Annoyingly, the most interesting thing announced won’t be coming to the UK. So **** Amazon for that.

Well it will, but not until 2018.

I did mean to edit that in, but that damn 15min window.

Can someone with an Echo give me some suggestions of useful things I can do with it other than asking her to tell me an anti joke which is actually quite funny!

As a fully paid-up Apple fanatic, I'm wondering whether Apple will ever sort themselves out with regards to price/functionality in this sector or just jump on board with Echo. Been running home automation for years with a creaky/bodgy X10 setup so voice control seems like a cool next step (not that I [i]really[/i] need it!)

[i]Other things dropping are a new FireTV for 4K fancy pants, and an Echo Show.[/i]

Rather amusing story yesterday - Google removing youtube support from the Echo Show. Be a bit crap without that eh? 😆

What's the Echo Plus and Smart Hub about then? Like Rockhopper I'm struggling to see how an Echo can enhance my domestic environment.

Home automation is the big/obvious one for me, trouble is you then have to spend £££ on interfaces or new smart devices to get the most out of it!

Apparently this is coming with Alexa soon...

[img] ?resize=1100x740[/img]

0-100 with Alexa in a few weeks.

I now miss her when she's not about and any computer that I can't talk to is old hat IMO.

Alexa play bbc radio six
Alex turn the outside lights on
Alex do you have display port to hdmi adaptor
Alexa is it going to rain today
Alexa play some Pink Floyd
Alexa tell me about the cocker spaniels

On the video for the new echo the woman says “play my playlist EVERYWHERE”... does that mean ‘multicasting’ is coming???

DrP

So with this Echo Hub, am I right in understanding that I can put a few Philips Hue lights in around the house and I can say 'Alexa, turn the lights down in the lounge'? If so, how would I set it up to know which light is which? And again, I assume that if I have a Fire Stick, I could say 'Alexa, turn over to BBC1'?

Etc etc

I guess you register the lights with the hub and give them an associated name/group name which you can then use when issuing voice commands.

Oh right. So spending hundreds of pounds to be even lazier. 😐

Don't buy one then Grandad 😉

Use the Phillips app and give your lights names and then group them into rooms if you want to. Add Hue to Alexa then just say "Alexa, turn on lounge lights" etc

I'm hoping that Sonos will allow better integration with Echo before too long - a quick search suggests that this may be coming. I quite like the idea of a small device (ideally with a screen) for lists and reminders, and voice activation for music and the like.

Oh right. So spending hundreds of pounds to be even lazier.

Alexa, what car should I buy?

I think they have made the whole system far to confusing for your average consumer. Which Echo do I need? what features will each one give me? You now have Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Spot, Echo Plus, Echo Buttons, the list goes on.

You now have Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Spot, Echo Plus, Echo Buttons, the list goes on.

I dunno. I think you listed them all 🙂

Echo Show?

I can't wait for Echo Echo.

On the video for the new echo the woman says “play my playlist EVERYWHERE”... does that mean ‘multicasting’ is coming???

DrP

Already available [url= https://www.cnet.com/uk/how-to/how-to-setup-multiroom-playback-across-all-of-your-alexa-devices/ ](Link)[/url] however it has limits. Apparently works with Amazon music which would make sense but if, like me, you have a Spotify account it isn't supported.... Currently 🙁

[i] "Alexa, turn on lounge lights" etc[/i]

Surely "Alexa turn lounge lights [i]off[/i]"? (Although being an American thing you probably have to tell it to turn the lights [i]out[/i] 😕 )
Why would you want to turn on the lights if you're not in the room?

Because you've been sitting there a while and its now gone dark so you need the lights on.

Re SONOS integration - I fancy that but if you have the music volume at a sensible level will Alexa be able to hear your commands?

Re SONOS integration - I fancy that but if you have the music volume at a sensible level will Alexa be able to hear your commands?

Alexa dips the volume when it hears its keyword.

YoKaiser - Member
I can't wait for Echo Echo.

Echo and the Bunneymen?

Dez... We've a few echo and dots about the house..I use them to turn lights on as I walk into the room..
Higher, this is via tp link plug controllers (bedside lamp/reading lamp)...
I really want to control the dimmable ceiling led lights, but there's no real way to do that. A few companies make wifi wall switches, but I don't think they'll work.

A you know, I'm a fan of the echo integration!!

I can't really justify a newer one, but they do look nice!

DrP

[i]Because you've been sitting there a while and its now gone dark so you need the lights on.[/i]

Ah yes of course - so dark you can't see where the light switch is! I want one now! 😆

Dez... We've a few echo and dots about the house..I use them to turn lights on as I walk into the room..

See, this is what I don't get. You paid money to avoid pressing a light switch. Surely just a gimmick.

A few things appeal to me, aswell as voice controlled music etc, i like the thought of syncing with our tesco delivery to add food stuffs. Also sonoff switches can be used to control the immersion heater. And i believe it can be used with honeywell evo home.

