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Echo/Alexa OT
- Thread starter Deleted member 6582
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3rd party devices like Sonos speakers will now be able to support announcements: https://developer.amazon.com/blogs/...ucing-announcements-on-alexa-built-in-devices
Amazon may be working on a wearable that uses Alexa to read emotions: https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/5/23/18636839/amazon-wearable-emotions-report. I'm somewhat skeptical about this going down as described, I think there could be a wearable and it's inevitable that emotion detection is coming to Alexa and probably soon (they literally posted a blog about their research in the topic https://developer.amazon.com/blogs/...arial-training-to-recognize-speakers-emotions) but I wonder if the two are exactly related.
Amazon has filed a patent that would allow Alexa to respond even when the wake word is not triggered as the first part of the invocation: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/articl...cho-record-audio-before-alexa-wakeword-patent. Example "Play some music, Alexa".
Amazon may be working on a wearable that uses Alexa to read emotions: https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/5/23/18636839/amazon-wearable-emotions-report. I'm somewhat skeptical about this going down as described, I think there could be a wearable and it's inevitable that emotion detection is coming to Alexa and probably soon (they literally posted a blog about their research in the topic https://developer.amazon.com/blogs/...arial-training-to-recognize-speakers-emotions) but I wonder if the two are exactly related.
Amazon has filed a patent that would allow Alexa to respond even when the wake word is not triggered as the first part of the invocation: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/articl...cho-record-audio-before-alexa-wakeword-patent. Example "Play some music, Alexa".
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Amazon announced the Echo Show 5, a new 5" Echo: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HZJ64WD/ (I didn't feel this was important enough for a thread on its own). One of the newer features is a privacy shutter on the camera, which I hope they carry over to the bigger models.
Also, announced was an ability to delete your history either by saying "Alexa, delete what I just said" or "Alexa, delete everything I said today" https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/29/amazon-adds-alexa-delete-what-i-said-today-command/ (No confirmation on periods longer than a day). Also opened up a privacy portal: https://www.amazon.com/b/?node=19149155011&ref=aph_ing. Basically, a response to several unflattering news stories about how voice data is used and that transcripts were not properly being deleted with audio data.
Also, announced was an ability to delete your history either by saying "Alexa, delete what I just said" or "Alexa, delete everything I said today" https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/29/amazon-adds-alexa-delete-what-i-said-today-command/ (No confirmation on periods longer than a day). Also opened up a privacy portal: https://www.amazon.com/b/?node=19149155011&ref=aph_ing. Basically, a response to several unflattering news stories about how voice data is used and that transcripts were not properly being deleted with audio data.
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Alexa is getting the ability to coordinate skills in a conversational fashion called "Alexa conversations": https://developer.amazon.com/blogs/...odeling-for-natural-cross-skill-conversations
The demo is a "date night" in which the user starts by booking a movie and then Alexa proactively follows up with questions and the user is able to book an Uber and a restaurant all in the same conversation (single utterance of Alexa). Currently, in a developer beta.
There was also a patent found for reacting even when the wake word is later in a sentence: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/articl...cho-record-audio-before-alexa-wakeword-patent. This would allow things like "Play rock music, Alexa" by having the Echo record more into its internal buffer and then look back at utterances before the wake word before trying to service the request.
The demo is a "date night" in which the user starts by booking a movie and then Alexa proactively follows up with questions and the user is able to book an Uber and a restaurant all in the same conversation (single utterance of Alexa). Currently, in a developer beta.
There was also a patent found for reacting even when the wake word is later in a sentence: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/articl...cho-record-audio-before-alexa-wakeword-patent. This would allow things like "Play rock music, Alexa" by having the Echo record more into its internal buffer and then look back at utterances before the wake word before trying to service the request.
I have a current Dot the bedroom and all of a sudden the speaker sounds very scratchy. It might be blown out. Anyone get warranty covered on these things?
Have you tried replugging the power cord? The cost of a warranty seems a little pointless to me when Amazon sells these things at discount often (hell, it's $30 right now). If anything, wait until Prime Day next month.
