Tag Archives: alexa

What are some hidden Alexa features you can do with Amazon Echo devices?

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Despite being widely popular, Amazon Echo devices and Alexa have several hidden features that many users may not be aware of. Here are some of the most interesting and lesser-known features of Alexa:

  1. Voice training: Alexa can learn your voice and recognize it better over time, which can improve accuracy and responsiveness. To access this feature, go to the Alexa app and select Settings > Device Settings > [Your Echo Device] > Voice Training.
  2. Drop-in: With this feature, you can easily connect with other Echo devices in your home, or even those of friends and family. Simply say “Alexa, drop in on [device name]” to start a conversation.
  3. Alexa Guard: You can set up Alexa Guard to listen for specific sounds, such as smoke alarms or broken glass, and send you a notification if it detects anything unusual. This feature can be used to help keep your home safer.
  4. Alexa routines: You can create custom routines that trigger multiple actions with a single voice command. For example, you could say “Alexa, goodnight” to turn off the lights, lock the doors, and play soft music to help you fall asleep.
  5. Announcements: You can use Alexa to make announcements across all of your Echo devices, such as telling everyone in the house that dinner is ready. Simply say “Alexa, announce [message].”
  6. Follow-up mode: Alexa will continue to listen for five seconds after responding to a request, allowing you to ask additional questions or give follow-up commands without having to repeat the wake word.
  7. Alexa Blueprints: This feature allows you to create custom Alexa skills and responses, so you can personalize your Echo device to fit your specific needs and preferences.

These are just a few examples of the hidden features of Amazon Echo devices and Alexa. By exploring the capabilities of your device and experimenting with different commands, you may discover even more useful and interesting features.

Things you can do with your Amazon Echo devices in 2023

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Amazon Echo devices started the revolution to making your home “smart”. It gave you a new way to access the Internet during a time when everyone was using their phones. Using Alexa through Echo devices allowed you to be free of your hands and interact with lists, messages, calls, reminders, music playlists, shopping lists and much more.

What are some things you can do with Echo devices in 2023 that you may not know about? Here are some.

Amazon Echo devices, powered by the virtual assistant Alexa, offer a wide range of features and capabilities that can make your life easier and more convenient. Here are some cool things you can do with your Amazon Echo devices:

  1. Voice control: You can use your voice to control smart home devices, such as lights, thermostats, and security systems, making it easy to manage your home environment.
  2. Music streaming: You can use Alexa to play music from popular streaming services like Amazon Music, Spotify, and Apple Music, and even ask for songs, playlists, and radio stations.
  3. Hands-free calling and messaging: You can use Alexa to make hands-free calls and send messages to other Echo devices or the Alexa app, allowing you to stay in touch with friends and family.
  4. News and information: Alexa can provide you with the latest news, weather, sports scores, and other information, all with just a voice command.
  5. Home automation: With Alexa, you can create routines and schedules for your smart home devices, so you can automate tasks like turning off lights and locking doors at a set time each day.
  6. Skill integration: Alexa has thousands of skills, or third-party apps, that can be added to your device to enhance its functionality. From ordering a pizza to booking a ride, Alexa can help you perform a variety of tasks.
  7. Entertainment: You can use Alexa to play games, like trivia and Jeopardy, or to listen to audiobooks, podcasts, and other audio content.

These are just a few examples of the many things you can do with your Amazon Echo device. As the Alexa platform continues to evolve and expand, you can expect even more capabilities and features in the future.

Is Alexa getting worse?

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“Alexa, what time is it?”

“Alexa, add sugar to the shopping list.”

“Alexa read my calendar.”

These commands use to be a staple at our household. Our family jumped on the Amazon Echo craze buying multiple Echo’s and Echo dots that covered nearly every room. The Alexa app graced our phones where we shared shopping lists. We frequently used announcements to get someone’s attention as it would generate across the home.

However, and noticeably, summoning Alexa became more laborious. We could ask the same question only to yield the wrong answer. We would frequently get the annoying, “By the way..” suggestions to be met by our entire family yelling for it to “STOP!” So what happened? Is Alexa getting worse?

It’s subjective to say whether Alexa is getting worse or not, as opinions can vary greatly depending on personal experiences and individual preferences. However, some reasons why some people might feel that Alexa has become less effective or useful include:

  1. Increased competition: With the growing popularity of smart speakers, there are now many competitors in the market offering similar features and capabilities as Alexa. This increased competition could be leading to a perceived decrease in Alexa’s effectiveness as users compare it to other devices.
  2. User errors: Alexa relies on voice commands, which can sometimes be misinterpreted, leading to incorrect responses or actions. This can result in frustration for users who expect Alexa to perform accurately.
  3. Technical issues: Like any technology, Alexa can experience technical glitches that affect its performance. For example, connectivity issues with the internet or other devices can lead to slower responses or incorrect responses.
  4. Privacy concerns: With the increasing use of smart speakers, there have been growing concerns about privacy and data security. Some users may feel that Alexa is not as secure as they would like, which could negatively impact their overall experience.

