Alexa, tell us more about people who don't understand technology....

Bought one last week for my mother who doesn't use computers or smartphones, but can use this to listen to the radio, music, set alarms, timers, etc.

But I see people in this thread telling me she has no use for it, so I guess I'll have to tell her that and return it.

OK

Anyone who uses this site will have a smart phone. Why not just use a smartphone to do all of this functionality for free? Plus it's more convenient.

This thing is the most gimmicky, pointless waste of money ever.

And the winner of utterly random comment of the week is...

The "Ask Google" unofficial skill works great and transforms this device into something much more powerful. An Amazon device running the google search engine did I hear you say, well basically yes.
A bit of a slog getting it programmed but well worth the effort..

Everything you need is here http://alexamods.com/guide-install-ask-google-alexa-skill/

Maybe I'm just stupid.
Free postage with amazon so the difference was only £2

Not really when you could have stuffed yourself with £96 worth of pizza express instead :man:

Explain why you were watching Babe Station while ur other half was popping to the kitchen to make a cuppa?

For under £50 it's an inexpensive way to try the technology out. I bought one and very quickly got fed up with the very limited search engine (Bing). I had to install far too many skills to get even close to the "OK Google" functionality, and then you have to remember the names of the skills to invoke them, absolute rubbish. However, I only have one skill installed now and all I need to remember is "Alexa, ask google ............."

I probably will end up buying Google's version when the price drops or they bring out a "dot" version, but for now I'm quite happy with the Echo for such a small outlay.

"probably be closer to a fiver by Christmas I imagine."

they will probably end up being free with subscriptions.

Darn you, I promised myself I'd only try one if they dropped below £40. This and getting yesterday's amazon deal on the philips hue starter kit meant I've "had" to jump on and try

They'll still not be a fiver by Christmas.

Correction, you don't care what i think - just as i don't care about your opinion.

But there is no need to feel offended and throw around unfounded slurs now.

They are cheap bits of kits that are flooding the market, its not difficult to see - unless your knowledge of technology is practically blank

Why didn't you use you extensive knowledge to perhaps advise/discuss how these versatile devices allow you to play local network media, so you can enjoy more of their functionality without subscription ?

I'm going to get the GH but I'll keep the dots even if just for ordering toilet rolls :man:

If you listen to Radio every day and have limited DAB coverage then this device is worth every Penny (Assuming you have internet nearby). OK there are a few voice issues when asking for some stations on Tunein or Radioplayer but I normally get it understanding in the end. There is a voice training system on Alexa but haven't tried it yet..

Comparing Echo to Google then it's a no brainer but the Dot's price at £39 makes it a great buy for limited tasks.

That's what I am waiting for. Got a month to return it, and if the Sonos stuff isn't announced to public beta in that time I'll just send the Dot back.

In the mean time I'll go back to trying to shoehorn Alexa int my lIfe. Maybe get a wifi socket or something and turn the toaster on and off.

Black out of stock
White still in stock
https://www.tesco.com/direct/amazon-echo-dot-white/796-6287.prd?skuId=796-6287

We have one - it gathers dust mostly and I was surprised as was expecting much more. The kids drove us mad for the first few days "Alexa...blah blah blah" but once the novelty wore off, it now just sits there, silently chatting to the SONOS, feeling equally as neglected until people come round that haven't seen one before engage with it. If they can get a link to the SONOS done (it's been talked about) it would be better as the built-in speaker really is terrible. Still for a lower price it might be worth a punt.

Just a reminder, you could potentially get this cheaper (£34.99) if you live in an Amazon Prime Now postcode area: Echo Dot for £34.99 - HotUKDeals

In my experience they don't listen though :smirk:

You're a huge tech fan and professional?

Hello I'm a professional, listen to my words.

Edit: replied to wrong person.

How do I get Alexa to play radio?

No, you're thinking of Primani ;-)

Ordered the white one - cheers!

No one cares what you think!

