It's a lot of fun at parties. Ask it what it thinks of Siri. It will tell you.
Just sell it and use the money to buy some speakers if that is what you really want. The purpose of the device is to always be listening so it can access the internet and deliver what you asked for.
I haven’t bought an Echo yet but I was researching them and yes, you can stream music to it via Bluetooth. I’m hoping Santa brings us an Echo in a couple weeks, they look like they’re very cool.
I have owned a Echo for over a year and it does not record conversation. It does listen for the command: Alexa.
After the command it will do certain things:
Turn off/on lights (Insteon add On)
Play music/talk radio through I heart radio
Timer
weather.
There are many more options I dont use.
Hope this helps.
I’ve had mine since they first came out. I have a good time with it. It doesn’t do recording that I know of. Later on I’ll ask Alexa if she records things. Do you have the full size version or the new Hocky puck size. I see that Google has just come out with it’s version.
I have the echo and a Sonos speaker.
I use the Sonos with the Amazon Music app and play music.
You could also use the Echo as a music player if you subscribe to Amazon Prime Music by asking Echo to play songs or albums from your Amazon Prime music or playlist.
Have a little fun with it and talk about Al Qaeda, ISIS and explosives. All the voice recognition is done on the servers so Amazon can have a few laughs at your expense too.
We do not use the one I bought anymore because of that reason. Samsung was the first company hit with the “snooping” concern as they recorded everything going on in the background and used it to improve their listening software effectiveness. Alexa, and similar devices, will have the same issue.
It can be run from the Alexa app from smart phones. I liked that better than otherwise trying to control it because it couldn’t “understand” me.
Until they invent one of these machines that makes and delivers me a Martini while I’m on the couch in front of a roaring fire, I don’t want one of those creepy things in my house. ;)
For instance, when I asked who the won the election, it responded that DJT had won and then went on to talk about the popular vote - as if that is a factor.
I do not trust today's technology. Alexis records and saves each and every question you ask it, so be forewarned.
Can I turn off the microphone and just use it as a speaker?Yes. Depress the microphone button on top of the Echo.
Does it work playing music off an iPhone via Bluetooth?Yes. The Echo will create its own private WiFi network with an ID of “Amazon-XXX-YY” during its setup. Pair your iPhone to that network in Bluetooth Settings and you’re good to go.
The devices have buttons that turn them off when you want privacy or simply unplug when not using.
I would not trust the answers it gives. I recently heard a commercial of this “Echo” thing. A person asked the device, “How much does a blue whale weigh”? The answer from “Echo”: “300,000 pounds.”
Not on this planet, no!
I got one shortly after they came out. Love it!! Having actually been snooped on, Alexa doesn’t concern me. I’ve been using it lately to play various people’s Christmas music- Perry Como, Mel Torme, Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis, et al. I’ve used it for ordering from Amazon and taken advantage of a few of the exclusive Alexa deals which were quite good. I also own 3 Fire Sticks and can use the tv voice remote to tell Alexa to do stuff and play music through my new sound bar. I use Alexa now instead of my iPhone for an alarm clock since I can set it by voice from anywhere in the room. I also have some lights controlled by Alexa and wish I had more items attached like the thermostat and sprinklers. I was thinking this morning of ordering an Echo Dot for one of my adult children and that it was the best thing since sliced bread. Also, learning it’s functionality has been aided by weekly emails, “What’s New With Alexa?”
There was a day I’d turn everything off and unplug the phone so I wouldn’t be eavesdropped on, but after having it done for very real, I couldn’t care less now. I’m not plotting anything, it keeps someone employed, albeit perhaps suicidal because my life is so boring and I’m sure there’s bigger fish to fry.
do you use your voice search on your phone? i think this echo is the same kind of thing.
don’t be afraid of it, bro.
I have both the Echo and the Amazon Dot which is tiny but it essentially does the same thing. The Dot is a lot less money. I pair it with my Amazon Bluetooth speaker. The Echo sounds pretty good all by itself but you could use a speaker with it.
Open the f’in box and read the instructions, snowflake.
If you don’t trust the electronics to turn on/off the mic and are handy with a soldering iron, you could open it up and in-line to the mic, wire in a micro-switch. Means you’d have to notch a hole in the case though.
I bought my wife one for Christmas.
I had quite a time getting it to work. I have no cell phone coverage out here in the sticks and just Windows 7 computers. The Alexa app requires either cellphone coverage or Windows 10.
I had to improvise—for a while there I thought I had a brick on my hands. ;-)
(The Amazon help desk was clueless, of course.)
Anyway I did get it to work by using two computers—adding a guest channel to my router configured as Amazon requires (since their proposed settings disabled the computer Internet link!), then connecting one (Internet disabled) computer to the router with an Ethernet cord and turning the other computer into the Wifi receiver.