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I just received and yesterday set up my new Echo 2nd Generation ("Echo 2"). Until a co-worker sung its (the Echo 1's) praises, I thought this an unnecessary product. But hearing her and seeing it in action compelled me to purchase one immediately (I actually bought the discounted 3-pack to give the others as gifts). I could not be more pleased with my Echo 2. First off, setup took merely a few minutes with the app walking me through everything. Secondly, Alexa can hear me anywhere in my (modestly-sized) house. I tested her behind closed doors and understandably she cannot hear me under those conditions. She is otherwise placed in the middle of my home and I barely raise my voice when I am talking to her from the far reaches of my house. Beautiful! I have come to learn what questions she can reasonably answer, and what abstract questions she could not be expected to answer. If you're realistic, you'll get almost all of your queries answered by her. My co-worker had a new Dot and showed me that it could make calls! I told her to call her desk phone and she said, "Alexa, call [her 10-digit number]," and it rang immediately! I then realized this was much more than a gimmick and knew it could be used in emergency situations when your cell phone may not be available to you, or if you've fallen or been hurt. That's what convinced me to get mine (and a few others).
I've only had her for a day or so, but am forever impressed with the answers she gives, jokes she'll tell, and the fact that I can call people in my contacts list (or a separate phone number I dictate), or simply set a timer, without doing anything more than flapping my lips! I also have her connected to my Pandora music account. Even though I regularly listen to rock music on it through my desktop and high-end audio setup, I find often intone, “Alexa, play Classical Radio,” and am treated to soothing OLD old-school music throughout my home. While the sound I get out her obviously doesn’t compare to that of my 100W/channel stereo system, it is EXTREMELY impressive just the same. Volume levels are 1-10 and anything over 7 is actually too loud and unnecessary. In any event, the sound is and can go way beyond what you would consider reasonable background music; and it is crystal clear and sonically beautiful. I simply didn't expect it from this seemingly small and simple device. I've since been viewing YouTube videos on all she can do and am seriously contemplating automating the lights in my home with a Hue or WeMo setup. It appears I can do this for an initial cash outlay of maybe $100-$150.
The Echo 2 is much more than a general "assistant" and I can't believe I've waited this long to buy one. I am 100% unequivocally pleased and know that I've only scratched the surface of what she can do. ALSO, I do believe I'm going to purchase one or two of the "lesser" Dots, just to keep one next to my recliner in my living room (on one side of my house), and my nightstand (on the other side of my house). Yes, I've said my single Echo 2 can hear everything, but I dunno, at two for a C-note, I kind of like the idea of having information I can request and receive at a whisper right next to me too (and I MIGHT even put one in my car, tethering it to my unlimited data smartphone). Yes, I guess this all makes me lazy with all the service and convenience, but you know what, I'm going to have to say that I'm worth it. At $100 for a single Echo 2 (I understand the Echo 1 first went for $200, then $179), for this wondrous device that will literally change your life -- this is a complete no brainer. I guarantee you will love it too!
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Make your Echo, Echo Dot, or Echo Plus just for kids at no extra charge by enabling Amazon FreeTime in the Alexa app. Automatically filter explicit songs, add approved contacts, set time limits, or review activity with easy-to-use parental controls in the Amazon Parent Dashboard. With an Amazon FreeTime Unlimited subscription (starting at $2.99 per month), your kids can access over 1,000 Audible books, premium kids skills from brands like Disney and Nickelodeon, ad-free radio stations and playlists, and more. |
Customers say
Customers find the Echo speaker has excellent sound quality and is easy to set up and use. Moreover, they appreciate its functionality, with Alexa working great and making home automation a breeze. Additionally, the device is fun to interact with, particularly through Alexa, and customers find it makes their lives easier. They also like its appearance and consider it worth the price.
