Paparangi: Currently on sale at B&H in the US. NZ$266 shipped to NZ.

Paparangi: Currently on sale at B&H in the US. NZ$266 shipped to NZ. Apparently you can partly solve the zip code problem by setting it to American Samoa.

"using American Samoa (96799) as it's in the same time zone as NZ. The Marshall Islands (96960) is one hour behind us, so you use that zip code in the winter."

Thanks to mikeperro1 and avantime @ ChoiceCheapies for spotting it.

I can confirm Alexa can now turn off and on my TV via voice command. This works through a Logitech Harmony Hub and connects to ALexa via IFTTT. Works well, in fact perfectly!

kevro:

Paparangi: Currently on sale at B&H in the US. NZ$266 shipped to NZ. Apparently you can partly solve the zip code problem by setting it to American Samoa.

"using American Samoa (96799) as it's in the same time zone as NZ. The Marshall Islands (96960) is one hour behind us, so you use that zip code in the winter."

Thanks to mikeperro1 and avantime @ ChoiceCheapies for spotting it.

Great workround, thanks! At last I can get the time without raising my eyes to the wall clock :)

I was hoping I could use it to one-time turn off some of my WeMo connected appliances at a certain time: "Alexa, turn off office heater at 7pm."

Anyone know how?

You can just programme WeMo to do that through the app.

nurcopolics:

 

I can confirm Alexa can now turn off and on my TV via voice command. This works through a Logitech Harmony Hub and connects to ALexa via IFTTT. Works well, in fact perfectly!

 

Whats the lag like for that? My wemo stuff thru IFTTT is a joke - 30+ seconds sometimes.

nurcopolics:

 

I can confirm Alexa can now turn off and on my TV via voice command. This works through a Logitech Harmony Hub and connects to ALexa via IFTTT. Works well, in fact perfectly!

 

That's good to know. I have a Harmony and Hub also, but when I set the remote up a year ago ago for my LG 84" 4K it didn't have that tv on it, so I have to use the IR and point the remote for around 10 seconds. But as soon as the remote recognises it in memory I should be good to go with Alexa.

I use IFTTT with a WeMo Insight plug and I'm surprised at how small a delay there is in sending me an SMS alert... a couple seconds at most.

nurcopolics:

 

kevro:

Paparangi: Currently on sale at B&H in the US. NZ$266 shipped to NZ. Apparently you can partly solve the zip code problem by setting it to American Samoa.

"using American Samoa (96799) as it's in the same time zone as NZ. The Marshall Islands (96960) is one hour behind us, so you use that zip code in the winter."

Thanks to mikeperro1 and avantime @ ChoiceCheapies for spotting it.

Great workround, thanks! At last I can get the time without raising my eyes to the wall clock :)

I was hoping I could use it to one-time turn off some of my WeMo connected appliances at a certain time: "Alexa, turn off office heater at 7pm."

Anyone know how?

 

 

 

You can just programme WeMo to do that through the app.

 

How exactly? 

So how is the new spotify stuff working for people?

Setup process in the alexa app is horrible with it using an in app browser to do oauth, so I have to go and give my facebook username and password to what I hope is a legit web page (no way to check the SSL etc or if it was just a pretty picture looking like facebook) and then pop in the code from facebook, so basically violating every good security practice in the process, but its Amazon so cant be too dodgey I figure.

Anyway, once in there, It warned me that my spotify account is non US in the app.

Ive had it only occasionally show as a device in spotify connect, but will play most things when I use spotify connect, but has many times it will just go thru the list 1-2 items a second not playing them till it hits one that works.

Telling her to play things just gets nothing most of the time. The app on the PC or phone will show its trying to play something, but nothing happens and soon it gives up and will then go thru many more tracks until I give up and just play something else thru connect.

I cant change my spotify account to a US one as its an included one from spark, which obviously is a NZ payment method. I might spin up another free trial of a US one to have a play with over the weekend, but so far quite disappointed. I was hoping to be able to ask her to play songs from spotify but it never works.

My grandmother is almost completely blind now, and I was wondering if an Echo+Audible subscription might be a good idea for her. Is the Echo going to work for a technologically illiterate 90yr old with a moderate South African accent?

I try to use Google now/"OK Google" on my Android devices (no accent), and it's an endless string of frustrations. I consider Google now to be about 50% "there" in terms of usability/reliability. I have to proof-read and edit almost everything it hears. How does the Echo compare to Google (other than the superior mic array)?

Granny probably isn't going to venture much beyond time requests, shopping lists and audiobook playback.

I bought an Echo for a friend (in the US) for Christmas (generous friend I am :-) ) Anyway I didn't get one for myself since I couldn't work out what I would use it for. Then at CES went by the Home Automation exhibits and the Insteon folks said they work  with the Echo.

http://www.insteon.com/amazon-echo/

Since Insteon is now available in NZ albeit not such a large selection as the US but at least the key modules (light module, dimmer, power outlet) the Echo and Insteon might well be the way to start towards home automation. That way don't have to purchase specific bulbs like Wemo etc but install tiny modules inside light switches or power module that plug into the AC outlet.

@lchui7 - another option could be to use openHAB as the bridge. openHAB has supported Insteon devices for a while now (not that I have ever used this integration myself). And someone has worked out how to bridge openHAB to the Echo - http://tinsley.io/2015/06/control-your-items-using-the-amazon-echo-openhab/. Due to the fact openHAB is completely protocol agnostic once you have this setup you should be able to control just about anything!

Fair enough - I am a bit of an openHAB fanboi so try to push it wherever I can - the beauty of it is even if you have Insteon devices and a hub, you might also want to integrate your Kodi clients, or weather information, or sunrise/sunset times, or Squeezebox/Sonos devices, or Yamaha/Denon AVR, or MQTT powered devices, or Freeswitch VOIP server, etc. etc. And once integrated with the Echo, ALL these devices would be controllable by voice.

But as you say, it is more work, more bits to get working, and if you only want simple lighting control then probably a case of over-engineering.

Good luck, and I hope you post back with your experiences. I have been thinking about getting an Echo for quite a while, but have been putting it off to see how others find it.