echo – Pulpconnection

Amazon Echo Wall Clock, I Want One

Gee Why — Mon, 24 Sep 2018 06:17:53 +0000

So Amazon announced a bevy of upcoming products featuring Alexa. While many of these make a compelling case for any household, I won’t lie by saying that I really want the Echo Wall Clock. Yup, it is what it sounds like. It’s an old school analog wall clock with the big hand and little hand to tell time. But is it really an analog device or just a digitial display made to look analog?

I know there’s a ring of LED lights around the clock face that indicates timers set by Alexa and that alone makes this $30 device useful. We’ve been looking for a wall clock for some time and haven’t found anything that we liked – too expensive, too small, too big, too gaudy, too plain.

The Amazon Echo Wall Clock is utilitarian in appearance, but it’s not ugly. And if it really just runs on batteries would make this a guarantee purchase. Unfortunately, it’s not available to buy or pre-order just yet.

Amazon Alexa Devices – Echo, Echo Dot, and Tap

Gee Why — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 18:43:30 +0000

Joining the Amazon Echo device is the new Amazon Tap and Echo Dot. All of these are powered by Alexa and have me interested.

The original Echo does it all from a fixed location. The Tap is like a mobile Echo since it’s battery powered but you do need to touch/tap it before it pays attention to you. The Dot on the other hand is mute but is always listening. You need to pair it with your own speakers for a combined Echo-like experience. The Dot goes for $89.99, the Tap is $129.99, and the fully equipped Echo is $179.99. Unfortunately, you can’t simply buy the Dot. For now, you need to be the owner of an Echo or Fire TV and a Prime member. That’s unfortunate since I already have wireless and wired speakers that could benefit from the Dot.

Hmmm, there was a loophole in the iOS version of the Amazon app that allowed you to search for the Echo Dot then from the search results screen, add it to your shopping cart. This no longer works with the right swipe option replaced by See Details. Even your Amazon Shopping History hides the Echo Dot as a recently viewed item, guessing that’s another way to get to the Dot ordering page.

But… a wish list. That’s a different method. Visiting amazon.com on a computer and adding an Echo Dot as a pre-order or adding to a wishlist may just give you different results wink, wink.

Did Amazon Just Reboot the iPod?

Gee Why — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 18:42:34 +0000

Don’t look now, but did Amazon reboot the venerable iPod with the introduction of the Echo? We all know the iconic iPod isn’t the draw it once was and is in need of a remake. I’ve mentioned before how the iPod could be re-imagined to a multi-purpose home device. A WiFi basestation/extender, a multi-device charger, AirPlay speakers, maybe Time Machine backups – there are many roles a revamped iPod could play, and right now, Amazon’s Echo is headed in that direction with the additional benefit of being a Siri-like end point with Alexa. Instead of grabbing an iPhone or iPad to ask Siri a question, the Amazon Echo is always listening, ready to research directed questions. This surely makes sense and makes voice recognition commands more approachable.

Along with the Alexa voice command feature, the Echo contains 360-degree audio speakers to fill a room with music, a solid addition for a living room hub. For Amazon, a very relevant aspect is Echo’s potential to create grocery lists. I can easily see an Echo in or near a kitchen. As your pantry empties out, asking Alexa to add items to a grocery list is a great convenience then having the ability for Amazon to fulfill your order, now that’s scarily possible.

While the Echo is still a new product with mixed reviews, there are definite futures for this device, and maybe your next iPod will be spelled E-c-h-o.