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13197 customers mention sound quality, 11839 positive, 1358 negative
Great sound for such a small device. We are impressed with all it can do. I especially love being able to play songs from my playlist on Amazon Music.Read more
...have a parent or friend who is bedridden buy this for them... the sound is great.... no need for old stereo equipment anymore..... makes life easy...Read more
Alexa is cool! She sounds great, is teachable intelligence per user need, and has more features than I will ever competently use. Love her!Read more
I like the sound quality. It is great. But I thought it would do more than it actually does. I wish I could return it but the return window is closed.Read more
6949 customers mention quality, 6645 positive, 304 negative
Great product. Works well. Easy to use and set up. Easy to connect and integrate with other Amazon electronics. Looks nice (very universal in design).Read more
This is a great device. Setup is easy... you need ur wifi credentials and ur amazon credentials. Great music player for calm radio, Spotify and more.Read more
Good product. Hindsight being what it is, I should have just purchased the Echo Plus, with the Home Hub. But, this one works properly, sounds good....Read more
It is an excellent product, the voice of Alexa and all the functions that it has are incredible, the sound is spectacular, I recommend it totally.Read more
5720 customers mention functionality, 5074 positive, 646 negative
Maybe one of the best purchases I ever made. It works great and does so many things to make life easier. Tons of skills to help with everyday things.Read more
Great product. Works well. Easy to use and set up. Easy to connect and integrate with other Amazon electronics. Looks nice (very universal in design).Read more
Easy set up works very well with Jinvoo Smart plugs and Hue lights. The music is first rate speakers are great.Still learning everything it can do....Read more
Best speaker I ever had, I use it every day and works perfectly, I use it on things I thought I would never use, like set an alarm or call friends,...Read more
3876 customers mention setup, 3258 positive, 618 negative
Excellent addition to the entertainment room. Easy to set up and start using it. All sorts of fun and educational games for kids. Buyers remorse free!Read more
Easy set up works very well with Jinvoo Smart plugs and Hue lights. The music is first rate speakers are great.Still learning everything it can do....Read more
Easy setup. Compatible with my iPhone and easy installation with smart plugs and numerous skills that I can use in my house. So far no complaints.Read more
This works great for me. Very easy to set up. I particularly like playing music especially when I am preparing dinner. Get the latest weather report....Read more
2875 customers mention fun, 2858 positive, 17 negative
I love my echo so much! She’s fun, she’s sassy, she’s smart ... she tells me the weather, she plays Lana Del Rey on demand. How could I not love her!?Read more
So far it's been fun to use but I've had a hard time moving my own music into the Amazon Cloud Player so that I can listen to my own music through it...Read more
More than I expected and lots of fun. As soon as my husband stops calling her "Alexis", I'm sure it will be even better! (SNL?)Read more
I love my Echo! It is so much fun and I love getting emails with different skills to try that I didn't know Alexa knew. I use it pretty much daily....Read more
2617 customers mention ease of use, 2425 positive, 192 negative
We love this device! It is easy to use (I am not a techie) and you can give it as much or little access to your contacts as you are comfortable with...Read more
...I also have a few airplay2 systems around the house. I like the ease of use (using voice to play music) and I got it on prime day so you just can...Read more
...She’s easy, quick, and always has a good answer. Ha ha ha. She can’t even understand my three, four, and 8 year-olds. Definitely a good investment.Read more
Very intuitive and user friendly. Totally worth it. Even my 2 yr uses it to scream "Alexa-play Moanna" and it recognizes her voice....Read more
2422 customers mention appearance, 2382 positive, 40 negative
Looks great and works awesome! I didn’t realize that there wasn’t a battery in this so it has to stay plugged in but that’s probably my fault....Read more
Favorite is Alexis make the sound of rain...nice and relaxing. So many different commands and funny little games to play with this machine....Read more
Very nice. Newer technology. At least even though alexa is not perfect, it is all in the cloud so it should get better and better as time goes on....Read more
Looks good and was not difficult to set up and link with our other echo devices. It has only been up and running for a few weeks but so far so good.Read more
2310 customers mention value for money, 1960 positive, 350 negative
Great speaker for a great price! Love everything about it. Sometimes doesn’t understand when it’s set to the Spanish mode but overall great speaker....Read more