A fiver by xmas/from a cornflakes box.... yeh you clearly know your tech and depreciation

Does anybody have this paired with a Honeywell evohome thermostat?

just been looking these and it's seems there is no dlna integration, or ability to play local network media - anyone had any luck with that. ?

Ordered thanks!

That's what I did last week.

Obviously not everyone lives in PrimeNow areas.

Ha ha ha...I'm not being pedantic...I'm just being accurate and at the same time wondering: If it's so obvious that not everyone has a smartphone - why have you said exactly that twice in this thread?
Kudos to you...you have definitely made this thread more amusing :smiley:

i think these are a gimmick, they will probably be closer to a fiver by Christmas I imagine.

just like 'siri' everyone wants the latest thing, but really the function seems very limited, and you need subscriptions or accessories/add ons for it to do mundane things.

the only benefit is that it's communal, and always on, which could be nice at times - but it's just a portal for Amazon to suck up money really, and a privacy concern.

some people here saying to anyone that doesn't approve that they don't understand technology, on the contrary, these devices are made to simplify things that are simple enough for most of us already, and for those who understand how it works its more of a turn off.

I'm a huge tech fan, and professional and this doesn't feature in my want or need list, there is a reason for that.

I may get one when they are cheaper or from a car boot sale / packet of cornflakes / tiger tokens or something just to mess about with,

or the big Echo http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/amazon-echo-white-iphone-3-case-130-with-code-tdx-hkfy-tesco-direct-2684518

and google home is 3x the price of the Echo Dot

Move over Amazon There's a "New Kid on the Block" https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaymcgregor/2017/04/28/google-home-vs-amazons-alexa-2-45-complex-questions-1-clear-winner/amp/

Good spot, cheers

The white one isn't

gotta agree on the price part, but having lived with alexa for the first 4 months of the year I divorced her and moved google home in......:smiley:

I know its a lot pricier but works a LOT better voice wise

But for £30 odd quid its a good buy for a first timer, bluetooth works well, playing music works well and it integrates well with the hue lights.......it just needs to understand you better....

For instance saying "Alexa play planet rock on tunein radio" rarely worked and had to use the app.......

But Google home works every time with the simple command of "Hey google play planet rock"....

Out of Stock.

so save a fiver on something and it rockets in heat. it's madness the voting system and people's perception.

Why is it always a man?

Gonna wait for the Amazon verge

Cheaper doing it through amazon prime now right? £44.99 - £10 = £34.99 for new customers (10NOW40)

anyone in liverpool want to swap my black one for the white

It's worth it just for internet radio as I can't get every DAB station I want in my area. Cheaper than most DAB's in any case and you can pickup just about anything using Tunein or Radioplayer. Considering also almost a £100 cheaper than the Google speaker it's a no brainer for my requirements..

Going quick at this price only White available now. https://www.tesco.com/direct/amazon-echo-dot-white/796-6287.prd?skuId=796-6287

oos

3x39=117
3x119=357 or 3x129=387
:neutral_face:

I'm not disputing Google home is or will be a superior product, but the majority of people showing an interest here will be making their first tentative steps into this sort of thing. £39 is a good price point to try it out :smiley: Whichever one you go for only becomes really useful upon further integration with other products...

tell us more about people who don't understand technology....

Can this only be used if your paying for an Amazon Prime subscription?
Is it possible to do the same things using an iPhones Siri and/or "Hey Siri" feature plus 'IFTTT' ?
:man:

I'm confused. How can it be both a waste of time and make people lazy simultaneously...

Oos

Get a wife, they make tea too.

I use when in the bath so I don't have to take devices into the bathroom, works great.

Yeah guess it was.. I wouldn't worry about me too much though, I can afford the £15.00 loss and the hassle of selling them.

I'd have given you £40 cash had you converted them to pizza express vouchers. Your loss.

Will this play music from my home server?

OOS :disappointed:

took me two minutes to order
went for the white and paid 35
happy to wait a few minutes more than 1click especially if I pay less!

Gave up trying to order on tescos site, it took half an hour to get to the delivery page then it charged me £3 for delivery, I just went to amazon and one click and it was done.

