Amazon Echo Spot

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networkn

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Topic # 223418 28-Sep-2017 18:01

Echo Spot is designed to fit anywhere in your home. Use 2nd generation far-field voice recognition to watch video flash briefings, see music lyrics, weather forecasts, to-do and shopping lists, browse and listen to Audible audiobooks, and more. All hands-free—just ask.
Echo Spot connects to Alexa, a cloud-based voice service to play music, read the news, answer questions, control smart home, and more
Just ask to play a song, artist, or genre, and see lyrics with Amazon Music. Also, stream music and books from Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and Audible.
Use the built-in speaker or connect to speakers through Bluetooth or 3.5 mm stereo cable. With multi-room music, you can play music on your Echo devices in different rooms.
Ask Alexa to turn on your lights, show baby monitors and front door cameras, and lock your doors. Plus, control your thermostats, garage doors, sprinklers, and more.
Call anyone hands-free, or make video calls to family and friends with an Echo Spot, Echo Show, or the Alexa App. Instantly connect to other Echo devices around your home.
With tens of thousands skills, Alexa is always getting smarter and adding new features. Just ask Alexa to control your TV, request an Uber, order a pizza, and more.

Fantastic little device, I have already ordered mine.

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Reply # 1874357 28-Sep-2017 21:36

Do any of the products have an Ethernet port yet?

networkn

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Reply # 1874363 28-Sep-2017 21:56

pedrogarcia

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Reply # 1874377 28-Sep-2017 22:28

Don't get what's so radically different about these new products. Happy with my original Echos for now.

Jase2985

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Reply # 1874446 29-Sep-2017 05:27

Dunnersfella:

Do any of the products have an Ethernet port yet?

why do you need an ethernet port?

sbiddle

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Reply # 1874460 29-Sep-2017 07:18

pedrogarcia: Don't get what's so radically different about these new products. Happy with my original Echos for now.

Have you actually looked at it? A screen and small form factor make it a radically different product. It's the perfect (overpriced) clock radio for next to the bed.

I'm not back in the US until the end of December but will try and get an Echo spot to play with. While I have a Google home already I'm keen to have both to play with.

Dingbatt

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Reply # 1874593 29-Sep-2017 10:59

Jase2985:
Dunnersfella:

Do any of the products have an Ethernet port yet?

why do you need an ethernet port?

Fire TV 4K (wifi may not cope). I note the Chromecast Ultra has an Ethernet port.

Shame our US visit is in early December, just before Spot is released.

Areas of Geek interest: Home Theatre, HTPC, Android Tablets & Phones, iProducts.

crewsaider

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Reply # 2049131 4-Jul-2018 16:41

I recently adopted Alexa through an Echo and so enjoyed her company in the family that I decided to also adopt an Echo Spot as a bedroom clock (with camera covered!). Research showed the type to be quite well received apart from the rotating screens promoting Amazon and it seemed there was no way to stop this apart from selecting a "Once" rotation in Settings. Yesterday I checked a unit in Noel Leemings which seemed to confirm this, indeed "Once" appeared to mean the cycle of the "Try This" screens went through just once...until you gave Spot a new action which started the cycle off again! All I want is a clock face and occasionally the weather and so, at the moment, I have no intention of paying to provide Amazon with an advertising channel into my house. Anyone found a way of bypassing this intrusion?

networkn

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Reply # 2049134 4-Jul-2018 16:42

I have a bedroom spot (camera unblocked actually) and I have never once seen advertising.

crewsaider

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Reply # 2049170 4-Jul-2018 17:53

Depends on perception of advertising. A "Try this" screen which promotes an activity (eg Kindle Audio Books) that brings financial benefit to Amazon comes pretty close to the concept of advertising. Putting aside the advertising angle, to me this is the kind of device over which the purchaser should have complete control of what is displayed. My aim in posting here is to see if anyone has discovered a way of taking that control.

stocksp

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Reply # 2049184 4-Jul-2018 18:58

I think you can turn it off on cards. I got one last week for my bedroom and love it. We are a mixed household with 4 alexa and three google home. I’m leaning towards alexa as my preferred ecosystem.

TLD

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Reply # 2049605 5-Jul-2018 11:01

We are thinking of getting an Echo or Google Home. An important requirement for us is to use it as a radio, so we are wondering what NZ radio stations it will play? After reading a few threads here, I'm actually more confused than when I started. Is there a better platform choice from a NZ point of view? This will mainly live in the kitchen.

Trevor Dennis
Rapaura (near Blenheim)

Jase2985

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Reply # 2049639 5-Jul-2018 11:28

i use tunein on my google home so it will play anything off there, same with iheartradio, will play stuff off there too.

crewsaider

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Reply # 2049647 5-Jul-2018 11:42

Echo sources radio from Tunein or iHeart. The former certainly seems to have a good spread of local radio see https://tunein.com/radio/local/

crewsaider

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Reply # 2049671 5-Jul-2018 12:01

stocksp: I think you can turn it off on cards. I got one last week for my bedroom and love it. We are a mixed household with 4 alexa and three google home. I’m leaning towards alexa as my preferred ecosystem.

Are you able to expand on "turn it off on cards"?

stocksp

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Reply # 2049941 5-Jul-2018 16:33

You can select which cards come up on the home screen. No sure whether this will turn of that pop up though. Although TBH the worst you will get is it coming up once if you have do not rotate cards on

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