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Amazon Unveils Echo, a Speaker With a Siri-Like Voice Assistant
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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.
They may not think reaching into their pocket for a phone is too much, but I'm pretty sure they think reaching into their pocket for a bluetooth speaker connected to wall power might be a little too much.
It's a home appliance essentially. Thread title clued me in: Amazon Unveils Echo, a Speaker with Siri-Like Voice Assistant. I mean seriously, when's the last time you saw a phone with a 2.5" sub woofer.
Kinda like comparing an iPad to a washing machine. Not the same thing.
No, because Echo isn't $999 like it would be if it was from Apple. Apple products are supposed to be developed to higher standards, right?
You guys do realize that they just took the excess inventory of fire phones, stuck them into a cylinder case, added speakers, and cut a deal with the govt for free access into peoples homes to offset the quarterly loss correct?
just kidding but wouldnt that be funny if that were true
just kidding but wouldnt that be funny if that were true
That's funny as heck! I have to get one for my wife who has the world's loudest clap!
No, since it's not an Apple product we will get these kinds of comments instead:
"What a rip-off of the Mac Pro design!"
"Nice try /s"
"Useless me-too product, DoA"
etc.
More evidence of Amazon entering the war. Apple vs Google vs Amazon. Competition is great, just hope Apple wins
I've spent way too much time trying to do stuff like this with Siri. Even with the Hey Siri implementation in iOS 8, there are a couple of drawbacks:
1) Siri won't do anything for you when your phone locks, so you have to unlock it or leave it unlocked. So even in the morning when it's plugged in on my nightstand I have to unlock it before I can ask Siri anything; and
2) a lot of Siri's responses are "I found this on the web" with a screen of search results. What we have today is not very "eyes free".
Sometimes Siri just gets stuck, too, waiting... even when I've finished my command. Or it just stops listening altogether.
Regardless of what Siri can do, this product looks like a fun alarm clock/toy and it's cheaper than the Ivee (which gets awful reviews).
1) Siri won't do anything for you when your phone locks, so you have to unlock it or leave it unlocked. So even in the morning when it's plugged in on my nightstand I have to unlock it before I can ask Siri anything; and
2) a lot of Siri's responses are "I found this on the web" with a screen of search results. What we have today is not very "eyes free".
Sometimes Siri just gets stuck, too, waiting... even when I've finished my command. Or it just stops listening altogether.
Regardless of what Siri can do, this product looks like a fun alarm clock/toy and it's cheaper than the Ivee (which gets awful reviews).
Finding a compelling use case for speech is tricky, but it works where you need to convey complex ideas with minimal effort. i.e. with your TV, speech makes sense where you can say something like "show me all action movies with Arnold in it"
Siri is accessible from the lock screen; and yes, Siri's data integration is pretty poor.
I think this junk won't sell but I think this is smart so they don't overbuild like they did with the Fire phone.
It basically a bluetooth speaker with added features. Funny, the one feature you want to exclude (to prove your point) is this product's main raison d'etre.
If this thing was trying to be a phone, I could see your argument. It's not. It is trying to be a speaker with extra functionality. Time will tell if it does it properly or not. Comparing it to a phone does neither the phone nor the speaker any justice.
Alexa is always on , without even to pressing the home button, I wish the same for iOS
If you have iOS 8, turn on the "Hey Siri" feature and it will be (when plugged in).
I could see the potential for this if it could integrate with HVAC and lighting. We're not too far off.
I love new categories, tech in general, I dont care who makes it, only if it fills a want/need - ex: I ordered a Fire Stick, saw an instant use for it, especially for a $19 pre-order. Just mostly trying to get my head around this
As just a decent-to-good speaker, the price is on par with speaker only solutions, so that in itself almost justifies the purchase. Plus does offer some additional perks.
Generally when Im in a hands free mode, Im doing something more complex, so a short audio answer wouldnt help me, but I do have the occasional How many X in a Y when Im cooking
The music streaming is pretty slick, though our rather large library is local, that we stream to various sources (AirPlay direct to AVRs, or AppleTVs). Assuming Id need our music in Amazons cloud service, though we could put _some_ (like the stuff we listen too most often, I think we get like 5GB of non-Amazon purchases[?])
I think for folks who need a decent (assuming its as good as other $100-200 speakers) standalone speaker/player, who have other Fire devices, who access most of their audio from remote streaming services, its extra neat. The information services are a nice perk, kind of fun. For $100, if your use is like the aforementioned, its not a bad deal, though I think at the non-Prime price its non-starter (obviously thats not Amazons business strategy).
Hahaha....! Sign me up!
I just did the same! Figured, WTH, plus it _is_ kind of interesting to see if I rate Amazon customer since 99
As just a decent-to-good speaker, the price is on par with speaker only solutions, so that in itself almost justifies the purchase. Plus does offer some additional perks.
Generally when Im in a hands free mode, Im doing something more complex, so a short audio answer wouldnt help me, but I do have the occasional How many X in a Y when Im cooking
The music streaming is pretty slick, though our rather large library is local, that we stream to various sources (AirPlay direct to AVRs, or AppleTVs). Assuming Id need our music in Amazons cloud service, though we could put _some_ (like the stuff we listen too most often, I think we get like 5GB of non-Amazon purchases[?])
I think for folks who need a decent (assuming its as good as other $100-200 speakers) standalone speaker/player, who have other Fire devices, who access most of their audio from remote streaming services, its extra neat. The information services are a nice perk, kind of fun. For $100, if your use is like the aforementioned, its not a bad deal, though I think at the non-Prime price its non-starter (obviously thats not Amazons business strategy).
Hahaha....! Sign me up!
Just for fun, I decided to see if I was worthy of an invitation. I guess I will find out if I am considered a good customer or not.
I just did the same! Figured, WTH, plus it _is_ kind of interesting to see if I rate
Amazon customer since 99 
For the most part, they are. The only time they use voice commands on Star Trek is when they want the audience to know what they're doing. You don't hear Sulu flying the ship by voice command, or Scotty giving coordinates to the transporters verbally.
We ALL have smartphones that do this same thing. Why not just make this a portal for your Android/iOS/Win assistants?
"Hey Siri" "OK Google" "Yo Cortana"
So now I ask "Alexa" to do something and it doesn't sync with my computer or smartphone?? Why would I want this? It is redundant.
And it is huge and tube shaped.
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The fact that it is crap and doesn't stick to a wall.
"Hey Siri" "OK Google" "Yo Cortana"
So now I ask "Alexa" to do something and it doesn't sync with my computer or smartphone?? Why would I want this? It is redundant.
And it is huge and tube shaped.
----------
The fact that it is crap and doesn't stick to a wall.
Well, it _is_ a speaker, and based on the specs, probably decent (in the context of small, single standalone speaker systems).