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Kim Pook (101 KP) rated Amazon Fire TV Stick in Tech
Dec 30, 2018
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Generation) in Tech
Nov 4, 2019
Wonderfully useful and functional
I’m one of those people who often takes a while to get into and accept new technology. Not because I’m a technophobe, in fact I’m a massive techie and often the go to person for tech related issues within my family and friends. My issue is that I find a lot of technology is encouraging people to become lazier or become out of touch with basic home skills (like smart ovens or washers, I just don’t get it!). I’ve often lumped smart speakers like the Echo Dot in the same category in that I just didn’t see the point in them when most people still have functioning old school speaker systems. However I can honestly say my mind has definitely been changed for the better on the Echo.
Firstly it looks and feels great. I was expecting a rather flimsy feeling speaker but in fact it feels quite weighty and substantial, and the Sandstone version that I’ve bought looks rather sleek. It stands out and looks good but at the same time isn’t at any time the focal point in a room. The speaker aspect is rather good too and has a decent sound quality. I’ve placed this in my kitchen, as I have a fairly open downstairs and the sound easily reaches the entire floor - I can even speak to Alexa from my living room which is a good 7+ metres away with only a standard sized doorway for sound to reach through. Admittedly I had to mute the TV, but I’m still impressed she can hear me from there! The Echo Dot links up seamlessly with my Spotify account and I’m surprised it plays so well and doesn’t encourage you to try and sign up to Amazon Music instead.
The thing about the Echo Dot is that it isn’t just a glorified speaker and it’s only from owning one that I’ve truly appreciated this. As well as music, Alexa also helps out with so much more like reminders, timers and the weather as well as a whole host of fun features. There are so many fun things you can ask Alexa (google it if you haven’t already), too many to name although one of my favourites is “Alexa, find Chuck Norris”. There’s also the rather sad fact that as I live on my own, Alexa provides a rather welcome conversational partner and definitely less one sided than talking to the cat! I’m also a rather forgetful person, so having the ability to ask Alexa to set reminders when I can’t do something at the time (i.e. remembering to take the bins out when I’m in the middle of making dinner) is a god send. I’m surprised at how well the voice recognition works too. I’ve often experienced issues with voice recognition on mobile phones, because it doesn’t appear to like the northern accent, but Alexa so far has not had any issues. Maybe I need to speak “proper” Northern and see how she reacts...
I love this that much that I’m looking at buying a second Echo Dot for my upstairs so I have full coverage in my house, and can then take advantage of using Alexa as my morning wake up call amongst as well as being able to link both together to act as a multi room speaker system. Fingers crossed I’ll be able to get a bargain during Black Friday in a couple of weeks!
Firstly it looks and feels great. I was expecting a rather flimsy feeling speaker but in fact it feels quite weighty and substantial, and the Sandstone version that I’ve bought looks rather sleek. It stands out and looks good but at the same time isn’t at any time the focal point in a room. The speaker aspect is rather good too and has a decent sound quality. I’ve placed this in my kitchen, as I have a fairly open downstairs and the sound easily reaches the entire floor - I can even speak to Alexa from my living room which is a good 7+ metres away with only a standard sized doorway for sound to reach through. Admittedly I had to mute the TV, but I’m still impressed she can hear me from there! The Echo Dot links up seamlessly with my Spotify account and I’m surprised it plays so well and doesn’t encourage you to try and sign up to Amazon Music instead.
The thing about the Echo Dot is that it isn’t just a glorified speaker and it’s only from owning one that I’ve truly appreciated this. As well as music, Alexa also helps out with so much more like reminders, timers and the weather as well as a whole host of fun features. There are so many fun things you can ask Alexa (google it if you haven’t already), too many to name although one of my favourites is “Alexa, find Chuck Norris”. There’s also the rather sad fact that as I live on my own, Alexa provides a rather welcome conversational partner and definitely less one sided than talking to the cat! I’m also a rather forgetful person, so having the ability to ask Alexa to set reminders when I can’t do something at the time (i.e. remembering to take the bins out when I’m in the middle of making dinner) is a god send. I’m surprised at how well the voice recognition works too. I’ve often experienced issues with voice recognition on mobile phones, because it doesn’t appear to like the northern accent, but Alexa so far has not had any issues. Maybe I need to speak “proper” Northern and see how she reacts...
I love this that much that I’m looking at buying a second Echo Dot for my upstairs so I have full coverage in my house, and can then take advantage of using Alexa as my morning wake up call amongst as well as being able to link both together to act as a multi room speaker system. Fingers crossed I’ll be able to get a bargain during Black Friday in a couple of weeks!
TacoDave (3523 KP) rated Amazon Echo Auto in Tech
Jul 19, 2019
A digital assistant on the go (4 more)
Hands-free calling
Unlimited music
Podcasts
Audiobooks
A cool Alexa device - for your car!
