Amazon-Alexa-Family, Retreived from https://www.thisdigitalhome.com/tag/amazon-echo on 7/23/2017.
Introduction
Amazon has released a handy device called “Amazon Echo”. This device allows the user to potentially control their entire home and entertainment systems with just their voice. The echo allows you to pair to other devices via Bluetooth, and using recognizable commands such as “turn off the lights” control your other devices. To activate this device, just speak the word “Alexa” and then technology is available solely through audial means. As time has passed, Amazon has released several new devices to further enhance users’ capabilities with Amazon products. Touch screen, simplified versions, and camera analyzation are all examples of adaptations that Amazon has done to enhance use. Amazon Echo and Echo Dot The Amazon Echo itself is a voice-activated smart assistant that can help people bring organization to their daily tasks, from creating to-do lists, purchasing items for you, answering questions, or even just playing music from your streaming service. In order to do most of these tasks, you have to get the Alexa Home app on your phone and give it access to some of your apps. It is compatible with most music apps like Pandora, Spotify, or iHeartRadio, however, the downside of iHeart radio, is that it only will only play songs from your favorite albums. You can also get your daily news from sources like NPR, Fox News, or CNN. The Echo Dot is a very similar (and much more cost-efficient) device that is much smaller than the regular Echo. It will perform the same tasks, just with a slight downside. The Echo Dot does not have the same built in speaker so getting it to play music can be a bit rough due to the lack of quality of sound. Thanks to its bluetooth compatibility and its audio port, there are a few easy fixes, simply connect it to your Bluetooth speakers, or even your regular speakers with an audio-out cable.You also have the option to hook up your smart-house system to either of these two devices. So then if you have systems like Vivint or Fluent or one of those fancy systems that you can install in your house, you can then ask "Alexa, ask Vivint" to turn off the lights or lock the door for you so that you don't have to get up and do it yourself. There are also a wide-range of "skills" you can download through the Alexa Home app. Want to order pizza? After you've downloaded one of the delivery apps, it's as simple as asking Alexa to order you pizza. Just like any app store, the Home app has a multitude of apps in categories from business/finance, to more novelty things like trivia games or listening to rainforest sounds. One downside to this awesome technology is that if you want to ask Alexa a question, she doesn't use Google to find information, which would give you a lot of information, however, she uses a limited section of Wikipedia to answer limited questions. Top 5 Echo Dot
Echo Look
One of the most unique devices that Amazon offers is the Amazon Echo Look. The Look is a camera with the A.I built in which allows “Alexa” to essentially be your very own fashion consultant. The Look can take photos and videos of your outfits and then can build a personal “lookbook” and then uses machine learning to inform you of what outfits look better on you. It will also recommend new clothes to buy, which can be both an advantage and a nuisance. This item isn’t sold freely just yet, but via requesting an invitation you may have the chance to buy it from them before official release (Wroclawski, 2016).
Echo Show
The Amazon Echo Show is the most recently released Amazon device. A touchscreen and a camera are combined and can sync up with your regular Echo device. This will allow users to make video calls, view their security feeds, or watch videos on services like YouTube. Nathan Ingraham tells of a feature called “Drop In”, which allows the Show to work as a video intercom (activatable at any time) whether the devices are within your home, or separate locations entirely (Ingraham, 2017). This is the next step that Amazon has decided to take to further the home automation capabilities of Echo devices.
Echo Tap
The last “Echo Family” device is the Amazon Tap. The Tap is the Echo’s main features all packed into one portable Bluetooth speaker. Sarah Buhr describes it as “essentially a Bluetooth-enabled portable speaker with built-in WiFI and the Alexa operating system” (Buhr, 2016). Because it is portable, and therefore battery powered, it isn’t always listening like the Echo or the Echo Dot. All you have to do to get it to work is press a microphone button to get it to listen to what you want it to do. There is a way to get it to always listen, but you will lose battery life by having it do this. The downside to the portability is that it does need WIFI, so while away, you will probably need to use your phone as a mobile hotspot.
Summary and Conclusion
Amazon has greatly enhanced people’s ability to control their home, as well as create a clutter-less environment in terms of calendars, to do lists, and shopping lists. The “Echo Family” has a lot to offer for individual needs and you can get those devices to work without having to buy other Amazon products. Whether you want to control your home more, just have a simple assistant for organizing your calendar, or just having a fun speaker, the Echo devices can offer those things for a decent price and as a quality product.
