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I wonder if you could confuse it into having a conversation with Siri. Or program the Echo to be called "Hey Siri" so they would both try and answer your questions at the same time.
 
I guess it can come in handy if someone shackles you to a table and you're left alone.

Alexa - Help!

Did you say Yelp?
 
  1. How is this better than the phone in your pocket or the watch on your wrist?
  2. The video shows one being delivered to the family, and then proceeds to show it in every room of the house. So, buy 5 Echos?
  3. Query-based personal assistants are a good start, but to be useful they need to be able to remind me of things contextually without me asking. Google Now has experimented with this. It needs to go further before this kind of thing is useful.
 
So, this product is being squarely marketed at dads? It tells bad jokes, answers lame questions, and helps you put the moves on your wife.
 
Alexa is always on , without even to pressing the home button, I wish the same for iOS :(

It's plugged in. iPhones can do that too on iOS 8 with Siri. Unplug Alex and she's useless while you can still use Siri on your phone. I'm sure its useful though.
 
  1. How is this better than the phone in your pocket or the watch on your wrist?
  2. The video shows one being delivered to the family, and then proceeds to show it in every room of the house. So, buy 5 Echos?
  3. Query-based personal assistants are a good start, but to be useful they need to be able to remind me of things contextually without me asking. Google Now has experimented with this. It needs to go further before this kind of thing is useful.

Sure, I'll buy 5 and put it each room or I can use my smart phone in my pocket.
Wait, some people here think reaching into the pocket for a phone is too much work, they rather buy this and put it in each room. :p
 
Maybe I'm just a luddite but I really can't wait for this voice assistant fad to pass. I don't want to talk to my electronics. Just feels wrong and unnatural. Doesnt matter if it is Apple's siri, google search or this amazon echo thing. Voice as an interaction method outside of a car where you need to operate hands free is just never going to appeal to me.

Maybe I'm just weird that way?
 
I have a friend that has dementia. She doesn't yet require full time assistance. It would be nice if you could also input info so she could confirm where her husband is, etc. Also if it could control the TV and phone. She has trouble making/answering calls even when we have one button dial/talk programed. As is, it could answer basic questions like what day, date and time which would be great and relieve a bit of anxiety for her. This has potential.
 
I'll wait for the reviews

That is all. If nothing else, I await the death of the coffee table, which will happen since there are no magazines anymore to place on it, and soon, no remotes to mistake for the other one, or to get lost in the cushions.

All speakers firing downwards? Good bass, but you know, music has a lot of other frequencies too. So I'll wait for reviews.
 
Sure, I'll buy 5 and put it each room or I can use my smart phone in my pocket.
Wait, some people here think reaching into the pocket for a phone is too much work, they rather buy this and put it in each room. :p

Hey, in the video here they have one in the bedroom. What if you wife's name is Alexa? Amazon peeping tom. ;)
 
Cool idea, but tell me once

1) Apple makes a similar, most certainly better product
A) It uses Siri​
B) The PSU is INSIDE it​
2) Amazon lets people buy it without an "invitation" (aka, when Apple makes a similar product)

Okay, this Amazon device might not be the best thing ever, also just to be fair we don't yet know how it will perform. But as much as a Apple person as I am, I honestly can't say that Siri is good by any standard. Compare Siri to Google, Siri is just sad.

Try to ask Siri a simply question, let's just do a couple for example:

Who is the CEO of Apple?
Siri's answer: I think Apple's website should be able to help you with that. <-- what kind of retarded answer is this? Really? Also, Apple just don't list Tim Cook on the CEO on their website without some more searching.

Google's answer: Tim Cook.

Let's try another one, like the one from the Amazon Echo commercial:
What is the height of Mount Everest

Siri's answer: Simply show you some wikipedia page on Mount Everest.

Google's: 29,029'

So please, as much as I'd like to think Siri is better, it's not. Its way way behind Google, and Siri has nothing special that I don't see how Amazon won't be able to catch up to them. Google had a much better search system and a much deeper integration with their entire search engine. Siri most of the times would just rephrase your question as answer by pulling keywords from your question.
 
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Maybe I'm just a luddite but I really can't wait for this voice assistant fad to pass. I don't want to talk to my electronics. Just feels wrong and unnatural. Doesnt matter if it is Apple's siri, google search or this amazon echo thing. Voice as an interaction method outside of a car where you need to operate hands free is just never going to appeal to me.

Maybe I'm just weird that way?

I think the VoiceUI is as much in its infancy now as the GUI was 30 years ago. Try to look three decades ahead and imagine.
 
Maybe I'm just a luddite but I really can't wait for this voice assistant fad to pass. I don't want to talk to my electronics. Just feels wrong and unnatural. Doesnt matter if it is Apple's siri, google search or this amazon echo thing. Voice as an interaction method outside of a car where you need to operate hands free is just never going to appeal to me.

Maybe I'm just weird that way?

You're weird that way. I think it has to get a lot better, but I remember voice commands on the Mac, and it's amazing the progress since then.

I got into the car last week. Late at work. I hadn't put meat out to defrost. Asked Siri, "Is In-n-Out Burger closed?" She said, "I found 8 In-N-Outs fairly close to you." I clicked on it. Open to 1:30." Yay! Admittedly, I'm nervous to be seen talking to my phone in a public space, but once people understand what you're doing, it will be normal.
 
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