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New article on upcoming projects but wasn't worth a new topic since almost nothing is actually new: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...gh-end-echo-ramps-up-work-on-alexa-home-robot. Basically re-iterates Amazon is still planning a home robot with Alexa (on wheels and about waist high), a higher-end Echo (like Homepod, and not Echo Link) for 2020, and some earbuds and a slightly refreshed lineup in the fall. Amazon Music might also get a higher-quality plan.
For some reason you can also ask Alexa to sing a duet with Ed Sheeran.
For some reason you can also ask Alexa to sing a duet with Ed Sheeran.
anyone have problems, or know if there is a particular problem, with first gen echo streaming? Both my 2nd and 3rd gen dots seem fine, also my clock thing (like the show but different). But my first gen echo in the living room constantly has periods where it'll stop streaming radio after half an hour, and even stop listening to me and needing powering off/on.
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Amazon is letting you opt out of human review though you'll have to do it manually: https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/2/20752418/amazon-alexa-human-review-recordings-opt-out-eu
You can now increase or decrease Alexa's voice speed to your liking: https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/7/20757749/amazon-alexa-talk-faster-slower-speed-echo
You can now increase or decrease Alexa's voice speed to your liking: https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/7/20757749/amazon-alexa-talk-faster-slower-speed-echo
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Alexa Answers, a crowdsourcing effort for questions people ask Alexa is now open to the general public: https://alexaanswers.amazon.com/
Amazon will have a hardware event on 9/25: https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/12/20862734/amazon-hardware-event-september-25-echo-fire-tv
Amazon will have a hardware event on 9/25: https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/12/20862734/amazon-hardware-event-september-25-echo-fire-tv
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Echo Show can now identify products if you show it. The aim is primarily for the blind who may have trouble being able to differentiate products of the same shape: https://blog.aboutamazon.com/devices/alexa-what-am-i-holding
Also added Hindi as a supported language: https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/18/amazon-alexa-hindi-india/
Also added Hindi as a supported language: https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/18/amazon-alexa-hindi-india/
Fuck - amazon just emailed to say bbc radio streams no longer available through tunein - I assume BBC want to use their 'sounds' skill
But that doesn't work with routines (so can't listen to radio as part of a bedtime routine) and doesn't support alarms (so cant wake up with radio). I don't know if this affects multi room which I use a lot too
Wtf - this is nuts. Why not get your skill up to par before forcing people to use it.
edit: shit no multi room either
But that doesn't work with routines (so can't listen to radio as part of a bedtime routine) and doesn't support alarms (so cant wake up with radio). I don't know if this affects multi room which I use a lot too
Wtf - this is nuts. Why not get your skill up to par before forcing people to use it.
edit: shit no multi room either
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I think that loss of functionality is Amazon's fault. Spotify and TuneIn are the only third-party skills they've ever allowed in routines.
The issue with the BBC isn't exactly that they want to force everyone to use their skill, but they want users to either be able to sign in with a BBC account, or they want detailed data on who is listening. TuneIn weren't prepared to do either so the BBC pulled support. I don't know who's in the right here.
Setting a reoccurring alarm to a song is the hardest command I've ever attempted. I haven't written out the script yet but you practically need one to get all the steps in without pausing.
there are some things thatthey should let you do in the app
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Finally refreshed the OP will all the new devices. Amazon also just just announced skill usage from routines (https://developer.amazon.com/blogs/...-they-can-now-invoke-your-skill-from-routines) and Brazilian Portuguese (https://developer.amazon.com/blogs/...-with-devices-from-intelbras-bose-sony-and-lg).
Well I've hit an irritating problem and found also another irritating issue in the process.
My Echo Plus no longer will work with smart home devices and I can't figure out why. Whenever I try anything, it responds with "Did you mean TV?" If I try doing TV it says it can't connect to that device. This was working earlier today but now just won't take to any commands. I've tried factory resetting the device and adding it back in but it still doesn't work. The weird thing is all the other Echo devices in my house seem to work just fine so it's just this Echo Plus that is having a problem. Other commands seem to work and it even read off my calendar so it's still hooked up to my account. I just can't figure out why this one device no longer works with only smart home devices. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do to fix this? It's pretty annoying, especially since it's how the TV is turned on and off.