Have to agree, I bought the full size Amazon Echo, used it for a week and then gave it to someone (who ended up doing the same)

Utter waste of time, makes people lazy and helps the security agencies record your every word.

A smartphone is more sophisticated than one of these... ya moron.

Connects and disconnects perfectly used for a year or so

Another nice thing is if you don't want to pay the full Amazon Music subscription (£7.99/month with prime or £9.99/month non-prime) you can have 'one' echo dot subscribe to the full music package (a lot more tracks than just prime music which is 2 million tracks) for £3.99/month, not a bad price for 40 million tracks.

As for bluetooth speakers, I have mine connected to an Anker speaker which stays on all the time, never disconnected and works really well.

Yes let's get kids to clean chimneys again ya Luddite

Atmosphere is a designer label.

Sure dude :smirk:

I have my dot connected up to my harman kardon speakers and use it as great digital radio and Spotify player. Also great for on the fly weather updates as well as lists and timers. Really useless.

Don't waste your money get Google home!

I've got a few of these and I wouldn't recommend them. I've replaced them all with Google home. It's just so much better in every way! Alexa knows nothing with out searching for a skill then having to say that skill to launch the skill. Then it still don't give you the right answer. Google home just works and is so much smarter. Also google are being out a new up date for multiple uses so everyone in your family can use Google home and get personalised responses to them!

In addition to radio stations, you can upload music that you own to Amazon Music (in any common format I think), and it will then be able to play these songs when asked. Of course any digital music you buy on Amazon will also get added.

My wife's name is Alexa, will she have to change her name?

Thanks for the reply. The unit is in the corner of the room so I will look into that. Thanks for the other tips.

I've seen people online say similar things but I have no issues - it understands me very well. I will say they definitely don't like being put in corners (possibly the reflections of the sound off the wall giving issues) and if you are using an external speaker they don't like being too close to it.

If the numbers give you problems then name your groups phonetically - this works for other stuff too (I have 'tee vee' instead of TV).

Overall I would have to say the recognition is good to excellent when used correctly.

If you're wondering then download the Reverb app - it's an Alexa app for your phone that uses the same recognition engine. If that understands you then an Echo / Dot should.

I have the problems up thread where the thing struggles to pickup voices, randomly generates timers, poor hue integration. I named a group night. If I say turn 'night light on' the unit struggles to differentiate between the two words night and light!

Edit - the Amazon app notes in the creating groups that it struggles to understand names that contains numbers such as 'kitchen 1'

I believe so, but you can also change Alexa's name (the dot). You don't have to change the dog's name - but that's always another option :wink:

What bugs?

Have they resolved the bugs ?

OOS

Do you have to call out "Alexa" do this and "Alexa" do that? I only ask because my dog is called Alexa and she cant turn on the music, and I dont think that the Dot will sit or go for walkies.

Thanks for posting OP - time to take the Alexa challenge :smiley:

Yes, that's how we use ours, no issues works well

Nope, once its connected to the internet, either through wifi or wired connection and the alexa app on your phone, you would only need to speak to the echo dot to listen to something. Amazon do have a support page to help guide you in the setup. Just search on their page, i tried to link but if i change tabs then i lose what i have written here....

Thank you
would she have to power up her laptop to get the music (radio)
because, and I believe her she says it would be easier just to turn on the radio..?

Don't worry, Alexa can TRY and educate you.

I have amazon prime which gives you a limited amount of music but is ok for what i want. You can get a free spotify account and it will play most radio stations via tunein radio, which is free, all you need to do is say 'alexa play bbc radio 2' etc.

I would like to buy one for my Mum
as you say it plays music,.
noob question where does this music come from as she rarely puts the laptop on, does it come from the internet or
does she have to subscribe to a music site (Spotify?)
if so what benefit is this over the radio (cost and convenience).which is free.
thanks.

black is currently out of stock, but white is still in stock - have just ordered one for the mother in laws birthday

dont forget topcashback too

Nice find thanks, We have the Alexa but my son wants a dot in his room(_;)

We pair our dot to a Bluetooth speaker and it has only disconnected once in a few weeks. The same speaker drops off my iPhone every couple of tracks. A friend of mine does the same but his speaker turns itself off when not active so he has to keep turning it back on.