It’s important to note that while some users may feel that Alexa is getting worse, many others continue to have a positive experience with the device. Amazon is actively working to improve Alexa and add new features and capabilities, so it’s possible that the perception of Alexa will change over time.

Could it be that Amazon has finally realized that it’s line of Echo devices will not help them make more money? Maybe the divested in its infrastructure and as a result, the responses are not subpar.

What do you think?

Current state of Amazon Echo Devices

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The Amazon Echo line of smart speakers has been one of the leading products in the rapidly growing smart home market. The devices, powered by Amazon’s virtual assistant, Alexa, allow users to interact with their homes using voice commands to play music, control smart devices, make calls, and access information.

Since the first Amazon Echo was introduced in 2014, the company has released several new models and updates to its line of smart speakers, with each iteration offering improved sound quality, enhanced functionality, and new features. The current state of Amazon Echo devices is one of continued innovation and growth.

One of the latest additions to the Amazon Echo lineup is the Echo Show 10. This device features a 10-inch screen that rotates to follow you as you move around the room, making it ideal for video calls, watching videos, and viewing visual information from Alexa. It also has improved sound quality and the ability to control other smart home devices, making it an even more versatile addition to the smart home ecosystem.

Another recent addition to the Amazon Echo lineup is the Echo Dot with clock. As the name suggests, this device is a smaller, more compact version of the Echo Dot that features a built-in clock, making it ideal for use in bedrooms or other areas where a clock is needed.

In addition to new devices, Amazon has also made significant upgrades to its existing line of Echo devices. The latest Echo Dot, for example, features improved sound quality and a new, rounded design that makes it easier to use and a more attractive addition to any room.

Finally, Amazon has also been expanding the capabilities of Alexa, making it even more useful for managing and controlling smart home devices. With the addition of new skills and integrations, Alexa can now perform an even wider range of tasks, making it an indispensable tool for smart home enthusiasts.

In conclusion, the current state of Amazon Echo devices is one of continued innovation and growth. With new devices, improved functionality, and enhanced capabilities, Alexa and the Amazon Echo line of smart speakers are well-positioned to remain leaders in the smart home market for years to come.

Which is better – Amazon Echo 1st or 2nd

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A few months ago, I jumped on a great deal where I could score a 2nd Gen Amazon Echo for just $20 but there was a catch. The catch was that I had to trade in my 1st Gen Echo. On the surface, it made sense as my 1st Gen Echo was purchased on April 9, 2016 so it was coming up 3 years of its use. I did some slight reading on the comparison between the 1st and 2nd gen on the Amazon product site.

Below is from the Amazon product page also noting when I made the purchase #ad.

The 2nd Gen was much more aesthetically pleasing and modern chic looking. You could put different skins on it to make it coordinate your home better.

The height was smaller compared to 1st gen so it didn’t stand out as much. The volume control was no longer a rotating dial, something I miss, but by means of + and – buttons similar to the echo dot.

Below shows the technical details and the innards of the 2nd gen echo #ad.

It touted improved mic, speakers and subwoofers. However, my experience with the mic has been subpar. With my 1st gen, the success rate of summoning Alexa was very high. I don’t recall many instances where I had to repeat myself or feel like I am yelling over background noise to get the 1st gen echo to wake. With the 2nd gen, we’re constantly having to repeat ourselves. I’ve opened a ticket and worked with Amazon technical support and did different things such as factory reset and received a new echo but the issue remains.

Between 1st and 2nd Gen, the 2nd gen has an edge over its appearance but the 1st gen performs better overall.

The 2nd Gen is available at $99.99 on Amazon.com and 1st gen is available through Amazon warehouse deals for just under $70 per below #ad.

The Alexa Voice Remote (2nd Gen) now works with Fire TV Cube

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This is the remote that should have shipped with the Fire TV Cube. Amazon recently announced a new remote that supports power and volume on Fire TV Cube.

This way you can now control your TV’s power and volume using your Alexa Voice Remote. This comes in handy as our experience with using the Fire TV Cube has been mixed. There are times when voice commands work flawlessly but times where it doesn’t hear or react to the action word.

