Tag: #amazon #alexa #tech #iot #ireland

Review – Amazon Echo Plus 2nd Gen. #Amazon #IoT #Tech #Alexa

The Amazon Echo Plus (2nd Gen) came in a plain box with all the features clearly visible on the box with the Amazon logo on the box.  Alexa is listed on the packaging which is the key to using the many features on the kit. The Far-field Voice control stood out on the kit. The Echo plus was a  wide cylinder with cloth fabric, This unit came in white colour but available black or grey,. The Echo plus does not look out of place in any room in a house.  The buttons are visible on the top of the unit to manual adjust setting while these are not used much due to the hand’s freespeaker, the 7 dots/holes on the top of the unit are 7 separate microphones. The bottom has a screw socket to allow the speaker to be placed on a tripod stand.

 

Contents:

  • Echo Plus,
  • Power adaptor (30W)
  • Quick Start Guide
  •  

Tech spec:

  • Product Description        Amazon Echo Plus – 2nd Generation – smart speaker
  • Product Type     Smart speaker
  • Features              7 microphones array
  • Localisation         United Kingdom
  • Speaker Type     2-way – active
  • Interfaces           Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
  • Intelligent Assistant Compatible Alexa
  • Streaming Services          Spotify, TuneIn, Amazon Music, Audible
  • Speaker Details Speaker – mono – 2-way – active
  • Colour   Heather grey
  • Dimensions (WxDxH)     9.9 cm x 9.9 cm x 14.8 cm
  • Weight 780 g
  • Manufacturer Warranty 1-year warranty

 

Features:

  • Voice control your music
  • Hands-free calling and messaging
  • Far-field voice recognition
  • Alexa has skills, asking details, control your smart TV,.

 

Setup:

The setup was standard, plug in the Echo device wait for the blue ring which covers the top of the cylinder around 45 seconds. Then the unit is paired with the wifi / smartphone easily and quickly.

Amazon Alexa app:

The Amazon Alexa App is setup using your Amazon account, ( similar to Google Gmail account for Android) The allows personalized feature, including stop-start a resume from previous actions. the app allows control of Alexa-enabled devices, eg smart lights, locks and thermostats at home. The app connected allowed to connect to music services Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio.

Once set up,

Alexa was able to play music, read the news, check weather forecasts, Set alarm to get up, or use as an egg timer, control compatible smart home devices, call anyone with an Echo device, the Alexa App or Skype,. The voice control allows you to ask for any song, artist, or genre from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM, and more, and play music across compatible Echo devices across your home. The option is also available for  Audible, podcasts, radio stations, and more.

Note, The Amazon marketing has got their act together on the physical unit as the unit had no visible mention of Amazon on the unit, but if you ask to play music on the unit. The unit asks to subscribe to Amazon music.

Caution when asking for details of any products for units, Alexa requests “do you want to put it in your basket,”

Smart home experience:

The Echo Plus has a built-in Zigbee hub. The Zigbee is a protocol that talks to smart home devices, allowing connectivity to the  Internet of Things into the Smart Home – connecting and controlling them. A common language ensuring if you have a compatible Zigbee device this should work with the echo plus. ( there are many other protocols compatible with other products e.g. Z-Wave )  Once connected to other products Alexa can control these e.g. turn off the lights etc.

Conclusion:

The setup can be annoying as connected via your Amazon account, the use of the speaker had an annoying habit of asking when searching for a  product, do you want to add this to your basket. This has the potential of accidentally ordering a product. The Echo is always listening pending the Alexa keyword similar to the other voice assistance on your smartphone. The Echo Plus looks and felt friendly with the voice assistant, ( albeit a few variations on the keywords as picked up from different accents  )  the Far-field voice recognition works great, Alexa keyword was spoken across a room and acknowledged with the blue ring of light picking up the command.

The seven microphones, beam-forming technology and noise cancellation worked from any direction even when the music was playing from the unit.  The features of playing a game, e.g. Song quiz is great allowing various decades of music to be chosen with the option to repeat the question which was a real hit with friends. Changing the volumes is a pleasure, asking to increase/decrease volume or requesting volume between 1 and 10, i.e. Alexa set volume to 4 keep the same settings as required. The sound and the base was great with full surround speakers built  in throughout the Echo Plus,

The Echo plus or smart home technology is not going away getting better as time goes on with more products compatible with the products. When looking to purchase any new smart technology, Bulbs. Light switches, etc  it’s worth checking the compatibility eg checking if a compatible zigbee smart home devices. The Amazon Echo Plus 2nd Gen worked great as a hands-freespeaker build in hub allowing control of smart home devices, a pleasure to use.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-new-Echo-Plus-2nd-built/dp/B07952VB6P

Available widely in Ireland

Amazon Announces New Echo Devices in Ireland—New Ways to Add Alexa to Every Room. #Alexa #IoT

Today, Amazon introduced a new line-up of Echo devices, Echo companion devices, and a new Amazon Smart Plug, making it even easier to bring the features and convenience of Alexa to any room in the home. If you have not used something like this you are missing out on tech that makes life much easier around the home they are really great and a popular tech item today and make ideal gifts for the tech partner in your life. I was a bit dubious of this kind of tech in the house but use it still today but there is those whom have security issues but hey just turn em off when not in use.

