
Amazon Echo Spot - VirtualAirwaves
https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-MW46WB-Introducing-Echo-Spot/dp/B073SQYXTW/
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nateguchi
Ah, this reminds me of the Chumby
([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chumby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chumby))
from 2008, I'm sure with voice recognition and video call capabilities, the
Echo is hopefully a bit more useful.

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cptskippy
Does it have a camera? I didn't see it mentioned in the specs or anything
about video calling.

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j79
The Technical Details ([https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-MW46WB-Introducing-Echo-
Spot/d...](https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-MW46WB-Introducing-Echo-
Spot/dp/B073SQYXTW/#tech-specs-desktop)) indicates a "Front Facing Camera".

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mycall
In a bedroom situation, physically disabling might be a good idea, unless your
into those things.

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cptskippy
I'm kind of disappointed that it has a camera because in the bedroom as an
Alarm Clock replacement is the only place I really see such a tiny display as
being of value. The camera is a detractor.

I understand that Amazon wants to push their calling features but they're
really of zero interest to me. Video calling is always a disappointing
experience regardless of who is implementing it. The voice calling that only
calls other Echo devices or POTS using an unknown number is also of little
interest.

Personally I send any calls from numbers I don't know to voicemail, and I know
many people who do the same. I would much rather have Alexa recognize my voice
and use my phone to initiate calls.

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bigethan
The speed of iteration on the Alexa product line is really impressive. Nine
months ago, Alexa and Google Home seemed like two sides of the same coin. But
now it feels like there's almost no comparison, Alexa is gonna do more and get
the skills and features that fit my needs faster.

I'm a Google Home owner, so perhaps it's a case where the grass is always
greener :-)

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mustacheemperor
I'm an Alexa owner, and wish to god the two companies could get along at all.
It feels like I'm punished regardless of the ecosystem I choose - if I use the
Google Home, I miss out on the Alexa product line upgrades and there's no
option comparable to the Dot for sprinkling around my home.

On the other hand, on Alexa I can't say "play fleetwood mac in the living
room" (via chromecast). That single feature is nearly enough to send me to
Google Home, except for the reasons I mentioned above...but I feel hesitant to
stick with Alexa when I know the only reasons it can't do what I want are
stupid.

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_Adam
You can now, multi room audio sync was added recently. I have two Echo's and I
can say "play classical music [everywhere|office|living room]"

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cbhl
But if I want to play a show on my Fire TV Stick, do I still need to use the
Alexa microphone in the remote, or can I talk to my Echo?

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tdburn
I believe you can now use your echo to control the fire tv

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bbgm
That is correct. FireTVs ship with an echo dot bundle now for that reason.

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Zhenya
Two questions:

1) These look like (horrible) renders. Do they not have working ones to show
before announcing?

2) None of the photos show a power cord, are these battery powered or just
trying to make them look "sexier" than they are?

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cbhl
This looks like a AC-powered clock form factor, and quick Amazon searches show
that other AC-powered clocks also do not have power cords in the product
photos.

(In practice, the power cord would run down the back-side of a bedside table.)

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ldonley
Maybe I'm just wearing a foil-helmet, but the presence of a front-facing
camera on an always-on device is concerning to me when there is no real good
reason to have it.

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jonknee
Tape is cheap.

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applecrazy
Not buying is even cheaper.

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ProfessorLayton
I snagged a free Echo Dot when Amazon accidentally had a 100% discount a few
weeks ago (Which they honored!).Its an interesting piece of hardware (I wish I
could say the same of the required setup app).

Ultimately, I'm not too interested in using voice interfaces as they currently
are. I'm not trying to knock the product, I feel the same about Siri and
Google's assistant. Lots of improvements have been made, but its just not for
me yet.

At least it makes a good bluetooth receiver for my car, though it does whine
to me about not having an internet connection at the beginning of every drive.

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maruhan2
100% discount they honored????! wutttttt

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qmarchi
Too bad it won't have YouTube.

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jonknee
Ah yes, for all those times when you want to call up a YouTube video by voice
and watch it on a 2.5" round screen.

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rocktronica
Believe it or not, lots of folks use Youtube as a music player and just waste
the video bandwidth

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jonknee
Amazon Prime comes with a music service...

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qmarchi
So does YouTube Red.

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ben174
I'm thinking this is the answer to the Echo Dot - for the Echo Show lines. The
name makes it pretty obvious, as does the price point.

These actually fill my needs better, since I don't need the fancy speakers and
these look way slicker. The Echo Show is amazingly ugly. And this is a full
$100 cheaper.

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bluthru
This is much more aesthetically pleasing than the Show. I like it: a cute
alarm clock from the future.

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mkempe
What is the quality of the screen? exact circle, resolution, colors? and what
is the angle of the camera?

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lewisj489
Those echo buttons look super fun, I loved Buzz!