...one right here will put a dot out of business is most definitely worth the money the quality of sound how Voice is the best and most definitely...Read more
...play music.... However, coupled with the dictation feature, it's a great value. As you can tell, I primarily use my echo to stream music....Read more
...We haven't even begun to use all of the features; it was worth every penny. Went to order another for the kitchen but the price is $30. more now....Read more
Amazon, What Is Up With Customer Service??????? UPDATE
I have paid to be a Prime member for many years, and felt dissed this year when Amazon announced that EVERYONE, Prime or not, would be getting free shipping until Christmas. So what am I paying money for? But I kept silent. However, I feel dissed again at my purchase of an Echo, 2nd Gen. I love the Echo's quality and Alexa is so very cool. I've only had her a couple of days and she's helping me with a lot of things. BUT, I began having trouble today downloading skills from the Amazon Store. I haven't had any trouble in the past, and it was working just fine this morning, when all of a sudden I started getting the message shown on the attached screen shot. The first picture is where I was looking for skills. When I touched the screen to bring up the screen to download, I would get the second screen instead of the download screen. I use an iPad Pro with iOS. It is the latest version. I troubleshot everything I could think of. I deleted the Alexa App and re-installed it. I unplugged the Echo and let it sit to try and clear out the memory. Cleared out my cache. Turned my iPad off and on. Searched through all the Alexa troubleshooting questions I could find on Google. I also tried to access the Amazon skills store through my iPhone and got the same result. Finally, I admitted defeat, and phoned Customer Service. Now, I get that they are busy and get the same stupid questions repeatedly. But I expect that when I call a Customer Service department, they will at least LISTEN to my problem and what I have done to try and resolve it. I must have been this Reps last call before going on break. She gave me rote answers, didn't understand the problem and wanted me to go through the same steps I had already gone through. I'm no computer whizbang, but I'm not the newest bear on the block, either. I "get" the basics of computers and software and how they integrate. Which she did not, but kept spewing lines from a notebook. Finally, I gave up and said I'd continue on my own. Next step was to email Customer Service. Which I did. But there is no way to send screen shots to them. WHAT? How can they understand a problem with no picture of it?????? But I tried to explain as best I could. And got a very nice treatise on how to download Alexa skills. I KNOW HOW TO DOWNLOAD ALEXA SKILLS. YOU AREN'T LETTING ME DO IT! Next stop was Chat. Which, much to my dismay, comes from India. Complete with crappy English. Not only does he not get the problem, he disconnects the Chat in the middle. ((sobbing)) I give up. You win. You no longer care about your Customers, but you are the only game in town so I am stuck. I am glad you are constantly developing new skills for Alexa, but I'd like to point out that I can't be the only person in the world having this same problem, and an unlimited number of skills is no good if people cannot access them. Yes, there are other places I can get skills, but your library is the largest. But I can't fix the problem, and you don't care to help me, so Alexa is going to become a fancy music playing machine for me. Too bad. I had such high hopes and it started so we'll. UPDATE - Amazon's Technical Services Team reached out to me the same afternoon I left the last review, and finally did help me out. I use an iPad Pro with iOS. Because of Apple restrictions, there are just some things I cannot do on the iPad, like purchasing some Kindle books. I have to go to my old trusty PC to do that. Same thing with Alexa skills. I can't get them through the Amazon store, but I can get them through the Alexa app. There are more listed on the Amazon store, so for the ones there, I can verbally ask Alexa to enable them. Tammy, the Support Rep, agreed that I should have not had to go through the hoopla that I did. If one knows both Apple and PC computers, one should have suspected this was the problem right away. As I did, but the reps weren't listening to me. She apologized and is going to put in a suggestion that their training be changed. I can't speak to that, but I am satisfied with how Amazon finally stepped up to the plate. I'm enjoying her immensely. Many of the skills you can get are bogus, but others are exactly what I've been needing to help me manuever in the world as I age and things become more difficult. Her "personality" (jokes and trivia and such) is an added goodie. Thank you, Amazon!
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2017Color: Charcoal FabricConfiguration: EchoVerified Purchase
- Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2018Color: Charcoal FabricConfiguration: EchoVerified Purchase
