
Ha ha ha ha ha ha
I totally misread it too. Makes so much more sense now.
p.s. I also like Pointless.
|
|
A capital P would have helped ;-)
|
>> A capital P would have helped ;-)
>>
I was on my phone in fairness :-)
I can see how it could be good if you're into that sort of thing, having stuff talk to other stuff, but I can't say I ever really been interested in gadgets like that. Sometimes a few weeks can go by without using it, I forget it's there half the time.
|
>> It tells me when my stuff from amazon is going to arrive, (you can order
>> stuff through it as well)
It'd have to be telepathic with the ability to connect to amoeba for that to work here.
>>it operates some of the plugs and lights in the house
I'd love that. But not here, I don't think.
>> it tells me the days weather, and any reminders that day.
I can see that in the UK. Here it's easier -
September to May - Sunny
June to September - Mostly sunny, otherwise cloudy. Rains two or three times in this period at most.
>> I send messages to it for the missus while I am away, I chat to her on it, via the car
Why is that better than the phone?
>> Oh and I have it sounding like "computer" from star trek
That almost sells it just for that alone.
>> Oh and it barks like a guard dog when I am away
It can't be convincing though, surely?
|
I use it for everything mentioned above. It also has to do lists as well as shopping. Or your own named lists. I'm using it for an ideas list at the moment for my Planet Coaster designs.
It will tell you crap jokes. And sing to you.
My latest one - we always forget when to put the bins out. The council has a google calendar feed for them. So I connected that to my own google calendar, set up a schedule for Alexa to read me my calendar events (a fairly new feature in the UK), and now get reminded to put the right damn colour out on the right damn night using data from the authoritative ever changing source.
Useful at the moment as collections are all over the place, different days weekly it seems.
Use it to make free voip calls to any UK numbers. I don't have another way of getting free calls.
Like it a lot.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Fri 5 Jun 20 at 07:34
|
Like it a lot.
Same here - it works for us with different elements of its abilities.
|
>> So I connected that to my own google calendar, set up a schedule for Alexa to read me my calendar events
TBH I don't use the Echo's for much other than playing stuff, radio, and weather forecasts. They flash when I have a notification which is always an imminent parcel delivery but I know about those anyway.
I was going to connect my email and calendar to Alexa but the permissions include allowing it to delete all or any calendar and email entries. That would be disastrous if it happened unintentionally.
Were I to visit your house and, while you were making the coffee, casually ask Alexa to "delete all my emails and calendar entries" would it do so? Could this be made more secure by linking to voice recognition?
|
I dont know how to connect it to email. I know that's an option in the States but not seen it offered here to me. So no.
I just tried "delete my calendar entries" and it asks which one. I wasnt brave enough to try the word "all", but I'd be amazed if it didnt have some sort of "are you sure", or indeed refuse.
It does have voice recognition, doesnt it. I set it up, but it still works exactly the same for Mrs C, so not sure ive understood what that's for.
Oh, and in case Zero is reading, when you say "control my tv", what does that mean exactly?
|
"Oh, and in case Zero is reading, when you say "control my tv", what does that mean exactly?"
Basically what his remote does :-)......
|
Does that mean
Tell Alexa to turn on the terrestrial tv and sound system, and set the correct options?
Or that plus change the channel as well
Or both those and also tell Alexa to watch "name of show"
Or none of those on terrestrial?
Obviously all of that is easy with a Fire stick or similar, but then that's not watching terrestrial tv.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Fri 5 Jun 20 at 11:18
|
|
The concept of "terrestrial" TV does not exist in a connected house. . The TV is just a screen, I tell Alex I want to watch BBC1, and the tele turns on and it comes up, I care not about the source.
|
I mean "the BBC" as opposed to Amazon Prime or Netflix.
So what source does it switch to, and can you then use voice controls for anything?
We watch "the BBC" via a Tivo. Currently I can't use Alexa to switch to it, never mind control it in any way.
|
>> I mean "the BBC" as opposed to Amazon Prime or Netflix.
"the BBC" is just source content made available over many conduits
>> So what source does it switch to, and can you then use voice controls for
>> anything?
>> We watch "the BBC" via a Tivo. Currently I can't use Alexa to switch to
>> it, never mind control it in any way.
I tell alexa to play BBC1, it does, I control the volume via alexa, what more do you need? you have decided to watch BBC another manual way. We are just going round in circles here.
|
I suspect this isn't going to get me the (to me) obvious and easy to give answers to my (to me) simple questions that I was hoping for, so I'll look elsewhere. Thanks anyway.
|
You want Alexa to operate your TV remote control, select the HDMI input, and control your tivio, No it wont, it never will unless you insert a remote control in the chain, usually an android phone that has infa red.
