Amazon Echo - anyone have one?

I added an Echo to my existing Dot over the weekend. The DAB radio in our kitchen has stopped receiving most of the national stations, so rather than replacing it with another (newer) DAB unit, the Echo suits well with internet radio and Spotify streaming. Multi-room playback is nice and hands-free control while cooking in the kitchen is an added bonus too. It was reduced to £75 too.
 
Just got a second echo, this time for the bedroom to play a bit of music at odd times upstairs and control my hue bulbs up there.
Works well and for something so small I’m impressed with the sound quality but my one gripe is that apparntly I cant use the echo to control the fire tv stick in UK yet.
 
I realised you can set it if you ask, but you can’t set it through the app.
Weird setup.
So I said “Alexa can you set an alarm for 7:30am tomorrow with music” then look on the app and there’s an alarm with a music option, but it can’t be done just by setting it in the app.
 
It's hardly surprising, it's a voice control platform, it's designed to primarily be spoken to. I barely use the app after initial setup
 
Kenai said:
It's hardly surprising, it's a voice control platform, it's designed to primarily be spoken to. I barely use the app after initial setup
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Which is really really frustrating because the voice control for music is awful. It wont always play exactly what I actually want to hear and the only way you can pick through the app is to find artists in an A-Z list. How ridiculous!! I'm so sick of hearing things like covers or "alternative versions" of songs when I ask to play a certain artist but there's nothing I can do about it.

Also, I swear it is getting worse and worse at detecting my voice as time goes by..
 
Skillmister said:
Which is really really frustrating because the voice control for music is awful. It wont always play exactly what I actually want to hear and the only way you can pick through the app is to find artists in an A-Z list. How ridiculous!! I'm so sick of hearing things like covers or "alternative versions" of songs when I ask to play a certain artist but there's nothing I can do about it.

Also, I swear it is getting worse and worse at detecting my voice as time goes by..
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Assume you have Amazon music or similar?

Also, are you going into the App when she does here you and selecting 'yes' to the command she hears?
 
The Sonos integration is becoming annoying.

The setup in our house is that we have Sonos kit in the kitchen, my study & girlfriend's study. There's Echo Dots all over the place. The problem is that whenever Alexa hears the wake word it drops the volume on all the Sonos devices that are playing so if I'm listening to music in my study and my other is in hers (opposite corner of the house) and wants to get Alexa to do something it pretty much mutes my Sonos until Alexa has finished.

I understand why it does it but there should be some way of controlling it so that it only mutes the Sonos that's in the same room as the Echo Dot that is being spoken to.
 
Delvis said:
Assume you have Amazon music or similar?
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Yes, which seems far inferior to Google Music which I still use on my phone. I would try and find examples but Amazon Music's play history is also awful and only seems to show recent artists rather than track listing. But I know for example it has played things like remixes from "The Running Mix 2013" when I just ask it to play Ed Sheeran. IMO this shouldn't happen.
Delvis said:
Also, are you going into the App when she does here you and selecting 'yes' to the command she hears?
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I didn't know that was a thing so no, but the issue is more even getting her to respond to "Alexa" in the first place most of the time.
 
Skillmister said:
Yes, which seems far inferior to Google Music which I still use on my phone. I would try and find examples but Amazon Music's play history is also awful and only seems to show recent artists rather than track listing. But I know for example it has played things like remixes from "The Running Mix 2013" when I just ask it to play Ed Sheeran. IMO this shouldn't happen.

I didn't know that was a thing so no, but the issue is more even getting her to respond to "Alexa" in the first place most of the time.
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:D I have the same trouble, but usually it's because the TV is on in the background or if it's going through an external speaker.

Yeah, Google music is generally better apparently...As the poster below said you can use external music apps (which you probably know alread) but not sure if Google music can be hooked up somehow...
 
After being tempted by the Echo Spot - I just saw that it has a camera :/ Not sure how I feel having a camera pointed at my bed :p Am I being silly?
 
Marky said:
After being tempted by the Echo Spot - I just saw that it has a camera :/ Not sure how I feel having a camera pointed at my bed :p Am I being silly?
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if you dont use the features just put a bit of tape over it, if it bothers you.
but you already probably have cameras on laptop/computer/phone/tablet when you ummm yeah.
 
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