[quote=Kryton57 said]

See, this is what I don't get. You paid money to avoid pressing a light switch. Surely just a gimmick.

You realise that they do lots more than turn lights on/off, yes ? 😀

Can someone give me a quick run down of all the benefits of these type of products? I still don't really get what they're about.

Oh right they're basically speakers?

Kryton and pal, earlier today:

[img] [/img]

Also, can someone explain twitter to me please?

She is really good to learn about things as she will read Wikipedia pages. Its certainly one of these things that you longer you have one the more you use it.

Can someone give me a quick run down of all the benefits of these type of products? I still don't really get what they're about.

Assuming that's a serious question, here goes.

I don't use Echo, I have Goggle home but same thing.

1. I use it a voice controlled music device that can play the same thing on multiple speakers around the house.
2. I control my lights by voice. When I leave the house or go to bed I can tell it to switch of all the lights and do not have to walk around the whole house turning off all the lights the kids have left on.
3. I use it to add products to my Tescos shopping basket.
4. Voice control my heating and hot water system (via a nest)
5. Tell me recipes whilst I'm cooking
6. Tell me local traffic info
7. Tell me when local shops are open
8. Tell me anything I want to know without having to type it into Google search.

You get the idea. I find it incredibly useful and so does my wife who was a massive skeptic when I bought it thinking it was a gadgety gimmick.

Cool - thanks. It's actually quite hard to find a concise list like that within the 1 minute Google I give to understand a product USP.

You can also change it's name from "Alexa" to "Computer" if you want to go all Star Trek...

Currently I have a Sonos Play 5 in the kitchen which I use with Spotify. Am I right in thinking that if I bought an echo Dot then I would be able to connect it to the Sonos speaker via a 3.5mm stereo cable and then access Spotify via voice commands?

Currently I have a Sonos Play 5 in the kitchen which I use with Spotify. Am I right in thinking that if I bought an echo Dot then I would be able to connect it to the Sonos speaker via a 3.5mm stereo cable and then access Spotify via voice commands?

I believe so.

I recently bought an Echo and use it to:

1. Turn on the radio (just by asking)
2. Check the weather forecast (just by asking)
3. Add stuff to my shopping list (just by asking)
4. Play stuff from my music library (just by asking)

If that's all it did I'd be happy at the £99 I paid for a "smart speaker", but the fact it will soon allow [url= https://www.amazon.co.uk/l/14072704031 ]making/receiving of calls and messages[/url] (just by asking) makes it a bargain. I was surprised by how much I (still) love it.

You can also change it's name from "Alexa" to "Computer" if you want to go all Star Trek...

Not sure if it still does but at one point the Google Home would respond to "hey Jarvis", so you could live out your Tony Stark fantasies.

[quote=Alphabet said]Currently I have a Sonos Play 5 in the kitchen which I use with Spotify. Am I right in thinking that if I bought an echo Dot then I would be able to connect it to the Sonos speaker via a 3.5mm stereo cable and then access Spotify via voice commands?

Not sure about the Spotify integration but you could buy a cheapo bluetooth dongle which plugs into the Sonos av/in and have the Dot stream music to the Sonos without wires.

This type of thing.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162617130126

Needs USB to power, I guess the Sonos has that ?

control the dimmable ceiling led lights

You can do this with Hue lights - 'alexa - kitchen light brighter' definitely works. Some combination of dim kitchen light or kitchen light dimmer works too.

I have a group set up for the evening lamps so when it gets dark I can switch on the lamps that have switches hidden under sideboards and sofas - I use tp link plugs for those.

Thanks for the psa will have a look, I really want sonos integration so I can use my 5 and 1 more often.

[i]so you could live out your Tony Stark fantasies.[/i]

Iron Man 4: Tony Dims His Kitchen Light

[quote=Alphabet]Currently I have a Sonos Play 5 in the kitchen which I use with Spotify. Am I right in thinking that if I bought an echo Dot then I would be able to connect it to the Sonos speaker via a 3.5mm stereo cable and then access Spotify via voice commands?

No cable required. Once the Sonos / Alexa integration is released (currently in beta testing, Spotify not currently supported) you just wirelessly pair your Alexa stuff with your Sonos stuff and that's it - just tell Alexa to 'play Celine Dion in the kitchen' etc.

Thanks for the replies to my question. My Sonos speaker is on top of one of the kitchen cupboards so I guess I could put the Echo Dot up there too if it wasn't too far away to hear voice commands and use a cable to connect it to Sonos until the wireless connectivity comes out.

Oh and the point about alexa struggling to hear if the music is up is true. If I have the echo playing at vol 5 and above I have to move closer to get a response. Kind of to be expected though isn't it...?

Come on with the sonos integration!