AMAZON ECHO
Introduction
Amazon has released a handy device called “Amazon Echo”. This device allows the user to potentially control their entire home and entertainment systems with just their voice. The echo allows you to pair to other devices via Bluetooth, and using recognizable commands such as “turn off the lights” control your other devices. To activate this device, just speak the word “Alexa” and then technology is available solely through audial means. As time has passed, Amazon has released several new devices to further enhance users’ capabilities with Amazon products. Touch screen, simplified versions, and camera analyzation are all examples of adaptations that Amazon has done to enhance use.Amazon Echo and Echo Dot
The Amazon Echo itself is a voice-activated smart assistant that can help people bring organization to their daily tasks, from creating to-do lists, purchasing items for you, answering questions, or even just playing music from your streaming service. In order to do most of these tasks, you have to get the Alexa Home app on your phone and give it access to some of your apps. It is compatible with most music apps like Pandora, Spotify, or iHeartRadio, however, the downside of iHeart radio, is that it only will only play songs from your favorite albums. You can also get your daily news from sources like NPR, Fox News, or CNN. The Echo Dot is a very similar (and much more cost-efficient) device that is much smaller than the regular Echo. It will perform the same tasks, just with a slight downside. The Echo Dot does not have the same built in speaker so getting it to play music can be a bit rough due to the lack of quality of sound. Thanks to its bluetooth compatibility and its audio port, there are a few easy fixes, simply connect it to your Bluetooth speakers, or even your regular speakers with an audio-out cable.You also have the option to hook up your smart-house system to either of these two devices. So then if you have systems like Vivint or Fluent or one of those fancy systems that you can install in your house, you can then ask "Alexa, ask Vivint" to turn off the lights or lock the door for you so that you don't have to get up and do it yourself. There are also a wide-range of "skills" you can download through the Alexa Home app. Want to order pizza? After you've downloaded one of the delivery apps, it's as simple as asking Alexa to order you pizza. Just like any app store, the Home app has a multitude of apps in categories from business/finance, to more novelty things like trivia games or listening to rainforest sounds. One downside to this awesome technology is that if you want to ask Alexa a question, she doesn't use Google to find information, which would give you a lot of information, however, she uses a limited section of Wikipedia to answer limited questions.
Top 5 Echo Dot
Echo Look
One of the most unique devices that Amazon offers is the Amazon Echo Look. The Look is a camera with the A.I built in which allows “Alexa” to essentially be your very own fashion consultant. The Look can take photos and videos of your outfits and then can build a personal “lookbook” and then uses machine learning to inform you of what outfits look better on you. It will also recommend new clothes to buy, which can be both an advantage and a nuisance. This item isn’t sold freely just yet, but via requesting an invitation you may have the chance to buy it from them before official release (Wroclawski, 2016).Echo Show
The Amazon Echo Show is the most recently released Amazon device. A touchscreen and a camera are combined and can sync up with your regular Echo device. This will allow users to make video calls, view their security feeds, or watch videos on services like YouTube. Nathan Ingraham tells of a feature called “Drop In”, which allows the Show to work as a video intercom (activatable at any time) whether the devices are within your home, or separate locations entirely (Ingraham, 2017). This is the next step that Amazon has decided to take to further the home automation capabilities of Echo devices.Echo Tap
The last “Echo Family” device is the Amazon Tap. The Tap is the Echo’s main features all packed into one portable Bluetooth speaker. Sarah Buhr describes it as “essentially a Bluetooth-enabled portable speaker with built-in WiFI and the Alexa operating system” (Buhr, 2016). Because it is portable, and therefore battery powered, it isn’t always listening like the Echo or the Echo Dot. All you have to do to get it to work is press a microphone button to get it to listen to what you want it to do. There is a way to get it to always listen, but you will lose battery life by having it do this. The downside to the portability is that it does need WIFI, so while away, you will probably need to use your phone as a mobile hotspot.Summary and Conclusion
Amazon has greatly enhanced people’s ability to control their home, as well as create a clutter-less environment in terms of calendars, to do lists, and shopping lists. The “Echo Family” has a lot to offer for individual needs and you can get those devices to work without having to buy other Amazon products. Whether you want to control your home more, just have a simple assistant for organizing your calendar, or just having a fun speaker, the Echo devices can offer those things for a decent price and as a quality product.For more information on the specifics of Echo devices, go to
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=202009700.
Sources
Buhr, S. (2016). Amazon adds the $130 Tap and the $90 Dot to the Echo Family
Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2016/03/03/amazon-adds-the-130-tap-and-the-90-dot-to-the-echo-family/
Ingraham, N. (2017). Amazon’s Echo family can now make calls and send messages.
Retrieved from https://www.engadget.com/2017/05/09/amazon-echo-voice-calls-messages/
Bhaskar, P. (2017). Amazon Echo vs Echo Dot cs Amazon Tap: What's the Difference?
Retrieved from https://www.thisdigitalhome.com/tag/amazon-echo
Wroclawski, D. (2016). Everything that works with Amazon Echo and Alexa
Retrieved from http://smarthome.reviewed.com/features/everything-that-works-with-amazon-echo-alexa