If you order the Fire TV Cube now, Amazon will now send the new generation Alexa Voice Remote which has the power button. But if you are like me who ordered the Fire TV Cube early, you will need to buy the new remote which is now available for $29.99..

Amazon also has a page dedicated to help you set up your Alexa Voice Remote – https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=G47P2QLV6DKLKA6P

How to disable Alexa calling and messaging

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This past week, there was an alarming incident reported where a family from Portland’s private conversation was sent to a contact through Alexa. Amazon acknowledged the gaffe and claimed that it was due to an unusual sequence of events where Alexa thought it was summoned to send a recorded message to a contact stored within the family’s Alexa account.

Amazon provided this statement:

“Echo woke up due to a word in background conversation sounding like “Alexa.” Then, the subsequent conversation was heard as a “send message” request. At which point, Alexa said out loud “To whom?” At which point, the background conversation was interpreted as a name in the customers contact list. Alexa then asked out loud, “[contact name], right?” Alexa then interpreted background conversation as “right”. As unlikely as this string of events is, we are evaluating options to make this case even less likely.”

I am not surprised this happened. In my family, we have had numerous incidents where our Echo or Echo Dot was awakened by something we said even though we don’t recall saying the wake up word.

As an avid Alexa user, I’ve signed up for Alexa Calling & Messaging and only tried it out a few times. It was not a very useful feature as I had mistakenly called a known and even unknown person! My kids tried to reach me by calling, “daddy” through our Echo but it called my friend Debbie. Another time I tried to reach “home” by calling through my Alexa app hoping to reach my kids on my Echo but it called someone random. Till this day, I don’t know who that person was as I don’t have anyone in my contacts list with just “home” on it.

I then searched all over my Alexa app to see how I could disable Alexa Calling & Messaging. I looked through settings, I could only find drop in settings which I already had disabled. Then I realized that I couldn’t completely disable this feature nor could I remove contacts already uploaded to the Amazon server!

When searching Amazon help, this is what they offer:

Add and Edit Your Contacts to the Alexa App

Sync your contacts to the Alexa app to communicate with friends and family using Alexa Calling and Messaging.

To add or edit contacts for Alexa Calling and Messaging, update your phone’s local   address book and then open the Alexa app. Contacts from your address book who also use Alexa Calling and Messaging automatically appear in your “Contacts” list in the Alexa app, with the same names from your address book.

If you have multiple members within your household, your Alexa contacts are shared across all devices registered to that account. However, in the Alexa app you can only start conversations with your Alexa contacts.

That’s not good enough.

If you want to completely remove yourself from this service and have contacts removed, follow these instructions:

  1. Contact Amazon Help

You will be asked to sign into your Amazon account.

After signing in, navigate to

-> Devices

-> My device or app is not shown

-> Select your issue as ‘Echo & Alexa’

-> Select, ‘Account & Settings’

Note: If you access the contact us page via your computer, you will only have access to chat or receive a call. If you access the contact us page via your phone or tablet, you will have the option to email customer support.

In your message or chat, state the following:

“I want to delete my contacts from my Alexa account and disable Alexa Calling & Messaging feature.”

It should take them a day to respond to your email or immediately if you are using the chat / phone support.

After the confirmation, log onto your Alexa app and it will prompt you to re-register for Alexa Calling & Messaging service which confirms the service is no longer on your account.

Sizzling Deal, Echo Dot for $29.99!

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This is the best deal for an Amazon Echo dot or Echo. Amazon sent out an email for black friday where you can get $10 gift card when you order from Alexa’s Best Deals. Order anything on the list over $20 through Alexa and get $10 gift card. The 2nd Gen Echo dot is currently on sale for $39.99. With the $10 Amazon credit if you order through Alexa, the price comes down to $29.99! Compare that with original price of $49.99, it is 40% off!

To see the full list of qualifying Alexa’s Best Deals, click here or the below link.

alexa-10-off

alexa-echo-dot

You can also purchase the Amazon Echo for a low $139.99. With the gift card, it will bring down the price to $129.99 which is almost 30% off. But you will need an Alexa enabled device to purchase it. You should be able to make the purchase through your Alexa enabled Fire TV controller. Give it a shot!

alexa-echo-deal

Difference between Fire TV Stick and Chromecast Ultra

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chromecast-ultra-1Google announced their latest streaming device, the Chromecast Ultra. Chromecast Ultra is the next step to Chromecast where you can simply plug the device into the HDMI port and cast content from the Internet. While the Fire TV Stick is a good competitor to Chromecast, Chromecast has a slight edge in terms of featured content. A lot of apps support Chromecast and even some TV’s have Google’s Casting built in such as Vizio‘s Smartcast. With Chromecast, you can cast content from Youtube and from a Chrome browser. Neat!

