Amazon Echo

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134 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 15

#2062073 25-Jul-2018 10:18

Thought so, would prob work if Imset up a US account.

Thank you for writing to us with your concern.

I did check at my end and please be informed that currently voice profile is not supported in New Zealand. It is currently available in US only. This is why you're not able to set up voice profile in New Zealand.

To make things better, I've taken it as an improvement factor and forwarded your comments as feedback to our Alexa development team. I know they'll want to hear about your experience so that they will look into this and may come up with the best possible solutions in the nearest future.

As you know "Alexa" is a work in progress. We are constantly making changes for a better user experience. Discussion about the issues and suggestions you give helps us to improve "Alexa".

In the meantime, please extend your patience and understanding while we work on this.

TLD

908 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 263

#2062172 25-Jul-2018 11:26

kiwimustang: Thought so, would prob work if Imset up a US account.

Thank you for writing to us with your concern.

I did check at my end and please be informed that currently voice profile is not supported in New Zealand. It is currently available in US only. This is why you're not able to set up voice profile in New Zealand.

To make things better, I've taken it as an improvement factor and forwarded your comments as feedback to our Alexa development team. I know they'll want to hear about your experience so that they will look into this and may come up with the best possible solutions in the nearest future.

As you know "Alexa" is a work in progress. We are constantly making changes for a better user experience. Discussion about the issues and suggestions you give helps us to improve "Alexa".

In the meantime, please extend your patience and understanding while we work on this.

Thanks for the feedback. It saves us banging our heads against a wall not yet prepared to yield to Kiwi accents, (with a strong residue of east London in my case). So long as they don't lump is in with Oz, and confuse Alexa with fush & chups vs feesh & cheeps, or even worse, throw Simon Bridges voice into the mix. Heck... Poor Alexa would spiral into ever decreasing circles, and either start speaking in tongues, or thousands of Kiwi Echos, Spots and Dots would simultaneously self destruct.

Trevor Dennis
Rapaura (near Blenheim)

kiwimustang

134 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 15

#2062189 25-Jul-2018 11:55

'She' has no problem with my accent, having all sorts of fun with her. It may be a case of deploying servers specifically to deal with personalising the A.I but there are smarter peolple than me out there who may be able to explain why.

TLD

908 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 263

#2062244 25-Jul-2018 12:54

kiwimustang: 'She' has no problem with my accent, having all sorts of fun with her. It may be a case of deploying servers specifically to deal with personalising the A.I but there are smarter people than me out there who may be able to explain why.

Not long after I moved here from the UK, I was going to get a dog from the SPCA. but while we were sorting out fences in readiness, a lady fostered the dog, named Molly. I contacted the foster lady so I could take Molly for walks and the first time I got in touch, we had an 'interesting' conversation.

I said who I was and said it was about Molly, and after a moment she said 'Oh. Molly's dead!'

I could hardly believe what I was hearing, and thought 'break it gently to me why don't you?'

The lady said again'Molly's dead', and I suddenly realised she was saying Molly's Dad. LOL It was quite a relief. Unfortunately SWMBO decided that dogs smell, and she didn't like them, and it was her or the dog. It was close, but we don't have a dog, and I really miss having one around the house.

Being a wee bit more serious, I visited NZ four times before coming to live here, and had some real issues with some words. I can remember using a credit card and being asked if I had a 'pin', to which I replied, 'No. I just sign it'. I was obviously hearing Pin instead of Pen. Fourteen years later, and family say I sound a bit Kiwi when we visit the UK. No conscious effort. It just happens with time.

I just asked her what a 'pin' was, and she told me it was jewellery. When I asked for fush & chups she gave me the Outer Reef in Picton, which while a long way from the nearest (I am in Rapaura 10K from Blenheim) it is indeed a fish & chip takeaway.

Blimey, she was spot on with Bach. She couldn't get 'chocka' after several tries, hearing jogger, joker and finally chocolate. When I asked about Chooks, she told me a joke. This was telling... she got Dunny OK, but warned me to watch out for Red Backs, so NZ and Oz are a single entity for her. She also thinks that a Lolly is an ice cream on a stick, which sounds Australian to me.

Trevor Dennis
Rapaura (near Blenheim)

lchiu7

6521 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 543

Trusted

#2063780 27-Jul-2018 17:38

richms:

I have that combo on the way and will be trying to wall mount the dock somehow.

Just got my Fire HD 8 tablet and Echo Dock.

Works pretty well but I had an anxious moment when the tablet would not charge on the dock but would if plugged in correctly. Turned out it was a case of RTFM as the Fire Tablet needs a software update to work as an Echo Show replacement and charge via the dock.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=help_search_1-1?ie=UTF8&nodeId=GF9VT6PKTSA3ALDZ&qid=1532498079&sr=1-1

The cradle holding the tablet has two connectors on the back which connect to two pins on the dock and held by magnets.

