Anyone have an Amazon Echo?

[monkeyman]

I've been waiting and waiting for them to release this thing in Canada but I'm done waiting. Im now considering ordering a couple of Dot's from B&H Photo. Does anyone have any Calgary specific experience/advice before i take that plunge?
Thanks.

[Barnes]

I have a Dot in my kitchen. Use it a tonne for adding to my shopping list, timers while cooking, listening to the radio and controlling my lighting.

Tough to give advice without knowing if you have anything that will integrate with it. Anything specific to a location won't work as they aren't officially for sale here but everything else works. There's even a CBC news skill for a Canadian newsflash.

[Street Pharmacist]

I have one and love it. I have it hooked up to my home hub so I can tell it to turn the lights on, increase the temperature on my Ecobee3, turn on the Christmas tree/Halloween decorations out front etc. It's awesome for shopping list alone, but my wife and kids like asking it to play various bits of terrible music

[monkeyman]

Originally Posted by Barnes

I have a Dot in my kitchen. Use it a tonne for adding to my shopping list, timers while cooking, listening to the radio and controlling my lighting.

Tough to give advice without knowing if you have anything that will integrate with it. Anything specific to a location won't work as they aren't officially for sale here but everything else works. There's even a CBC news skill for a Canadian newsflash.

Ive got a ton of connected stuff. Hue, sonos, august, wemo, nest cam/thermostat. I have no idea about downloading the app. Reading online it looks like I shouldn't have a problem setting it up on my computer. I currently subscribe to Apple Music but now considering switching to something else but don't know what.
Thanks for the info guys. I really appreciate it.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by monkeyman

Ive got a ton of connected stuff. Hue, sonos, august, wemo, nest cam/thermostat. I have no idea about downloading the app. Reading online it looks like I shouldn't have a problem setting it up on my computer. I currently subscribe to Apple Music but now considering switching to something else but don't know what.
Thanks for the info guys. I really appreciate it.

Getting the iPhone app so you can actually use your shopping list might be a bit tough. Android is easy. As you may have read, the app isn't available on iTunes in Canada so I don't know how you get it. For Android I just download the app off a third party site site

[HotHotHeat]

We've discussed Google Home in the Android thread. I have more confidence in Google rolling out features than Amazon. Plus the Home is a Chromecast speaker.

[Barnes]

You can use all the app's functionality on a computer if you go to alexa.amazon.com. It doesn't work on mobile browsers though.

For shopping lists, you can use IFTTT to push your echo list to a specific iOS reminders list. I have an IFTTT applet that pushes to a iOS reminders list which is synced to a shopping list app called AnyList. It's nice because it's synced to the wife's phone as well. It's not immediate and some times you have to run the IFTTT applet manually to get it to sync but the ability to say 'Add olive oil to the shopping list' as you are using the last drop while in the middle of cooking makes the Echo worth every penny. I plan on using Tasker to open my shopping list automatically when Location Services notices I am at the grocery store. Will have to play around with that next.

Apple music is a no go unfortunately. In Canada your only option is Spotify. I did set up using a Jriver media player to use my iTunes library and enabled a Skill to allow voice control of Jriver on my HTPC. I then used AirFoil to link a Chromecast and some bluetooth speakers around the house for a poor man's voice controlled Sonos setup.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

^^ you can request the desktop version of Alexa.amazon.com in mobile browser and it works. I rarely have the laptop on so for lazy people like me its handy.

The only thing that hasn't been mentioned is that echo has an almost inexhaustible supply of jokes and riddles that keep my kids going for ages. Any time I want to distract them I ask for a joke or riddle and they instantly want to keep asking and forget whatever else was going on. It's handy.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by Bend it like Bourgeois

^^ you can request the desktop version of Alexa.amazon.com in mobile browser and it works. I rarely have the laptop on so for lazy people like me its handy.

The only thing that hasn't been mentioned is that echo has an almost inexhaustible supply of jokes and riddles that keep my kids going for ages. Any time I want to distract them I ask for a joke or riddle and they instantly want to keep asking and forget whatever else was going on. It's handy.

Plus you can now change the wake word to computer and say Computer, tea, earl grey, hot and Computer, open the pod bay doors.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Barnes

You can use all the app's functionality on a computer if you go to alexa.amazon.com. It doesn't work on mobile browsers though.