Kryton, Dez, and all the other people trying SOOOOO hard not to love Alexa ( 😉 ), No, i didn’t just buy them to turn on and off lights!!
First and foremost I bought them as music players/internet radio type devices.
For this they are brilliant.

I can walk into a room and start/stop my choice of music, or play a radio station, or play a pod cast, just by talking...

Not that big a deal, but...I never really listened to the radio in my bedroom as it’s the other side of the bed, and when getting ready in the morning it’s nice to just ‘ask’ for music/radio..
Plus you can easily set alarms via voice command.

THe other bits; unit conversions/timers/shopping list/thermostat control/light control are all useful extras..

Anyway, I”m not on commission, and you don’t need to buy one. Just don’t try too hard to ignore the benefits and joy!!!

DrP

First and foremost I bought them as music players/internet radio type devices.

Same here.

The main use of my Dot is to play music in the kitchen while I am cooking or cleaning. (Music is via TuneIn Radio, Amazon Music or Spotify Free, depending on what I want).

Something quite satisfying about saying [i]"Alexa, play the album Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd"[/i] and it just happens without faffing about with CDs or browsing through MP3s/stream on my phone.

Other handy uses include hearing the news from my chosen news sources, getting local weather, setting timers while cooking, unit conversion, random google searches.

Obviously none of this is [i]essential[/i], because we've done just fine without it. But it's all nice to have, works very well and feels like being one step closer to living in the future (she can't make hoverboards though. Or jetpacks)

I quite fancy the idea of the show.

I wonder if you can get one of these things to tell you things without you asking?

So for example, when we go downstairs into the kitchen in the morning, have it tell you what's on for the day; or check the traffic and warn you if something's gone wrong without you asking.

Surely it’s “Alexa, turn the big light on!”

They do look pretty cool and nice update, might make a nice Xmas box fo the kids.

Surely it’s “Alexa, turn the big light on!”

Like it.

You could also have [i]"Alexa, 'sake it's like Blackpool Illuminations in here!"[/i] to turn all the lights off 😉

I wonder if you can get one of these things to tell you things without you asking?
So for example, when we go downstairs into the kitchen in the morning, have it tell you what's on for the day; or check the traffic and warn you if something's gone wrong without you asking.

My Google home does that "hey google, tell me about my day" replies with weather, news, traffic and any appointments in my calendar

But you still ahve to ask it. I want to know if it can do something you ask based on (for example) a motion sensor.

Molgrips wants a telepathic personal speaker.

You could hook up a motion sensor as a trigger via IFTTT I guess. Not sure if you can push commands to Alexa though, not had a look through the API yet.

You could hook up a motion sensor as a trigger via IFTTT I guess. Not sure if you can push commands to Alexa though, not had a look through the API yet.

Alexa doesn't have any "that" actions on IFTTT (I just checked).

[quote=GrahamS said]You could hook up a motion sensor as a trigger via IFTTT I guess. Not sure if you can push commands to Alexa though, not had a look through the API yet.

Not currently supported.

Looks like there is a "Notifications" API that lets you push a notification to an Alexa device, but I think it just makes the ring pulse yellow and relies on the user spotting that and asking "Alexa, what are my notifications?"

https://developer.amazon.com/public/solutions/alexa/alexa-voice-service/reference/notifications-overview

Everything else is all request-response. I guess you might be able to somehow inject a pre-recorded command to the Amazon Voice Service as if it came from Alexa and get it to respond that way. Nasty though.

There is also a Device Messaging API, but I don't think that hooks into Alexa yet.

https://developer.amazon.com/device-messaging

I'm not really trying hard to not love Alexa - I can just think of better things to spend £100 on! And I'm a bit set in my playing-of-music ways - so if Alexa doesn't play off my NAS then she ain't no good to me

If you have Plex running on your NAS than Alexa works with that, although at a limited level i.e it won't stream your NAS tunes through the Amazon device.

[img] [/img]

Santa’s been.

Got to wait for mine - getting delivered to the UK then shipped to Hollandland.

I need to find a new lamp that will fit the Hue bulb as well.

Can someone please try 'Alexa - are Ling's T&C's legally binding' please and post the definitive answer in the relevant thread please.

It needs putting to bed now...

I need to find a new lamp that will fit the Hue bulb as well.

I bought some converters.

Just as a heads up. From midnight tonight:

Early Black Friday deal - Amazon Echo 2nd Gen £69.99 / Amazon Echo Dot £34.99 @ Amazon.

Google Home reduced to £79 - Google Home Mini Smart Speaker £34 @ AO.com

So I’ve got to spend £10 more to get a few little things delivered by Saturday (Prime add ons). I can’t really think of anything I want apart from an Echo. So I’m wondering if the speaker is so much better on the Echo plus to warrant shelling out on that? Or is the Echo 2nd gen fine? Or do I just buy a Dot or two and link them up with the sound bar/Bluetooth speaker?

Any advice gratefully received.