As for the second thing that I found to be an irritating issue is in the process of going through the factory reset, some how my WiFi credentials were saved to Amazon. I usually say not to but somehow they're there. While trying to look up how to remove them, the only way to do it is to contact Amazon. How is it that they don't have a way to remove this info without contacting them to have it removed?
My Echo Plus no longer will work with smart home devices and I can't figure out why. Whenever I try anything, it responds with "Did you mean TV?" If I try doing TV it says it can't connect to that device. This was working earlier today but now just won't take to any commands. I've tried factory resetting the device and adding it back in but it still doesn't work. The weird thing is all the other Echo devices in my house seem to work just fine so it's just this Echo Plus that is having a problem. Other commands seem to work and it even read off my calendar so it's still hooked up to my account. I just can't figure out why this one device no longer works with only smart home devices. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do to fix this? It's pretty annoying, especially since it's how the TV is turned on and off.
As for the second thing that I found to be an irritating issue is in the process of going through the factory reset, some how my WiFi credentials were saved to Amazon. I usually say not to but somehow they're there. While trying to look up how to remove them, the only way to do it is to contact Amazon. How is it that they don't have a way to remove this info without contacting them to have it removed?
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You can now create light-based alarms, and in routines you can ramp up to brightness: https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/29...ighting-sleep-timer-new-features-smart-lights
Amazon is also rolling out bill payment features. You can ask when a bill is due, get reminders when it's due, pay it or get a comparison with previous bills. This is already available in India with rollout to much of the US by year's end: https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/a...to-love-theres-only-1-pretty-big-problem.html
Amazon is also rolling out bill payment features. You can ask when a bill is due, get reminders when it's due, pay it or get a comparison with previous bills. This is already available in India with rollout to much of the US by year's end: https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/a...to-love-theres-only-1-pretty-big-problem.html
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I made a thread for my impressions of Echo Buds: https://www.resetera.com/threads/echo-buds-impressions.151266/.
I've also noticed lately that you can now control timers on other devices which is pretty handy.
I've also noticed lately that you can now control timers on other devices which is pretty handy.
Is the OG echo known to be unreliable for some skills? It may be the skill but BBC sounds seems to have issues after streaming for around half an hour, and then if I try and get it to start again Alexa will just be spinning the blue ring for a while and not respond
have had it for a while so I'm not against getting another if they're more solid. Do the standard echos still sound noticeably better/louder than the dots? We have those in kitchen/bedroom but the living room is larger
have had it for a while so I'm not against getting another if they're more solid. Do the standard echos still sound noticeably better/louder than the dots? We have those in kitchen/bedroom but the living room is larger
Eg sitting in the living room - set a ten minute timer in the kitchen. Or stop a timer sounding off in a other room
hmm maybe I imagined the 'setting in another room' part but I'm sure I cancelled a timer that was going off in another room. Will experiment
Ok you can remote stop a timer but I don't think you can remote set one. Set a timer in the kitchen and then I sat in the living room. When the timer went off I said 'stop the timer in the kitchen' and it stopped
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You actually don't have to specify. If there is a timer going off, you can say "stop" to any echo and it will stop that timer. Same deal if you ask for the time, it will go through all active ones on all devices.
i don't think so - I tried 'stop timer' and it said "there are no active timers rubbing" - I had to state the room. Maybe UK is behind vs US updates?
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I was able to stop from a different one, but when I asked how much time was left on the timer, it told me there were no timers set.
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For me it says something like "You have 1 timer, a 5 minute timer with 4 minutes left on Somnid's Echo Show"
Weird, I've tried setting from various ones and then asking different ones and they all say no timers are set no matter which combo I do. However, telling any combo to stop after a timer goes off works perfect. I don't get how one part works but not the other.
I just found out my BMW has Alexa integration and its pretty great. When I press my steering wheel button I can say a phrase. If I don't put 'alexa' in front it goes to the regular BMW processing, but if I say 'alexa' then it redirects to Amazon. so for things like navigation I can still use the car's system and for media/news/other I can use alexa all from the same controls
For things like weather forecast its much better than the BMW system, and it integrates with the idrive screen - so as well as Alexa reading me the forecast, it appears on the screen like it would on an echo show!
