the current/older echo has amazing hardware, pity it it was not supported in
Australia.
yes the tips taken from this list did help me in setting it up [my thanks to
Dane] but in this global age international support should be a given.
IC
----- Original Message -----
From: Dane Trethowan
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, October 17, 2016 5:25 AM
Subject: Re: [Techno-Chat]: Amazon Echo
Hmm. will be interesting to see whether the new version is compatible with
other countries outside the U.S.
Perhaps I’ve miss-read something but the options described in what you’ve
posted sound remarkably similar to what is available already.
I myself have been meaning to order one - having set one up already I’m
impressed by the performance and functionality - however there’s the Google
Home coming and of course Apple TV will offer similar functionality however
that will be limited to the Apple TV box itself and not a separate unit.
On 17 Oct. 2016, at 4:49 am, Gordon Smith <[email protected]> wrote:
Remember though, these options will apply to the old version. The new one
does not hit the market until 28 October.
========================================
My compliments and kindest regards
Gordon Smith:
<[email protected]>
Accessibility & Information Technology Support Specialist.
Mobile/SMS:
+44 (0)7907 823971
————————————————————
On 16 Oct 2016, at 18:27, Chris Moore <[email protected]> wrote:
I love mine, and with the help of wemo switches and ITaTT I have my
lights automatically coming on at sunset
Sent from my iPhone
On 16 Oct 2016, at 4:25 pm, Dane Trethowan <[email protected]>
wrote:
Hi!
I know someone who bought one and he's extremely happy with it though
he had to do a little fiddling to have it work properly in Australia.
Even now the Echo still doesn't read phone numbers correctly - we have
8 digit phone numbers whereas the U.S. have 7 digit phone numbers. -
Part of getting the Echo working correctly was to set it to a location
with the same time zone as Australia, Guam was the obvious choice here.
Then the problem arose of getting the App from the IOS App store, the
Echo App isn't available in Australia so a workaround had to be put into place.
I don't recall all of what had to be done now as it was some time ago -
I actually posted all the steps required to techno-chat at the time - but now
my friend can sign into his account on the web and control the echo from there
- well most of it -.
As was written in the original mail, there are 3 different echos
available right now and a review of each model was in Access World a couple of
months ago, turns out the original echo is by far the best one to buy and -
from the demos I've heard - I'd be pretty happy with that too.
Amazon does have competition from the Google Home device, the Google
Home was demonstrated on the BBC Radio 4 Today show a month or so back, I
actually heard the demo live, Google is to launch the Home soon.
If you'd rather get ahead of the Home and the Echo - and you have an
Android phone - then you can either try the Google Allo App or - if you'd
rather your Android device be shiny and new with all the features of Amazon
Echo and Google Home Built-in - buy a Google Pixel smartphone.
On 15/10/2016 6:22 AM, Gordon Smith wrote:
Hello everybody
I’ve been silently watching this one for about 5 months now, and
tonight I placed an order for one. It isn’t just a speaker that you can listen
from, it’s a “Listener” that you can talk too. You add all your commands
verbally, and you can now have it do quite a wide range of tasks for you. It’s
the first step along the way towards a “Smart” home; read on:
Amazon's voice-activated smart home speaker is undeniably futuristic,
but it's also practical and accessible. With a rapidly growing slate of
features and integrations, it's easy to get excited about the Echo's potential.
THE BAD The Echo's sound quality is uneven at times, with weak bass
at high volumes. The growing list of "Skills" in the Alexa app could also
benefit from better organisation.
THE BOTTOM LINE More than a year after its debut, the Echo is smarter
than ever, and one of the best connected home products money can currently buy.
a.. Autumn 2016 updateSince introducing the original Amazon Echo in
November 2014, Amazon has continued to refresh and expand its lineup of
hands-free, voice-enabled speakers. In April, the company introduced the Echo
Dot, which is a smaller version of the Echo, and in September returned with an
updated version of the Dot, simultaneously cutting its price almost in half to
$50(US) or £50 (UK Sterling).
This new Echo Dot, has a slightly sleeker design than the original,
though it comes equipped with the same array of seven microphones and advanced
noise-cancelling technology. Amazon says that the new Dot features a more
powerful speech processor, which delivers improved far-field speech recognition
accuracy. It's currently available for preorder and will ship on 28 October.
The original, more expensive Echo can fill a room with sound. The Dot
features much of the same functionality as the Echo, just with a less powerful
speaker and a line-out plug on the back. In April, also Amazon introduced the
$130.00 Echo Tap. Because it runs on a battery, you need to hit a button to
initiate interactions; it's less convenient than the always-listening Echo and
Dot, but it's also portable. And once you do push the button, you can issue
voice commands to Alexa, play music from your phone or stream it over Wi-Fi,
check the weather or news, and issue commands to control your smart home.
I can’t wait! I’ve ordered the full Echo, so if there’s interest I
shall produce an extensive audio demonstration to show it off in all its glory.
========================================
My compliments and kindest regards
Gordon Smith:
<[email protected]>
Accessibility & Information Technology Support Specialist.
Mobile/SMS:
+44 (0)7907 823971
————————————————————
**********
Those of a positive and enquiring frame of mind will leave the rest of the
halfwits in this world behind.
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