Amazon Echo

Anniebach please be careful what you buy- I have 3 different ones, the latest being one that plugs in and has no wires. It does not work very well- there are times when I ask it for eg a 50 minute timer and it bleeps after 15 minutes. It also told me one day it did not know what a timer was and another time I asked for the local weather to hear what it was like in some part of eg India.

The other two are really good- one is a Dot- I can't remember what the other one is but it rarely lets me down.

Charleygirl thank you. I find it confusing, so many on
Amazon .

I will look again, at a Dot

Anniebach the little Echo Dot's are good, but the sound is better through the tall Echo as it has a bigger speaker.

I have the Echo with a screen in my kitchen because I like to watch the news and follow YouTube recipe videos if I'm trying out something new.

Thank you MiniMoon, I only want to use it in my living room , I doubt I need a screen.

Didn’t think it would be so confusing ! I am not the brightest
coin in the mint.

Anniebach my Dot is in my bedroom at the other side of my bed and eg last night when I asked for the news I could hardly hear a word so I just asked for the sound to be increased and it was.

Apart from buying whichever machine you choose, please do not be talked into paying for anything else as the majority is free. Just ask one of us but do not part with cash.

Thank you Charleygirl , I couldn’t afford to pay for extras

Anniebach I would wait because I do not think you are desperate- I bought each machine at different times but I did not pay the full amount for any of them. They frequently have money off.

I think it is worth waiting but do not buy the one I mentioned, the plug in wireless one- not enough time was
spent perfecting it before it was put on the shelves.

I wouldn't have one unless my mobility or sight was impaired. They are easy to hack into, along with most other 'Smart' devices. My phone has antivirus software on it. I also did not like the articles I read where some of these devices record your conversations, then send them elsewhere. The only benefit I see for them is they are great for people with certain disabilities.

I'm with you Fiachna, a necessary evil of you have a disability, I am sure they can be very helpful, but why would I not get up to turn the lights on or off, switch on the radio or go and find my iPod to play music, gaining useful exercise in the process.

The more you are connected to the Internet of Things, the more easy you are to hack, and I wouldn't want my conversations being sent to India for helpdesk people to improve their English.

Charleygirl true , I am not desperate, I’m bored , thank you

I really like my Alexa. She’s in most rooms and is really handy. Quite frankly Alexa and my cats are my only company during lockdown.

Mine are mostly used for listening to radio. And a timer sometimes. I find her very useful to find the time when I wake up in the night without having to open my eyes.

I'm glad I read this, I don't think I'll bother getting one.
Did you get one Anniebach?

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Hello Annie
I love Alexa. I've got 5!
Three dots, a big one with a screen and a smaller one with a screen.
If recommend the small one with a screen when it's on offer at half price.
They are so easy to set up aswell (I'm terrible with technology).
They come automatically connected to you Amazon account.
Amazon have them on offer frequency, so don't pay full price unless you want one straight away.
I'm constantly looking at Amazon as I buy everything other than food and clothes from it.
I will pm you next time that they are in offer if you'd like.

Oh no! I've just seen that this is thread is seven months old!

The smaller ones don’t have such a good speaker.
Why not try the dot?
If you love it upgrade.
I started with a dot then got a show.
It has a screen and is great for video calling and displaying photographs.
My Alexa is the best gadget I ever bought.

Thank you all, I bought a Dot, reduced price . only use it in
the living room, very small bungalow!

Now I want to know what ‘a show’ is, I don’t do technology,
just use my iPad .

Thank you for coming back Annie!
Glad you got a good deal.
The Show is just an echo with a screen.

I just got an Echo Show. But when I tried to download the Alexa App I get a message saying its not compatible with my phone, which is a 2016 Samsung smartphone J3. Any advice other than get a new phone anyone?

nadateturbe
What other devices have you got that you could connect through. iPad, but it can't be 'old' Laptop?.
If no, wait 'till you see a good deal for a kindle. Sometimes about £40. You will then be able to get the app and connect.

Petra thanks for replying. I have a new laptop an Honor Magic but it says not compatible when I try to download the Alexa app. I have a 2 year old Kindle. Probably too old as well. I'll have a look again tomorrow. My brain has reached its limit today. Thanks again.

I have the Alexa app on my 5 year old kindle fire. I also have it on my Wileyfox swift 2 android phone.
The Alexa app ought to work with any android phone.
Download it from the Google play store.

The Alexa app is compatible with the following operating systems and software versions:


iOS 11.0+
Android 6.0+
Fire OS 5.3.3+

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