YOu have a firestick? you tell Alexa to play BBC1 it does. Why do you want to go through all the rigmarole above? its the same BBC1
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 5 Jun 20 at 13:25
|
Thank you. I had no idea a firestick can play a live feed of BBC channels. I know it has the iplayer. Perhaps that is part of the iplayer, though I've not seen it. I'll look.
Edit - Alwxa says "sorry, something went wrong". However, progress. Again thanks for the tip. I'll try to debug.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Fri 5 Jun 20 at 13:35
|
Just to close the loop - best as I can tell after much fiddling you can't in fact watch live BBC on a firestick, never mind the other things on my wishlist of voice control.
Never mind. If I'm wrong I'd like to know how it's done.
|
|
Get a Sky Q box. Voice control is pretty good.
|
>> Get a Sky Q box. Voice control is pretty good.
Thanks - I'll look, though I'm under contract to Virgin for a few more months.
I'm really trying to get it so the technogibbon of the house, which amazingly isn't me, can actually turn on the tv/sound, watch something by herself, and stop it all at the end, without having to ask. It's all a bit too complex switching sources and using various remotes and complex on screen guides/prompts at the moment.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Fri 5 Jun 20 at 17:33
|
>> Just to close the loop - best as I can tell after much fiddling you
>> can't in fact watch live BBC on a firestick, never mind the other things on
>> my wishlist of voice control.
Gosh and here is me watching pointless live on BBC2 via I player on a fire stick
|
>> Just to close the loop - best as I can tell after much fiddling you
>> can't in fact watch live BBC on a firestick, never mind the other things on
>> my wishlist of voice control.
>>
>> Never mind. If I'm wrong I'd like to know how it's done.
Open the app, navigate to the channel you want to watch, and choose between watching 'live' or from the start of the program being transmitted.
The second one is the one that doesn't always work perfectly - especially on long programmes. Occasionally the stream stops before they have finished, but by then it's usually on catch up so you can >> to where you were cut off and see the rest.
That said I can't get voice control to work. I have a 4K Firestick with the voice button and it appears to be listening but nothing happens.
|
>>you can't in fact watch live BBC on a firestick
Surely you can watch live using the iPlayer?
|
>> >>you can't in fact watch live BBC on a firestick
>>
>> Surely you can watch live using the iPlayer?
>>
You'd think that. I think it's because I'm trying to do what I understood zero to be doing - get it to launch and show, say BBC1, live. It won't. Having tried again, I can see now that you CAN get BBC live as Manatee suggests, by using the remote to press buttons, but you can't voice launch it. At least I can't. Either nothing happens, or at best, I get asked a question about which show I want to see (ie pre-recorded).
|
I've resisted the need for one of these, just can't see an advantage over what I can do with my finger and the current devices I have...
I can under when you might want to use it to remotely control household items but how would you use it to provide an answer to a question with a list of possible answers?
Surely it's a bit like Google where a paid for ad jumps to the top of the list or does read out all possible options?
|
>> I can under when you might want to use it to remotely control household items
>> but how would you use it to provide an answer to a question with a
>> list of possible answers?
Ask away, I'll tell you what Alexa says.
|
>> >> Oh and it barks like a guard dog when I am away
>>
>> It can't be convincing though, surely?
Yer its not bad, it is after all a digital recording of a real dog, and its loud. From outside the house it sounds convincing enough.
|
We bought our Echo for exactly same reason as CG - DAB radio on the blink. The DAB itself was bought because VHF signal in kitchen is poor.
Obviously it accesses all the usual national radio stations from BBC and commercial broadcasters. I suspect, though I've never tried, that it would also find other stations worldwide provided they're available on the internet.
It's also linked to my Amazon Music account including my personal playlists. As well as all the bands and orchestras we've all heard of it can also play stiff that's perhaps less well known - The Fivepenny Piece for example or Jake Thackeray or Alex Glasgow. We've got most of the latter's output on CD but Amazon includes some stuff we've not got and different performances for some we have.
As others say doing all that without hands is good in the kitchen. The shopping list remains a pad/pen on the table.
Our TV is slimline LED but with just digital terrestrial channels and too old to integrate into the home network. As we hardly ever watch that's no loss. Heating similarly is on a timer clock and thermostat little different to what my parents had 40years ago. I keep wondering about hive or something so I can turn it on when we leave the airport or wherever but I've not done anything yet.
I'm sure there's far more Echo can do, but the capacity my son found to get it ti make f*rt noises is not one I'll use.......
|
Heating similarly
>> is on a timer clock and thermostat little different to what my parents had 40years
>> ago.
I've got the same set up, it's one of those old ones with two clocks and you have to adjust the little coloured pointers. Annoyingly it's upstairs in the boiler cupboard.
|
the capacity my son found to
>> get it ti make f*rt noises is not one I'll use.......
I kind of object to her asking me to rate her fart noise afterwards.
|
|
It used to be quite amusing to get Alexa to translate "Boris Carrot 100" into Welsh - she won't do it now, he's still one though.
|
Smart speaker - Zero
