Amazon Echo
 

Does anyone have an Amazon Echo? It's QVC's TSV today and I had never heard of it! If you have an Echo, how do you use it? Do you love it?

Yes! Love it! You have to have wifi in your home. You plug it in and follow the set up instructions. You can download load the app on your phone for further navigation help. It can play music, create grocery lists, lock your doors, start your appliances, and so much more! I bought mine from amazon.com and had it sent in 2 days with Prime...

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We also love it, but IMHO, you really need Amazon Prime to take full advantage of it. Now, if you are automating your home with Hue, Wemo, etc., then prime isn't necessary. We control our Hue lights and Rachio irrigation system by voice with Alexa.

I have Amazon Prime but I admit that I don't use it to its full potential!

Many now prefer the less expensive "Dot", as it is similar to the Echo, but allows a different speaker, etc, for less than half the price.

I would buy either one direct from Amazon. The prices have recently been slashed.....

Frank.

Have echo, use it for music, news, sports, weather, generating shopping lists, controling thermostadt, and a there are a ton of skills and new ones come out every month. We bought ours during the introductary offer, took six months to get here. Now, you get them in two days with prime. We love it.

Yeah, but.....
 

The enthusiastic reviews that have appeared thus far have neglected to mention one thing. For every light switch that you want to control, you must replace the switch with a specialized switch that connects to your wi-fi system, at costs in the range of $35 each. For small appliances, like an electric fan, you can get a switch that plugs in to a wall socket and powers the fan.

Each device is named by you, and you can then instruct Echo to turn the device on or off with an oral command. It can even do this for (an expensive) front door lock.

The home thermostat is significantly expensive, as is the "bridge" needed to control LED and colored LED lights. The color and intensity of the lights can be regulated.

To fully customize your music choice list you must become an Amazon Prime member. I use the free portion of Pandora.

I did buy the Echo (alternating current power) and the Tap (battery operated) for the purpose of turning on selected lights, especially outside lights, if I think I hear a prowler. The switches that I am using can be controlled by both the Echo and by an application on my Smartphone.

Just remember that the cost can run up quickly as you add more and more switches, devices and features.

Agree with everything said. We use it for many things. And an added bonus she tells you silly jokes, can give you all sorts of info and you can play Jeopardy! It's useful and fun.

Among all these things Echo can do, I use it when I'm grilling. Sometimes I get busy with all the other stuff involved and forget things, so I tell Alexa to set a timer to remind me to turn the food, or when it's done, or finished resting. It will do multiple timers. And, instead of running back to a timer, or picking up my phone to turn one off, I can just tell it to "Stop".

I have the echo dot. One is the best skills to teach it is ""Ask my Buddy". The skill and corresponding app are free. Register up to five friends or family. If you tell Alexa to ask you my buddy to alert a specific friend or everyone, phone calls to a specific person or everyone (your choice), and a email and text will be send asking them to check on you now. Great if you fall off the ladder cleaning the ceiling fan,etc.
I also turn on the bathroom light for guests or they can request the same. I can turn on lights globally from my cell phone or set rules when I want them on. I never have to go home to a dark house.
When I get up in the morning, I tell Alexa to turn on the coffee pot and give me the current news...your choice of news sources.

My neighbor likes to walk my dog. If I am not home, he can tell Alexa, "to ask the dog if he is hungry" Alexa will tell him how many hours since the dog was fed and ask him if he is going to feed the dog now. When I come home, I ask Alexa if the dog was fed.

Amazon just marked down to 39.99.

Sounds like cool stuff, but way to tech for me. Guess I gotta stick to the old fashioned way being that I am so "un-techy!"

My wife loves Alexa. We use the basic features and are happy we have her. Sometimes she reacts to the Amazon Echo Television commercial.

My husband loves our Alexa, say's she the only woman he's ever met that listens and answers to everything he asks, and doesn't say anything till she is talked to again:)))

I LOVE ❤️ it. Great music, alarm, news, ordering from Amazon, etc