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Do you have an Amazon echo?

MaggieD

MaggieD

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OMG! I use my Echo for music (great speakers btw), weather, NPR news and other stations, radio programs, Wikipedia, fast facts, etc., etc. it’s connected to the Cloud, and with Amazon Prime, if you have that, there’s thousands of songs, books, mood music, whatever available free.

I just found out they’ve added a new skill. It now automatically connects to your cellphone and makes free calls from your contacts list. The effect is an awesome speaker phone. “Alexa, call Marena Cell.” Boom!

i also just downloaded a free ap from Google Store called TrackR. Free. “Alexa, find my phone.” It will give me the last address location for it. “Do you want me to ring your phone?” “Yes.” And it will continue ringing your phone with a distinctive ring tone until you tell it to stop.

OMG! No setup. It just does it. I am amazed. I’d already bought two extensions for the main Alexa called Amazon Dots. $40 each. I have one in the kitchen and one in my bedroom in addition to the main one in the living room. Now I have a high quality speakerphone in all those rooms without having my cellphone.

Simply amazing.
 
Nope, doesn't work outside the US. Besides Google Assistant does the same thing and it is built into my phone.
 
MaggieD said:
OMG! I use my Echo for music (great speakers btw), weather, NPR news and other stations, radio programs, Wikipedia, fast facts, etc., etc. it’s connected to the Cloud, and with Amazon Prime, if you have that, there’s thousands of songs, books, mood music, whatever available free.

I just found out they’ve added a new skill. It now automatically connects to your cellphone and makes free calls from your contacts list. The effect is an awesome speaker phone. “Alexa, call Marena Cell.” Boom!

i also just downloaded a free ap from Google Store called TrackR. Free. “Alexa, find my phone.” It will give me the last address location for it. “Do you want me to ring your phone?” “Yes.” And it will continue ringing your phone with a distinctive ring tone until you tell it to stop.

OMG! No setup. It just does it. I am amazed. I’d already bought two extensions for the main Alexa called Amazon Dots. $40 each. I have one in the kitchen and one in my bedroom in addition to the main one in the living room. Now I have a high quality speakerphone in all those rooms without having my cellphone.

Simply amazing.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking of getting one and your post makes me want one even more. There are smart plugs you can use with the Echo that allow you to activate appliances from your smart phone or by telling Alexa.

I really like what you've said.

Thanks.
 
Carjosse said:
Nope, doesn't work outside the US. Besides Google Assistant does the same thing and it is built into my phone.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it’s not the same thing. Don’t need my phone. Free calls.
 
The dark side of Amazon echo?

  1. [h=2]Police seek Amazon Echo data in murder case - Engadget[/h]https://Engadget/2016/12/27/amazon-echo-audio-data-murder-case
    Amazon's Echo devices and its virtual ... and I have a big problem that law enforcement can use the technology ... An Amazon spokesperson gave Engadget the ...

Click to expand...

Not to mention that you have a device in your house that could potentially record everything, and transmit it to Amazon for data mining and storage.

Err. Thanks, but no. Not for me.
 
eohrnberger said:
The dark side of Amazon echo?



Not to mention that you have a device in your house that could potentially record everything, and transmit it to Amazon for data mining and storage.

Err. Thanks, but no. Not for me.
Click to expand...

Not potentially recording everything. It DOES record everything. The question is how long does it store it. GPS tracks you everywhere as well. Just as an aside. I don’t have any problem with any of that.
 
MaggieD said:
Not potentially recording everything. It DOES record everything. The question is how long does it store it. GPS tracks you everywhere as well. Just as an aside. I don’t have any problem with any of that.
Click to expand...

Hey Maggie. Well to each their own, I guess.

But I put it to you: Do you want a big brother always knowing where you are?
Every word that you'd spoken to your echo?
Every work spoken within earshot of echo?

To me, that just feels really creepy.
 
I use mine every day as radio and alarm clock and to turn and off lights. Love it. By
 
eohrnberger said:
The dark side of Amazon echo?



Not to mention that you have a device in your house that could potentially record everything, and transmit it to Amazon for data mining and storage.