What Chromecast distinguished itself apart from the Fire TV Stick is the capability to stream in 4K Ultra HD / HDR. For Amazon, only the Fire TV has this capability.

Amazon’s Fire TV and Fire TV Stick’s advantage is its access to Prime videos and its library. Amazon also has more 4K content as well as exclusive content. Google Play is lacking in this area.

Both have mirroring capabilities from their respective phones but Google may have a slight edge over the ease of use.

At this event, Google also announced Google Home which has its AI, Google Assistant, which will seamlessly integrate information from various Google apps from calendar, maps, traffic, and location to give you information such as news and weather. Although Amazon’s Alexa is amazing, it doesn’t compare to the integrated offering that Google can offer. This is when the Fire phone’s failure is coming to bite Amazon.

Chromecast Ultra Amazon Fire TV Stick – Gen 2 Amazon Fire TV – 2nd Gen
Launched Nov. 2016 Sep-16 Dec. 2015
Price $69 $39.99 $99.99
HD Type All up to 4K, Ultra HD, HDR Up to 1080p – 60hz up to 2160p 4K – 30Hz
Chip CPU Marvell Armada 1500 Mni Plus Mediatek 8127D
Quad-core ARM 1.3Ghz		 MediaTek 8173C
Quad-core ARM Cortex A72 (2x2Ghz, 2×1.6Ghz)
RAM 512mb 1GB 2GB
Storage 256mb 8GB 8GB
Connectivity HDMI, Wifi, Ethernet (adopter) Bluetooth 4.1, Micro USB, HDMI, WiFi Bluetooth 4.1, Micro USB, HDMI, WiFi, Ethernet, Dolby
Dimension 52x52x13.5mm 86x30x12.6mm 115x115x17.8mm
Weight 40g 32g 270g
Remote No Yes Yes

Trigger Alexa with Fire TV remote

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fire tv remote alexaIn May, Amazon enable Alexa on its Fire TV remote. This allowed Fire TV owners to use Alexa as you had an Amazon Echo. If you already have an Echo, then this would not be foreign to you.

Movies / TV
With Alexa, you can trigger it to control a movie. You can ask Alexa to play a movie, TV show. It will also search from your active add-on subscriptions as well as third party apps. You can also use it to trigger a certain app.

Examples:
Play the movie [title]
Start playing the TV show [title]
Launch the app [title]
Open the [title] app

Music
You can also trigger music you have on your Prime Music library to simply listen to one of the Prime stations. You can rate a song by saying you like it or do not like the song. This will help Alexa rate the type of song it chooses for you. You can completely skip songs or rewind but cannot fast forward or rewind or change volume. Bummer. This is possible with Echo.

Audible and eBooks
Through Alexa, you can use your Fire TV to read eligible Kindle books in your library. You can even see the title and book cover on your TV. Neat!

News Flash Briefing
One great feature I love with Alexa is that you can ask her to read you the news flash. Go into the Alexa app and select your news source. You can select national, international, local news, sports, and weather source / location. All you say is “Alexa, What’s my news flash?” or “Alexa, Whats my flash briefing?” and it will read a 5-10 min briefing of the latest news from what you selected. I use it when I sit down and enjoy my breakfast. You can also set up your commute location and it’ll give you the congestion condition!

Shopping
No surprise to anyone, you can use Alexa to buy things on Amazon. It is a bit clumsy as you need to know the exact item you are interested in buying in order to buy through Alexa. If you ask Alexa to buy something, it will select the top result for that category and display the item. It is a bit easier to re-order something if it is something you have purchased in the past such as detergent, razor blades, diapers for example.

Weather / Traffic
Asking Alexa for the weather is also another one of my favorites. My kids use this almost every day to determine if they can wear shorts for the day! I don’t use the traffic much as I don’t commute to an office 🙂

Q&A / Jokes
This is kind of an easter egg hunt. You can ask “Alexa, how are you doing today?” or “Alexa, good morning” and she will read back a quote or a comment.

Wikipedia
Alexa also has access to a database of facts. You can ask how far you are to say New York city, ask for conversion such as cooking, time zone, and more. You can ask celebrities or athlete’s age!

Lists (To do / Shopping)
Alexa can aggregate shopping list and to do list. You can use it as a personal assistant to remind you to do something and check it on your Fire TV or on your app later. You can also have Alexa read out your shopping or to do list using your remote.

There are much much more features which you can do with sports scores, movie info, local search, and some features which are voice only where nothing will display on your Fire TV. For all features, check out:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201859020