For shopping lists, you can use IFTTT to push your echo list to a specific iOS reminders list. I have an IFTTT applet that pushes to a iOS reminders list which is synced to a shopping list app called AnyList. It's nice because it's synced to the wife's phone as well. It's not immediate and some times you have to run the IFTTT applet manually to get it to sync but the ability to say 'Add olive oil to the shopping list' as you are using the last drop while in the middle of cooking makes the Echo worth every penny. I plan on using Tasker to open my shopping list automatically when Location Services notices I am at the grocery store. Will have to play around with that next.

Apple music is a no go unfortunately. In Canada your only option is Spotify. I did set up using a Jriver media player to use my iTunes library and enabled a Skill to allow voice control of Jriver on my HTPC. I then used AirFoil to link a Chromecast and some bluetooth speakers around the house for a poor man's voice controlled Sonos setup.

How do you get the shopping list sent to anylist?

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

How do you get the shopping list sent to anylist?

If you have IFTTT you can use this Applet.

Add Echo Shopping List items to AnyList
https://ifttt.com/applets/318625p

Just make sure you create the lists named in applet options or change them for the ones you want to use.

[Flashpoint]

My brother bought me one 2 years ago.

It'll play Johnny Cash.

Thats all I need from it.

[monkeyman]

I've only had it a few days, but damn, i'm loving the echo dot. I canceled my iTunes music subscription in favour of spotify and loving that too and works like a charm with echo. It took me a few tries and i'm not exactly sure how it works, but i'm able to send lists to my reminders, thanks for that Barnes. Anyone else have any great skills to recommend for this thing?

[Iceman90]

There is a project out there now that makes it fairly easy to turn a Raspberry Pi 3 into an Amazon Echo. I am debating playing around with this just to see how well it works.

If you have a Raspberry Pi 3 laying around this is a nice cheap option to try out an Alexa and see how it works for you.

[cupofjoe]

They are not that expensive from here:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...dot_black.html

Buy two and you get free shipping.

I am currently testing this in my home system (Elan, Radio Ra2, Sonos). Works quite well. I stumble more than it does, ie mispronounce words, get tongue-tied etc.

When this is released in Canada (presumably this year), I will be deploying it as an option to my AV client base.

[Deelow]

I have one. Use mine mostly for Spotify and streaming the Fan on Tunein seems to work well.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by Iceman90

There is a project out there now that makes it fairly easy to turn a Raspberry Pi 3 into an Amazon Echo. I am debating playing around with this just to see how well it works.

If you have a Raspberry Pi 3 laying around this is a nice cheap option to try out an Alexa and see how it works for you.

Do you know if it gives you access to the various app hook-ins that the echo offers? My apologies... I have no idea what they're called. I only ask because Plex recently released one. I'm wondering if it would be possible to have a voice-controlled Plex with this method...

[Iceman90]

Originally Posted by Russic

Do you know if it gives you access to the various app hook-ins that the echo offers? My apologies... I have no idea what they're called. I only ask because Plex recently released one. I'm wondering if it would be possible to have a voice-controlled Plex with this method...

I think Amazon calls them Skills. I know when a friend built his, the one thing it can’t do is access music services like Amazon Prime, Spotify, or Pandora. I am not sure about Plex, but I imagine it'd work if you are running your own Plex server.

[Barnes]

There is a Plex skill now. Haven't used it because I use Plex through chromecast usually.

[Barnes]

You are now able to hook up your iOS / iCloud Calendars and Reminders to your Alexa account. This might streamline the create shopping/grocery list workflow i had posted above by removing IFTTT component which would make it much more immediate and accurate. but I'll have to play with it.

Calendar works well though.

Alexa schedule a event> Ok, what time?

3:30> Ok, what's the name of the event?

Golf > I've scheduled golf for 3:30 on May 31st. Is that correct?

Yes > Ok, i have added that.

Boom, right in my iOS calendar.

Apple and Amazon had to work together to get this working as you authenticate through your Apple ID by creating a password for it on Apple's site. This makes me hopeful for Apple Music at some point but it looks like the relationship is getting better.