Err. Thanks, but no. Not for me.
Click to expand...

I love Amazon and am a prime member but I agree. Too much for me too. Listening and reading through my laptop, tablet and phone is enough.
 
Hari Seldon said:
I love Amazon and am a prime member but I agree. Too much for me too. Listening and reading through my laptop, tablet and phone is enough.
Click to expand...

Agreed.

Noticed that my phone started asking me to rate places that I've been after I've been to them. Not sure that I like that all that much either.
 
On this privacy issue, seriously, if you are embarrised at what you do, then why do you do it (not targeting anyone in particular with this)? And the creepy internet stuff where they track what we do, it's used to provide us with better information, such as advertisments for the types of products that interest us, instead of advertisments for tampons (unless tampons interest you of course).

Even news is being targeted now, news sites are sending different screens to different people, based upon location, observed preferences, etc. So if I am interested in McDonalds, these sites are sending me information about McDonalds (or whatever interests me) instead of Burger King (or whatever disinterests me).

Heck, even ESPN knows who my favorite teams are, and what sports I follow and ESPN puts stories about those topics front and center on their website (when it recognizes who I am via ip address, logging in, cookies, or whatever).

This isn't entirely a bad thing, I can get more information which interests me in less time.
 
MaggieD said:
OMG! I use my Echo for music (great speakers btw), weather, NPR news and other stations, radio programs, Wikipedia, fast facts, etc., etc. it’s connected to the Cloud, and with Amazon Prime, if you have that, there’s thousands of songs, books, mood music, whatever available free.

I just found out they’ve added a new skill. It now automatically connects to your cellphone and makes free calls from your contacts list. The effect is an awesome speaker phone. “Alexa, call Marena Cell.” Boom!

i also just downloaded a free ap from Google Store called TrackR. Free. “Alexa, find my phone.” It will give me the last address location for it. “Do you want me to ring your phone?” “Yes.” And it will continue ringing your phone with a distinctive ring tone until you tell it to stop.

OMG! No setup. It just does it. I am amazed. I’d already bought two extensions for the main Alexa called Amazon Dots. $40 each. I have one in the kitchen and one in my bedroom in addition to the main one in the living room. Now I have a high quality speakerphone in all those rooms without having my cellphone.

Simply amazing.
Click to expand...

This kind of thing scares the hell out of me. Last week my TV downloaded some kind of voice recognition enhancement thing. I really don't know what it does or how to use it but now, whenever I'm in the den, I'm really, really quiet.
 
Lutherf said:
This kind of thing scares the hell out of me. Last week my TV downloaded some kind of voice recognition enhancement thing. I really don't know what it does or how to use it but now, whenever I'm in the den, I'm really, really quiet.
Click to expand...

:lamo
 
imagep said:
On this privacy issue, seriously, if you are embarrised at what you do, then why do you do it (not targeting anyone in particular with this)? And the creepy internet stuff where they track what we do, it's used to provide us with better information, such as advertisments for the types of products that interest us, instead of advertisments for tampons (unless tampons interest you of course).

Even news is being targeted now, news sites are sending different screens to different people, based upon location, observed preferences, etc. So if I am interested in McDonalds, these sites are sending me information about McDonalds (or whatever interests me) instead of Burger King (or whatever disinterests me).

Heck, even ESPN knows who my favorite teams are, and what sports I follow and ESPN puts stories about those topics front and center on their website (when it recognizes who I am via ip address, logging in, cookies, or whatever).

This isn't entirely a bad thing, I can get more information which interests me in less time.
Click to expand...

It’s 1985. Just took us until 2017 to get there.

OMG. Interesting quote from the book.

The main trend to which he is referring is the expanding power of trade unions. In the hypothetical 1985 envisioned in the book, the trade unions have become so powerful that they exert full control over society; unions exist for every imaginable occupation. Unions start strikes with little reason and a strike by one union usually turns into a general strike.

Another major theme of the novella is the rise of Islam as a major cultural and political force in Britain, due to large-scale immigration from the Middle East; London abounds with mosques and rich Arabs.
Click to expand...

Just FYI, 1984 was the original Orwell book. 1985 was the sequel.
 
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