It can also switch audio sources on the car. So eg I'm listening to the radio on the car, and I go 'alexa play pop music' - it'll select an amazon music playlist and start streaming via bluetooth over the car audio.
Really nice so far.
For things like weather forecast its much better than the BMW system, and it integrates with the idrive screen - so as well as Alexa reading me the forecast, it appears on the screen like it would on an echo show!
It can also switch audio sources on the car. So eg I'm listening to the radio on the car, and I go 'alexa play pop music' - it'll select an amazon music playlist and start streaming via bluetooth over the car audio.
Really nice so far.
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Apparently any of the full-size Echoes can be used as home theater speakers when paired with FireTV.
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Amazon's Echo trade in program is actually pretty good (https://www.amazon.com/Echo-Upgrade-Program/b?ie=UTF8&node=17316686011). I just took one of my first-gens and upgraded to an Echo Show 8.
- The Show 8 is on sale for Black Friday for $30 off = $100
- + 25% off for trading in an Echo = $75
- + $25 trade-in value (assuming they give full credit, I don't know why they wouldn't) = $50
I picked up a few Echo Dots on sale to give this a try, and while it seems to be okay so far, I am running into some issues.
I really like that the devices can be assigned to a room, so that a command like "lights on" is localized to that room - which is not the case for Siri running on a watch/phone/tablet.
Maybe that works with the HomePod, but I'm not buying one of those for every room. It's too bad that Apple don't offer inexpensive devices like the Dots, as I'd prefer to stay within their privacy-focused ecosystem.
I'm not really sure what Apple are doing, because they don't even have cheap audio receivers that you can use for AirPlay any more. After pulling them out of storage recently, I was dismayed to find that original AirPort Express devices no longer connect to WiFi because they don't work on AES-only networks.
I know you can use the Echo Dots as Bluetooth receivers, but they are causing significant interference with other 2.4GHz devices when I do that, and Bluetooth is not very convenient for home audio.
1. Is there any way to link Echo devices together for timers?
Having a Dot in the kitchen with one of these mounts is great, but it's no use at all if starting a timer on the Kitchen Dot only sets off an alarm in the kitchen.
I wouldn't want the alarm going off in every room (definitely not the bedrooms) but would want it in a few specific rooms.
2. Is there any way to group lights together so they can be switched on/off with a single command?
E.g. "Alexa, overhead lights on/off" to only control specific lights in a room, and not all lights in a room.
"Alexa, lamp on/off" works when I renamed one of my lights to "Lamp" but "Lamps" doesn't work in rooms with multiple lamps, or overhead lights with multiple bulbs in the same fixture.
3. Does anyone have experience with cheap IR blasters like this one which claims to be compatible with Alexa? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LG7WK2T
I'm currently trying out some wave projector lights, and the one I prefer only remembers the previous settings on standby so I can't hook it up to a smart plug.
If they do the job, I might have some more use for cheap IR blasters like that too. I like my Harmony remote, but never really got the smart functions working well with it, as it wants to control "scenes" rather than devices, so I'd rather have something basic like this for device control.
I really like that the devices can be assigned to a room, so that a command like "lights on" is localized to that room - which is not the case for Siri running on a watch/phone/tablet.
Maybe that works with the HomePod, but I'm not buying one of those for every room. It's too bad that Apple don't offer inexpensive devices like the Dots, as I'd prefer to stay within their privacy-focused ecosystem.
I'm not really sure what Apple are doing, because they don't even have cheap audio receivers that you can use for AirPlay any more. After pulling them out of storage recently, I was dismayed to find that original AirPort Express devices no longer connect to WiFi because they don't work on AES-only networks.
I know you can use the Echo Dots as Bluetooth receivers, but they are causing significant interference with other 2.4GHz devices when I do that, and Bluetooth is not very convenient for home audio.
1. Is there any way to link Echo devices together for timers?
Having a Dot in the kitchen with one of these mounts is great, but it's no use at all if starting a timer on the Kitchen Dot only sets off an alarm in the kitchen.