Here is what it looks like in action

Here I have switched from normal tablet model to Show mode.

https://goo.gl/WRL1SC

One issue is the audio is pretty poor coming from the tablet so I have connected the Fire Tablet to my Google Home via BT :-) Tbat works well and is the audio heard in the video.

But reading reviews of the Google Assistant video device, perhaps I should have waited for that (but the cheapest is $200(US) and this combo cost me US100+ NZ$40 YouShop

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

dunnersdude

162 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 12

#2064516 29-Jul-2018 12:38

New to the party. Just got given one of these. I only use iOS devices. Will I be able to use the 2nd Gen Echo well with my devices? I also don't have Spotify premium but use free.

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rb99

3505 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1830

Lifetime subscriber

#2064545 29-Jul-2018 13:17

Not much of an expert in these things but think if you want Echo to play Spotify directly you have to use the Premium version. OTOH I should imagine you can link up your iPhone or whatever using Bluetooth and use the free Spotify that way.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

rb99

da5id

550 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 65
Inactive user

#2064606 29-Jul-2018 15:32

dunnersdude: New to the party. Just got given one of these. I only use iOS devices. Will I be able to use the 2nd Gen Echo well with my devices? I also don't have Spotify premium but use free.

YUp, from what I read, you have to have Premium.

Another option is to use the Amazon Music Unlimited account that comes with your Echo. If you only want to use it with that one device, after the first month free I believe it costs something like NZ$5.90 a month which is cheaper than Spotify Premium.

TLD

908 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 263

#2064614 29-Jul-2018 15:56

da5id:

dunnersdude: New to the party. Just got given one of these. I only use iOS devices. Will I be able to use the 2nd Gen Echo well with my devices? I also don't have Spotify premium but use free.

YUp, from what I read, you have to have Premium.

Another option is to use the Amazon Music Unlimited account that comes with your Echo. If you only want to use it with that one device, after the first month free I believe it costs something like NZ$5.90 a month which is cheaper than Spotify Premium.

Hmmm... I am not sure if I understood the 'one device' bit. I had to wait for my Echo, so I got a Spot, and I 'think' I organised Amazon music on that. If that's the case, I must have also set it up on the Echo because that's the one we listen to. Methinks I need to check my account. OK, it's saying it will only stream to the Echo after trial period, so panic over.

Do the relaxing sound skills need Amazon Music? I have a feeling they do?

Trevor Dennis
Rapaura (near Blenheim)

lchiu7

6521 posts

Uber Geek
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#2067971 4-Aug-2018 13:44

Just another data point when using the Show Dock with a Fire Tablet. Even though your Tablet is connected to Bluetooth and all audio appears to go to the BT speakers, if you use the Drop In feature then audio stays on the tablet. Since the Fire Tablet has crappy speakers this makes phone or video calls not a great experience.

I might try using a BT transmitter to send audio to the external speaker since as far as Alexa is concerned, it's still audio on the device.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

SepticSceptic

2263 posts

Uber Geek
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#2073418 14-Aug-2018 17:09

TLD:

Do the relaxing sound skills need Amazon Music? I have a feeling they do?

I have a fireplace and thunderstorm skill - and dont have Amazon Music.

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TLD

908 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 263

#2085284 6-Sep-2018 22:58

Anyone know if 'Follow-up Mode' is supposed to work here? There are lots of links saying how to enable it like this one published in March this year, but I don't have that option on my three devices (one Spot, two Echos)

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/alexa-follow-up-mode,review-5204.html

Or is it on by default now? We can sometimes get in a second request without using the Wake word, but I am pretty sure we don't get five seconds to do so.

Trevor Dennis
Rapaura (near Blenheim)

richms

29104 posts

Uber Geek
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#2085287 6-Sep-2018 23:24

Mine are all set to US and it was an option but its really annoying since if you pause something to ask alexa to turn the lights off, then unpause it then alexa will hear the movie/whatever and try to understand it.

Also if you ask alexa something and she cant help so then say ok google and ask it, alexa hears the ok google and says that isnt a name she can respond to, which messes up google hearing you talk. Its back off with mine, so little use case and so much annoyance with it.

Richard rich.ms

TLD

908 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 263

#2085352 7-Sep-2018 09:32

Goodness Richard. None of that had occurred to me, but having heard it, it makes perfect sense. We already have to say 'Alexa STOP!' more than once a day when she goes off on one.

So you have a Google Home device as well then?

Trevor Dennis
Rapaura (near Blenheim)

richms

29104 posts

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#2085513 7-Sep-2018 11:10

Yes have both here. The Google is so much slower to do any thing so I only use it really when Alexa fails like opening hours and similar things. And some unit conversation Alexa is useless at. Couldn't even do PSI into kpa when I last tried.

Richard rich.ms

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