Apple stated thus at a recent launch.
On 17/10/2016 8:14 PM, Chris Moore wrote:
How do you know it will be limited to the Apple tv? It could be a
seperate unit, it is all speculation
Sent from my iPhone
On 16 Oct 2016, at 7:25 pm, Dane Trethowan <grtd...@internode.on.net
<mailto:grtd...@internode.on.net>> wrote:
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 <gor...@mac-access.net
<mailto:gor...@mac-access.net>> 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:
<gor...@mac-access.net <mailto:gor...@mac-access.net>>
Accessibility & Information Technology Support Specialist.
Mobile/SMS:
+44 (0)7907 823971
————————————————————
On 16 Oct 2016, at 18:27, Chris Moore <moor...@blueyonder.co.uk
<mailto:moor...@blueyonder.co.uk>> 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
<grtd...@internode.on.net <mailto:grtd...@internode.on.net>> 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.
*
Autumn 2016 update
Since 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
<https://www.cnet.com/products/amazon-echo-dot/>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:
<gor...@mac-access.net <mailto:gor...@mac-access.net>>
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.