I was chosen to purchase a pre-release version of the Amazon Echo Auto through Amazon's website. It works just like a normal Echo, except it is designed for use in the car.
The mount for the Echo Auto is a strip of thick rubber that sticks to the dashboard and includes a magnet that keeps the Echo firmly in place.
The Echo uses bluetooth to connect to your cell phone, and can connect to your car's speakers via bluetooth or an included aux cable. It is powered by a cigarette lighter plug or USB port.
If you already have Siri or a newer car, you might have some of the Echo's features already. I drive a 2008 minivan, so the Echo actually added tons of abilities that I didn't have access to already.
For example, I can now use the Echo as a hands-free phone device. I've tried it multiple times and the sound quality is great and the person on the other end hears me fine. I can also ask Alexa to navigate to an address and, using Google Maps, hear step-by-step instructions to get where I'm going. And if I'm listening to music or a podcast, it will pause them so I can hear the voice say "In 600 feet, turn left" or whatever. And since I pay $8 a month for Amazon Music Unlimited, I can ask Alexa to play almost any song and it will instantly play in my car.
Not only that, but the "regular" features of Alexa are included. I asked "How many feet are in a mile?" and it answered (correctly). My kids have asked it what certain words mean and have asked it to tell jokes. They can play 20 Questions or Jeopardy while I'm driving. The possibilities are almost endless.
I only have one problem with the Echo Auto: it relies on a cell signal. So when I drove my daughter to camp on Sunday - way out in the middle of nowhere in the woods - I lost cell service and my music cut off suddenly. (I had asked Alexa to shuffle music from Weird Al Yankovic to keep my kids entertained, and we were enjoying it! Plus, I could ask Alexa to play the original version of a song after we heard the parody version so my kids would have context.) I understand that this is a known limitation, and since I live in a major city it won't often be a problem. But I thought I'd mention it for people who might live in places with less cell coverage.
The mount for the Echo Auto is a strip of thick rubber that sticks to the dashboard and includes a magnet that keeps the Echo firmly in place.
The Echo uses bluetooth to connect to your cell phone, and can connect to your car's speakers via bluetooth or an included aux cable. It is powered by a cigarette lighter plug or USB port.
If you already have Siri or a newer car, you might have some of the Echo's features already. I drive a 2008 minivan, so the Echo actually added tons of abilities that I didn't have access to already.
For example, I can now use the Echo as a hands-free phone device. I've tried it multiple times and the sound quality is great and the person on the other end hears me fine. I can also ask Alexa to navigate to an address and, using Google Maps, hear step-by-step instructions to get where I'm going. And if I'm listening to music or a podcast, it will pause them so I can hear the voice say "In 600 feet, turn left" or whatever. And since I pay $8 a month for Amazon Music Unlimited, I can ask Alexa to play almost any song and it will instantly play in my car.
Not only that, but the "regular" features of Alexa are included. I asked "How many feet are in a mile?" and it answered (correctly). My kids have asked it what certain words mean and have asked it to tell jokes. They can play 20 Questions or Jeopardy while I'm driving. The possibilities are almost endless.
I only have one problem with the Echo Auto: it relies on a cell signal. So when I drove my daughter to camp on Sunday - way out in the middle of nowhere in the woods - I lost cell service and my music cut off suddenly. (I had asked Alexa to shuffle music from Weird Al Yankovic to keep my kids entertained, and we were enjoying it! Plus, I could ask Alexa to play the original version of a song after we heard the parody version so my kids would have context.) I understand that this is a known limitation, and since I live in a major city it won't often be a problem. But I thought I'd mention it for people who might live in places with less cell coverage.
Matt Martin (12 KP) rated Google Home in Apps
Sep 18, 2020
Unbeatable
This is my first review here and I chose this because it's my most used and most raved about product. I tell everyone to get this. Philips hue smart lights all over my house RUN THROUGH GOOGLE. Three nest thermostats for my 3 zones in my house RUN THROUGH GOOGLE. The 2 nest hub maxes, 4 nest mini's, 3 nest wifi points, 6 chromecasts all RUN THROUGH GOOGLE. My nest yale locks for my 2 doors, nest home security system with points in every window and door, my nest video doorbell & 4 outdoor cameras all RUN THROUGH GOOGLE. The dozen tp link casa smart plugs I have for everything around the house, the multiple govee light strips behind tvs and furniture all RUN THROUGH GOOGLE. You get the point. When comparing Google to Amazon Alexa I think it's a no brainer. Google is far more user friendly. Google works with everything a lot easier. The routines are amazing. At night instead of walking around my whole house turning everything off, the lights, the tvs, the fan, remembering to lock the door... None of that, just say "shut it down" (or whatever you choose to say) and it does it all for you. In the morning the routines can wake up by a phrase, by sunrise or by time and can play music, then read you the news, then turn on the lights, then make you coffee. Nothing to remember to do everyday. It really does make life so much easier. Hot day and you forgot to turn the Ac's on before you left for work? Don't even trip dawg, just tell Google it's time to go home and it'll turn all that on and give you the estimated time of your commute and then start playing your favorite podcast from where you left off. You can create groups of speakers, so if I tell Google to play Colter Wall downstairs it plays on all 6 downstairs speakers. The things this can do are literally endless. I can't say enough good things about it. If you know your tech especially this is the way to go. Google has become a part of our families everyday life.