I wouldn't want the alarm going off in every room (definitely not the bedrooms) but would want it in a few specific rooms.
2. Is there any way to group lights together so they can be switched on/off with a single command?
E.g. "Alexa, overhead lights on/off" to only control specific lights in a room, and not all lights in a room.
"Alexa, lamp on/off" works when I renamed one of my lights to "Lamp" but "Lamps" doesn't work in rooms with multiple lamps, or overhead lights with multiple bulbs in the same fixture.
3. Does anyone have experience with cheap IR blasters like this one which claims to be compatible with Alexa? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LG7WK2T
I'm currently trying out some wave projector lights, and the one I prefer only remembers the previous settings on standby so I can't hook it up to a smart plug.
If they do the job, I might have some more use for cheap IR blasters like that too. I like my Harmony remote, but never really got the smart functions working well with it, as it wants to control "scenes" rather than devices, so I'd rather have something basic like this for device control.
It looks like the Show 8 is now $80. Am I looking at this right?
$80 - 25% = $60
$30 trade in value for Echo Show First Gen
Final cost, $30?
How did you get the $25 bonus?
How does the Echo Plus compare sound quality wise to:
1st gen Echo
Sonos One
?
I'm expecting it to be worse than the Sonos but how much worse?
1st gen Echo
Sonos One
?
I'm expecting it to be worse than the Sonos but how much worse?
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25% was basically a "coupon" for trading in an Echo. $25 was the trade-in value. Assuming you can apply to the current sale price that looks right to me.
I'm thinking of getting an Echo Studio to pair with the Samsung Frame I got during Black Friday but wondered if anyone here has tried it?
the idea of a high fidelity atmos speaker for $200 that can do double or triple duty has me intrigued.
does it support atmos via the mini toslink cable or only via WiFi from the amazon devices?
and does it support dts and Dolby 5.1?
the idea of a high fidelity atmos speaker for $200 that can do double or triple duty has me intrigued.
does it support atmos via the mini toslink cable or only via WiFi from the amazon devices?
and does it support dts and Dolby 5.1?
The Alexa auto device can add about 90% of that functionality if you have an old beater with an aux in port. Tried with wife's forester and while not perfect it was a giant upgrade from bare bones Subaru.
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Developers can now give Alexa more emotion when speaking: https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/26...c-happy-excited-newscaster-music-us-australia
Amazon also announced a bizarrely named battery-powered Echo product exclusively for the Indian market: https://www.theverge.com/circuitbre...lusive-echo-input-portable-price-release-date
Amazon also announced a bizarrely named battery-powered Echo product exclusively for the Indian market: https://www.theverge.com/circuitbre...lusive-echo-input-portable-price-release-date
So I bought one of those $16 IR blasters and am having mixed-to-good success with it. I can understand why some people have given them poor reviews though.
There are quite a few similar devices on the market, but I figured this would be the latest revision since it's the only one I've seen that uses USB-C for power. It also uses the Tuya Smart Life app rather than some of the others, and I've already had success with that for some smart power switches.
But I've found a workaround for custom devices not showing up in Alexa, which seems like it bypasses that limitation.
The setup process ends up being more involved than I would like, but it's probably going to take less time than I have already spent trying to get Harmony working as I wanted.
It should be a one-time process that now gives me full voice control over many of the "dumb" IR-based devices in a room for only $16.
On top of that, I think I might prefer this to my Harmony Elite - at least for voice control.
I've had that Harmony for 2-3 years now after getting it for 2/3 off in an Amazon Black Friday deal, and have never been happy with it.
I'm sure that it works great for certain kinds of setups, but the way that everything is based around "activities" has never worked well for me.
I ended up creating a single activity that had IR commands for all my devices mapped to a single layout on the Harmony remote instead of having to mess with switching between activities and having the remote layout reconfigure itself each time - and that has worked well until now.
But I reset the device to try and get it working with Alexa, and it just doesn't work like I want it to.
The whole "activities" thing felt like a relic of when devices never switched input automatically and when people subscribed to cable TV with channel codes etc.
By being a "dumber" device, I love that I can just say "Alexa, fan on" and have this IR blaster do that one thing.