New Echo devices include:

All-New Echo Dot: The easiest way to bring Alexa into your home, now with a new speaker for louder and crisper sound, an updated fabric design, and still only £49.99. The next-generation Echo Dot features a new fabric design and more powerful sound—and it is still the best way to add Alexa to any room. With an all-new curved shape and fabric finish.

Echo Dot is available in Charcoal, Heather Grey, and Sandstone, letting customers easily mix and match. Echo Dot now has improved sound and a new compact design. Put an Echo Dot in every room to ask for information or for the weather, play your favourite music in a multi-room music grouping, set timers and alarms, and control compatible smart home devices.

 All-New Echo Plus:  Drops in at £139.99.   Just say, “Alexa, discover my devices,” and Echo Plus will automatically discover and setup compatible lights, locks, plugs, switches, and more without the need for additional hubs or apps. Echo Plus now includes an embedded temperature sensor, so you can set temperature-based routines using other smart home devices. For example, when the living room reaches 26 degrees, Alexa can turn on a fan connected to a smart plug.

Echo Plus has a larger 3” Neodymium woofer and increased back volume so that the bass feels stronger and the mids and highs are clearer. It also features an all-new fabric design and is available in Charcoal, Heather Grey, and Sandstone.

All-New Echo Show: An all-new design, upgraded speaker, a stunning 10-inch HD display, and a built-in smart home hub, plus all the glanceable features customers love about Alexa for £219.99.

“Customers tell us they love the convenience of being able to ask Alexa to show them things,” said Jorrit Van der Meulen, Vice President, Amazon Devices International. “Today, we’re making the voice-first, visual Echo Show experience better in every way by adding even more experiences to delight our customers—a dynamic and vivid display makes watching videos even more enjoyable, new speakers for music and music videos, two-way doorbell video calling, simple set-up and control of smart home devices, Skype calling to friends and family, and all-new visual features.” 

The all-new Echo Show is completely redesigned with a vibrant 10-inch HD display that shows colourful, fresh, and compelling visuals. So when you ask Alexa to show you the weather, watch a video or display your shopping list, the experience is even more delightful.  The screen is complemented by dual, side-firing 2-inch Neodymium drivers, a passive bass radiator and Dolby processing to deliver expansive sound with deep, powerful lows and crisp highs, perfect for listening to your favourite music. Just ask to play Amazon Music, Spotify, TuneIn, BBC Radio and more—plus, with Amazon Music see the on-screen lyrics play along with the music.

The Perfect Sous-Chef for your Kitchen

Cooking with Alexa makes the all-new Echo Show even more useful in the kitchen. Simply ask Alexa for step-by-step cooking instructions. Once you have chosen a recipe, say “Alexa, let’s start cooking.” Alexa will then walk you step-by-step through your favourite recipe with visuals; and there is no need to touch the screen with wet or dirty hands from cooking, you can use your voice to cue next steps in the recipe. Enhanced step-by-step cooking is rolling out to UK customers later this year, including improved visuals, the ability to set timers and more recipes.

 

Video Doorbell and Built In Smart Home Hub

Coming later this year, customers will be able to use a new video doorbell integration that works with Ring doorbell cameras. Customers will be able to ask Alexa to play a chime and make an announcement when someone rings their doorbell. When the doorbell rings, just say “Alexa, answer the front door,” to see and talk to whoever is there without having to open the door. You can also use Alexa Routines to play custom announcements when the front door camera detects movement or someone rings the doorbell.

Echo Input:  £34.99. Echo Input lets you add Alexa to your existing speaker. Echo Input connects to your speaker through a 3.5mm audio cable or Bluetooth, and features a four-microphone array so you can talk to Alexa from across the room. Echo Input is just 12.5mm tall, so it blends easily into every room.

Unlike Echo Dot, which has a built-in speaker, all audio is played through the connected speaker rather than through Echo Input itself. When connected to Echo Input, your speaker can be added to a new or existing multi-room music group. Echo Input will be coming later this year and will be available in Black and White.

Echo Sub: Add deep, rich bass to music playback on Echo devices for £119.99. Echo Sub is the first wireless Echo subwoofer for those who want to pump up the bass when listening to music on their existing or new Echo devices. You can connect Echo Sub to compatible Echo devices to create a 1.1 or 2.1 pairing for stereo sound. Plus, with the equaliser feature you can adjust the bass, mid-range, and treble using the Alexa app.

“We want you to have access to Alexa everywhere—in your kitchen, in your living room, in your office, and more,” said Jorrit Van der Meulen, Vice President, Amazon Devices International.“Today, we’re excited to expand the number of ways that customers can add Alexa to their homes, so they can use Alexa to make their lives more convenient and easy.”

Amazon Smart Plug: Control compatible lights, fans, coffee makers, and more for £24.99.

With the Amazon Smart Plug, you can use your voice to control your lights, fans, coffee maker, and more. The Amazon Smart Plug is the first Wi-Fi smart plug to use Wi-Fi simple setup, making it easier to start – and expand – your smart home with connected devices.

 

All you need is an Alexa-enabled device like Echo, Fire TV, Fire Tablet, Sonos One, or even just the Alexa app on your phone to get started. From there, easily set a routine that turns your lights on at 6:00 a.m. and your lights off at 10:00pm; and with multiple Amazon Smart Plugs, you can control multiple outlets.

Availability – Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Echo Sub and Amazon Smart Plug are available for pre-order starting today and will start shipping next month. The new devices announced today join the all-new Echo Show, Echo, and Echo Spot to create the Echo family of devices