Lee (2222 KP) rated Santa Clarita Diet - Season 3 in TV
Apr 7, 2019
I remember watching season 1 of Santa Clarita Diet and wondering after just a few episodes if it would ever make it to another season. Don't get me wrong, I loved the humour and the craziness of the show, but wasn’t sure how they would ever manage to stretch the idea out any further than that. Well, we're now onto season 3 of what has proven to be one of the funniest and most consistently well written shows around right now, with no signs of it slowing down anytime soon.
Season 2 ended on a bit of a cliffhanger with Sheila (Drew Barrymore) and Joel (Timothy Olyphant) getting caught with a re-animated corpse head out in the desert by their cop neighbour Anne (Natalie Morales). At the same time, daughter Abby (Liv Hewson) and their other neighbour’s son Eric (Skyler Gisondo) blowing up a fracking site. It’s the kind of wild predicament which, despite sounding crazy on paper, has become perfectly normal for this show.
Season 3 picks things up with Anne convinced that Sheila has been sent by god to help rid the world of evildoers, and as a church goer herself, she believes she must dedicate herself to helping Sheila. Meanwhile, the kids find themselves having to dodge an FBI agent who has been assigned to the fracking site case. And as for the re-animated head of Gary? Well, after positioning him back in their basement, the Hammonds decide to equip him with a headset and an Alexa so that he can work as an employee for their brand new realty company. Once again, something which sounds crazy on paper, but totally works on the show. And is also very funny as he turns out to be the perfect employee.
Season 3 also begins heavily expanding the world of the show, and the zombie mythology briefly introduced in previous seasons. A group called the Knights of Serbia are out to rid the world of the undead, and there is a mysterious stranger accompanied by a couple of thugs who also seem to have sinister motives for capturing zombies. As if all of that wasn’t enough, Sheila begins putting pressure on Joel to join her in becoming undead!
The pace of the show is what I love about the show. There’s always a family drama, or bigger issue to try and resolve meaning you never get time to be bored. The way that Sheila and Joel tackle everything like it’s something as mundane as changing a blown light bulb is one of the best things about the show and I particularly love Joel and his calmly frustrated comebacks and subtle one liners. Little things - like Joel discovering that there are separate kitchen drawers, with separate utensils for normal cooking and for more gross purposes - are just perfect.
Although this season isn’t quite as funny as last, there are some very funny new characters this time, most notably, Ron, who appeared last season but is newly undead in season 3. The whole season just breezes by, and once again ends on an exciting cliffhanger. Bring on season 4!
Season 2 ended on a bit of a cliffhanger with Sheila (Drew Barrymore) and Joel (Timothy Olyphant) getting caught with a re-animated corpse head out in the desert by their cop neighbour Anne (Natalie Morales). At the same time, daughter Abby (Liv Hewson) and their other neighbour’s son Eric (Skyler Gisondo) blowing up a fracking site. It’s the kind of wild predicament which, despite sounding crazy on paper, has become perfectly normal for this show.
Season 3 picks things up with Anne convinced that Sheila has been sent by god to help rid the world of evildoers, and as a church goer herself, she believes she must dedicate herself to helping Sheila. Meanwhile, the kids find themselves having to dodge an FBI agent who has been assigned to the fracking site case. And as for the re-animated head of Gary? Well, after positioning him back in their basement, the Hammonds decide to equip him with a headset and an Alexa so that he can work as an employee for their brand new realty company. Once again, something which sounds crazy on paper, but totally works on the show. And is also very funny as he turns out to be the perfect employee.
Season 3 also begins heavily expanding the world of the show, and the zombie mythology briefly introduced in previous seasons. A group called the Knights of Serbia are out to rid the world of the undead, and there is a mysterious stranger accompanied by a couple of thugs who also seem to have sinister motives for capturing zombies. As if all of that wasn’t enough, Sheila begins putting pressure on Joel to join her in becoming undead!
The pace of the show is what I love about the show. There’s always a family drama, or bigger issue to try and resolve meaning you never get time to be bored. The way that Sheila and Joel tackle everything like it’s something as mundane as changing a blown light bulb is one of the best things about the show and I particularly love Joel and his calmly frustrated comebacks and subtle one liners. Little things - like Joel discovering that there are separate kitchen drawers, with separate utensils for normal cooking and for more gross purposes - are just perfect.
Although this season isn’t quite as funny as last, there are some very funny new characters this time, most notably, Ron, who appeared last season but is newly undead in season 3. The whole season just breezes by, and once again ends on an exciting cliffhanger. Bring on season 4!