Even if my Harmony setup was working well for more complex Home Theater automations, I think I'd still want one of these for controlling "dumb" devices that exist outside of its "activities".
But this brings me back to another issue that I have run into with Alexa: either I'm doing something completely wrong, or it doesn't seem to handle whole-house setups very well.
If I had multiple IR blasters, and multiple fans—after all, it's not unreasonable to think that someone might have more than one fan where they live—trying to control that via scenes doesn't work. Scenes and routines are "global" (whole house) rather than "local" (per-room).
There's no way that I can see to have simple commands such as:
There are quite a few similar devices on the market, but I figured this would be the latest revision since it's the only one I've seen that uses USB-C for power. It also uses the Tuya Smart Life app rather than some of the others, and I've already had success with that for some smart power switches.
+ It is able to learn commands from all of the IR devices that I've tried so far. Even my Harmony Hub had difficulty with some of these. I did have to cover it with a cloth to teach some though, as it was detecting stray signals when learning.
+ It works with IFTTT. So I can have a routine where IFTTT is monitoring a sensor connected to it, and then sends an IR command via Smart Life, or have devices controlled on a timed schedule now (actually, the Smart Life app may have that functionality).
− Volume control, at least with my headphone amplifier, seems totally useless. Signals aren't repeated when held - you have to keep tapping the button, and it sends very short commands so the volume barely moves at all. This may not be an issue for digital control, but it uses a motorized dial. I'll have to see if there's a way I can automate that better, but as things are now, voice controls for changing inputs or muting is of more importance. Volume is usually within reach.
− Only basic devices such as fans show up as devices to be controlled in the Alexa app after adding them, and those preset devices in the app have very limited functionality compared to a custom device which can learn all the commands on a remote.
But I've found a workaround for custom devices not showing up in Alexa, which seems like it bypasses that limitation.
Inside the Tuya Smart Life app you can create scenes that are activated as "tap to run".
Create a new scene for each IR command you want to use:
After creating these scenes in the Smart Life app they should be available in the Alexa app after refreshing (something which hasn't worked with Hue scenes for me).
And now I can create a routine in Alexa using those scenes to control the device by voice commands:
Note: I haven't used scenes with Alexa until now, so it may not be necessary to set up a routine most of the time.
But saying "Alexa, purifier ____" was telling me to install the Dyson Skill for some reason. I guess they probably make a smart air purifier which uses that command.
Create a new scene for each IR command you want to use:
After creating these scenes in the Smart Life app they should be available in the Alexa app after refreshing (something which hasn't worked with Hue scenes for me).
And now I can create a routine in Alexa using those scenes to control the device by voice commands:
Note: I haven't used scenes with Alexa until now, so it may not be necessary to set up a routine most of the time.
But saying "Alexa, purifier ____" was telling me to install the Dyson Skill for some reason. I guess they probably make a smart air purifier which uses that command.
It should be a one-time process that now gives me full voice control over many of the "dumb" IR-based devices in a room for only $16.
On top of that, I think I might prefer this to my Harmony Elite - at least for voice control.
I've had that Harmony for 2-3 years now after getting it for 2/3 off in an Amazon Black Friday deal, and have never been happy with it.
I'm sure that it works great for certain kinds of setups, but the way that everything is based around "activities" has never worked well for me.
I ended up creating a single activity that had IR commands for all my devices mapped to a single layout on the Harmony remote instead of having to mess with switching between activities and having the remote layout reconfigure itself each time - and that has worked well until now.
But I reset the device to try and get it working with Alexa, and it just doesn't work like I want it to.
The whole "activities" thing felt like a relic of when devices never switched input automatically and when people subscribed to cable TV with channel codes etc.
By being a "dumber" device, I love that I can just say "Alexa, fan on" and have this IR blaster do that one thing.
Even if my Harmony setup was working well for more complex Home Theater automations, I think I'd still want one of these for controlling "dumb" devices that exist outside of its "activities".
But this brings me back to another issue that I have run into with Alexa: either I'm doing something completely wrong, or it doesn't seem to handle whole-house setups very well.