A poor workman…?

Is that why they call them dot :wink:

Well, no.

I'll try not to indulge your fantasies of imagining me any further(!).

It's obvious not everyone has a smartphone you're just being pedantic. A common theme on this site.

"Hmm"
"I'm not sure what went wrong"
"Let me think about that"
"Hmm I don't know that one"

Drives me nuts...

I'm picturing you rocking back and forth with your fingers in your ears saying "Everyone has a smart phone, everyone has a smart phone" :smiley:
Dude - they don't! And someone did say it wasn't useful....and even those who do have smart phones (like me) find Echo devices really useful (and BTW...not everyone has a smart phone) :smile:

Yippee...bought my 2nd one. You can change her name too. Great device

Hot
had some clubcard points too so got mine for £30

You need an internet connection, and a device to set it up with initially - there's an Alexa app on Android that I used, not sure about Apple. Once it's set up, you can just leave it on connected to wi-fi without a PC or tablet in the home. If you want to add any more functionality later, e.g. 'Amazon skills', then you'd need to use a device again to set those up.

It was meant for the first one to reply to my comment :stuck_out_tongue:

Bought one last week for my mother who doesn't use computers or smartphones, but can use this to listen to the radio, music, set alarms, timers, etc.

But I see people in this thread telling me she has no use for it, so I guess I'll have to tell her that and return it.

Nice - used some vouchers, so £24 for me. I've got Yeelights and Tado which works with Alexa so I can start shouting at her to 'turn the flipping lights off'.

Good grief
Here is an item that usually costs £49.99 and you can buy it for £39.

That is what hotukdeals is all about.

End of. (although probably not)

You would need to add the Philips Hue skill on the Alexa app.

HOT! - this will go nice with the Philips Hue White Personal Wireless Lighting LED Starter Kit ordered earlier today.

Hot. Bought. Echo No.2 on the way.

Just bought one had it a day and took it back Alexa doesn't pick anything up in a noisy house so if you have kids running about the place don't bother but if your house is quiet 24/7 then maybe yes you have been warned

I wouldn't get one of these unless you have enough things for it to integrate with. If you have smart heating, lighting and some form of music subscription then it probably adds enough convenience to make it worth it.

If you are going to just ask it things like what the weather is or what the latest news is, you might not find it that useful.

I didn't realise my smartphone was always sat in the kitchen listening for me to speak to it.

Don't forget the Silver version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvT_gqs5ETk

Can I ask if anyone had paired this with a bluetooth speaker whether the connection is reliable and whether does it time out if we don't use it for a long perioid of time?

Thanks....

I already have a dot, and got this one for the living room. Even just as a voice operated music player, it's decent value. I personally don't carry my smartphone with me around the house, and even if I did I'd have to unlock it and fiddle around with apps, so this works well. This is just much more accessible.

No but he does use the Echo Dot.

Useless piece of junk

And he doesn't use this site either I imagine.

So Primark isn't a designer label? :neutral_face:

You're meant to speak to your Echo Dot not type it in to the HUKD website.

Alexa, what ARE you listening to and reporting to the "man" ?

Winston Smith would be wary of these things :-(

Anyone who uses this site will have a smart phone. Why not just use a smartphone to do all of this functionality for free? Plus it's more convenient.

This thing is the most gimmicky, pointless waste of money ever.

Why do you use a smartphone when you can use a fixed line or payphone?
Why do you own a car when you can walk, get a taxi or use public transport?
Why do you wear designer clothes or shoes when you can buy something that does the same job from Primark?

Alexa, tell us more about people who don't understand technology....

OK

£24.00 in clubcard vouchers so £15.00 for my first Dot makes sense.

These are fab and have 3 dotted around the house. Can do lots with them but the only issue I have is remembering all the things it can do as it has sooo many skills!

These things :smirk: