OT: yo...ECHO users...still happy? :OT

RRP

It's been 2 months now since the last post about the ECHO. Still like it? Still use it or has the novelty worn off? Can it just be used by itself as long as it connects to your WiFi or are other devices, connections needed? Was at a neighbor's home yesterday and I wondered what practical application other than music on verbal demand does it have? And lastly do you have to be an Amazon Prime member or not to get the music connection?

SGH

At first I thought that you were asking about Echo weed eaters. If you would have been, my answer would have been yeah, I love mine. 

RRP

SGH said:

At first I thought that you were asking about Echo weed eaters. If you would have been, my answer would have been yeah, I love mine. 

Me too! This is no lie - my Echo weed eater is 31 years old and still runs like a champ! I had to upgrade to a different line head when the original broke which amazed me that it would fit!

SGH

RRP said:
 This is no lie - my Echo weed eater is 31 years old and still runs like a champ! 

I have no doubt my friend. I don't know about their new stuff, but years ago, Echo was right on par with Stihl and Husqvarna. 

fishlessman

are you guys talking hand/wand weed eater or push behind, im currantly looking at the dr trimmer/mower for the lawn

SGH

fishlessman said:

are you guys talking hand/wand weed eater or push behind, im currantly looking at the dr trimmer/mower for the lawn

Mine is a regular hand held weed eater type. That DR is a bad rig. My neighbor has one and it will run through just about anything. It really surprised me just what it would cut down.  They ain't cheap though.  

RRP

fishlessman said:

are you guys talking hand/wand weed eater or push behind, im currantly looking at the dr trimmer/mower for the lawn

hand/wand type, but the ECHO I was referring to in my topic is that electronic voice recognition/speaker that Amazon sells.

smak

We have an ECHO in the kitchen.  I still view it as a novelty item.  Definitely not in the *have to have* category.  But, It is nice not have to grab your phone or another physical device.   Just say it out loud and the ECHO takes it from there. 

The main uses in our house:

1) Timers / Alarms - Everything from cooking timers to giving the kids 5 minutes until bedtime.

2) Conversions in the kitchen - "Alexis, how many Xs in 5Ys"  I find myself using this when doubling/tripling recipes.

I would like to get into the shopping and todo list features but I have not gotten that into a standard workflow of my life.  With some of the newer home automation integration... it has sparked a few ideas that may lead down that path.

The kids find it more "practical".   They check the weather everyday, ask it homework style questions (how do you spell xxxx? who was xxx?), ask it for jokes, etc.

Wifi connection to the internets.  Power Plug.   That is all you need connection wise.

On the music front we do not use it a lot for music.  The kids will sometimes request songs.  I *think* you only have to be a Prime member to listen to the Prime Music.   If you have a Pandora, iHeartRadio, etc account that should just work.

smak

And I do have an Echo Backpack Blower that works great.   A little hard to start but does the job when it is going.

Eggcelsior

I still use mine on a daily basis. It's home is in the family room next to the kitchen, so I can ask it for conversions like smak said and I always am playing music through it. Amazon continues to push updates which is really nice. Another fun thing is the list ability. I can stand at the pantry or fridge and say "Alexa, add _____ to the shopping list". When I get to the store, that list is available in the Alexa app on my phone.

SmokeyPitt

I don't have one but I found this on the music:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201549700

You can upload your own music files- 250 for free.  If you have Amazon Prime I think it would be more attractive because then you get access to tons of music on demand and you don't have to mess with uploading files to amazon. 

Eggcelsior

I use Spotify for streaming so I just have the Echo connect via Bluetooth. The nicest thing about this is that it saves battery life on my phone.

ksmyrl

We love the Echo. Use it every day for just about everything it's capable of doing. We are Amazon Prime members and use it for music often, but we also use it to stream Pandora as well as our Amazon collection. I escaped from Itunes not too long ago by uploading thousands of songs to my Amazon library, now the Echo really shines. It knows where I work (physical address) and the spots we travel to often. I ask it every morning ..."Alexis, how's my commute this morning..." and she proceeds to tell me where the accidents are and which route is fastest. Now, all of this can be done with a smart phone and your thumbs, but it's just easy and pretty cool that it works so well with your voice. I also have it set up for one click ordering from Amazon. The other day my instant read thermo died, I said "Alexis order a Taylor instant read thermometer". She quoted the price and said are you sure you want to order this, I said "yes" and had it delivered in 48 hrs.

Next step for us is the Nest smart thermostat for the house, then a smart garage door opener.

It is "must have" no, but neither are our eggs.

fishlessman

RRP said:

fishlessman said:

are you guys talking hand/wand weed eater or push behind, im currantly looking at the dr trimmer/mower for the lawn

hand/wand type, but the ECHO I was referring to in my topic is that electronic voice recognition/speaker that Amazon sells.

no idea on that system, just jumped in when i saw the subject jump course my system is a bunch of notes in my left back pocket

@SGH thanks your your quick review, i hate yard work, just need something quick, crude, get it done. the push ones are alot cheaper than self propelled, might go that route

SoCalTim

I have it the same room as our main tv, it's funny when an 'Echo' commercial comes on, and my 'Echo' answers and or when a tv show is on and a character's who's name is Alexa is called by her name and my Echo answers

swordsmn

Mostly shopping list use,  but it is our main grocery list,  some music,  1 audible book my wife is listening to.  works great for the shopping list with my App on the iphone

nolaegghead

Every one keeps adding "dildos and guns" to my shopping list.  

WeberWho

I thought you might be talking about the super testosterone filled Toyota Echo!