If I had multiple IR blasters, and multiple fans—after all, it's not unreasonable to think that someone might have more than one fan where they live—trying to control that via scenes doesn't work. Scenes and routines are "global" (whole house) rather than "local" (per-room).
There's no way that I can see to have simple commands such as:
- "lamp on" for a single light in a room
- "lamps on" to control all lamps in a room that has more than one
- "lights on/off" to switch the overhead lights on/off, independent of the lamps
- Renaming one light to "lamp" so that it responds to "lamp on/off"
- Creating a routine for "lamps on/off" to control multiple lights in a room
- Only assigning the overhead lights to the room, with the lamps being excluded from it to bypass the "lights on/off" command. Now "lights on/off" only switches the overhead lights.
That looks just like one of those "battery base" devices for the Echo Dot, but instead of being a case with a battery the Dot snaps into, it's now a speaker the Echo Input snaps into instead - which probably explains the name.
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Apple Podcasts and Spotify Podcasts now sync with Alexa: https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/13/apple-and-spotifys-podcasts-come-to-echo-devices-in-the-u-s/
Samuel L. Jackson now available, get it now before the price goes up ($1 vs $5): https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/12...l-jackson-celebrity-voice-now-available-price
Note that it's not a replacement voice, you access him almost as if he were a separate 3rd party assistant. You can ask him things and he responds in a way you would expect but he will not do everything Alexa can (my guess is that they want to keep things mostly consistent and there's impersonation/branding risk for certain things like Skills).
Samuel L. Jackson now available, get it now before the price goes up ($1 vs $5): https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/12...l-jackson-celebrity-voice-now-available-price
Note that it's not a replacement voice, you access him almost as if he were a separate 3rd party assistant. You can ask him things and he responds in a way you would expect but he will not do everything Alexa can (my guess is that they want to keep things mostly consistent and there's impersonation/branding risk for certain things like Skills).
UPDATE:
Hey I got one of them Atmos Echo Studios as "soundbar " for upstairs tv.
Pros: dirt cheap $200 atmos "soundbar"
Unassuming form factor (like a bowler hat-sized squat cylinder)
Obviously doubles as best echo speaker/Alexa dealy
Fantastic sound field, fidelity and presence
Automatic room calibration
Wireless if connected to firetv or stick (uses widi type direct connection I believe)
Really really good for music
Proper atmos 3D sound that's shocking for the price and sound
Works with any Bluetooth device
Doesn't need a subwoofer (you can add one if you demand more brown note)
Has access to impressive but useless 3D and high fidelity uncompressed Amazon music catalog
Has intuitive audio sync delay controls for shitty Blu-ray players I guess
Cons: only does Atmos for Amazon content via certain firetv and sticks (4k works)
Only does 5.1 or stereo if connected to device by optical/aux until future update
Mildly annoying one time software update
Keeps going out of stock as some audiophiles have identified it as a bargain
Basically it is perfect for the exact scenario I have but might not be ideal if you're looking for a more flexible thingy until they update firmware to support non Amazon devices more robustly.
Hey I got one of them Atmos Echo Studios as "soundbar " for upstairs tv.
Pros: dirt cheap $200 atmos "soundbar"
Unassuming form factor (like a bowler hat-sized squat cylinder)
Obviously doubles as best echo speaker/Alexa dealy
Fantastic sound field, fidelity and presence
Automatic room calibration
Wireless if connected to firetv or stick (uses widi type direct connection I believe)
Really really good for music
Proper atmos 3D sound that's shocking for the price and sound
Works with any Bluetooth device
Doesn't need a subwoofer (you can add one if you demand more brown note)
Has access to impressive but useless 3D and high fidelity uncompressed Amazon music catalog
Has intuitive audio sync delay controls for shitty Blu-ray players I guess
Cons: only does Atmos for Amazon content via certain firetv and sticks (4k works)
Only does 5.1 or stereo if connected to device by optical/aux until future update
Mildly annoying one time software update
Keeps going out of stock as some audiophiles have identified it as a bargain
Basically it is perfect for the exact scenario I have but might not be ideal if you're looking for a more flexible thingy until they update firmware to support non Amazon devices more robustly.