Amazon Echo HD Speaker TSV 19/09/17

[SUPERCOOLWILLOW]

Amazon Echo HD Speaker with Voice Controlled Personal Assistant
Item Number: 508951
QVC Price £148.50
Todays Special Value Price £89.97
P&P £3.95

or 3 Easy Pays of £29.99

The innovative Amazon Echo HD Speaker with Voice Controlled Personal Assistant is a hands-free speaker that is designed around your voice and the commands you give, with the ability to answer your questions, read audiobooks, report on news, traffic and weather, provide sports updates and so much more. Access everything from your connected devices to all your favourite technologies with the brilliant Amazon Echo.

*A great saving: If you were to buy the Echo directly from Amazon you’d pay £149.99. So to get it at a Today's Special Value price of just £89.97, plus P&P, is a great saving of £56.07.

Amazing Alexa - the brain behind the Amazon Echo, Alexa is voice service that updates through the cloud automatically and is continually learning and adding new functions and skills to their repertoire. The more you use the Echo in your everyday life, the more it adapts to your speech style, vocabulary and preferences.

Serious skills - from ordering a takeaway meal from Just Eat to requesting a taxi from Uber, skills mean all your favourite applications can be accessed instantly. Amazon are constantly adding new skills to the Alexa app - just enable which ones you want to use, and instantly see reviews and ratings about them too.

Voice recognition makes it personal - with just a word, the Echo responds to you - just say "Alexa" to wake up your device. Far-field voice recognition means the Echo can hear you ask a question from any direction, even in noisy environments. You do not need to train Alexa to understand your voice, as the Echo works with multiple people’s voice commands straight out of the box.

Surrounding sound - with seven microphones and developed with beam-forming technology, the Echo can hear you from across the room even while music is playing. The Echo is also an expertly tuned, immersive speaker that has been designed to fill any room with its dual, downward-facing speakers. Plus, it can play your favourite music and playlists from Amazon Prime Music, Spotify and more, using just your voice.

Connect your home - the clever Echo has the ability to control lights, switches, thermostats and smart home technologies, when you pair it with compatible connected devices from Philips Hue, Hive, TP-Link, and more.

Seamless set up - just plug it in, connect to the internet with the Alexa app, and you are ready to go. The included Quick Start Guide will help you get the most out of your Echo, and there are no subscription fees to use the Echo either.

Technical specifications:

360 degree omni-directional audio
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Far field voice recognition
2.5" woofer and 2" tweeter
Echo (l x w x d): 23.5cm x 8.4cm x 8.4mm (9.25" x 3.27" x 3.27")
Weight: 1.1kg


Connectivity:

Wi-Fi connectivity: dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi (MIMO) for faster streaming and fewer dropped connections than standard Wi-Fi. Supports 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi networks. Does not support connection to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks
Bluetooth connectivity: Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) support for audio streaming from your mobile device to Amazon Echo and Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) for voice control of connected mobile devices. Hands-free voice control is not supported for Mac OS X devices
System requirements: the Echo comes ready to connect to your Wi-Fi. The Alexa App is compatible with Fire OS, Android and iOS devices, and also accessible via your desktop browser. Certain skills and services are subject to change, may not be available outside the United Kingdom, and may require separate subscriptions or other fees


Colour options:

Black
White


What's in the box?

1 x Amazon Echo
1 x power adapter
1 x quick start guide


Please note:

The Amazon Echo HD speaker will have limited functionality outside of mainland UK, the Channel Islands, Germany and the USA
A few customers have experienced issues connecting their Amazon Echo to some BT routers. This issue has now been resolved
To use the Echo, a smartphone, laptop or tablet is required
If you are currently an iTunes user, there is a limit to the amount of songs you can upload to your Amazon music library to use with Echo:
You can upload up to 250 songs to your music library for free
With an Amazon Music subscription, you can upload up to 250,000 songs
Echo is Bluetooth-enabled so you can stream other popular music services such as iTunes from your phone or tablet
Streamed music will still have voice controls, limited to: Play, Pause, Previous, Next, Stop, Resume, and Restart
Amazon Prime members can use Prime Music, as part of their Prime Subscription, to play music, and also ask Alexa to order eligible products they've ordered before
You don't need to subscribe to Amazon Prime to use the Echo


All measurements are approximate
http://www.qvcuk.com/ukqic/qvcapp.aspx/app.detail/params.item.508951

 

[Mazza]

I have Alexa in my new firestick remote and it will answer questions and do the weather and traffic stuff, and more I think but I got bored reading the webpage. Alexa Echo doesn't provide the Amazon Prime Video stuff to your TV does it? Cos it's a lot dearer than the firestick, £40 full price, and you can get Spotify and other music apps through that. I have watched a couple of Lee's,presentations but lost the will to live. I may try again now I am Primed up!

 

[lynnonthelake]

I'm a prime member as it's worth it for me,I also have the firestick and the echo as I like to listen to music but in all honesty I haven't asked Alexa many questions :mysmilie_17:

 

[yorkrose26]

Wowsers, I can't believe that price, that is cheaper than when they did the TSV just before Christmas. I know that they knocked around £20 off then, which I would have thought given that Amazon price for what this speaker can do is not too badly priced anyway. Wonder if it is another 'piggy back from the US! Whether this is the case or not the price is very very tempting, especially with the EP's as well. For the first time ever I may be seriously seriously tempted, as I have been 'umming and aahring' for ages with regards to this, not particular for Alexia as such, but for the fact that it is a wireless speaker, not a bluetooth (though I know it does use both), as my Bose Speaker when I am listening to spotify cuts out imperceptibly (but its there) every so often, so for this alone, it may be worth 'a punt'!

I may however skip the presentation, as there is only so much 'chicken recipes and 'al green' I can listen to!

 

[SUPERCOOLWILLOW]

it was £79.99 on prime day for prime members so i feel there is a new model coming

 

[Silver Fox]

Oh dear--I feel VERY last century! all this technology and even the terminology leave me saying 'what?!!'.I am now the 'older' generation who look at the present day thinking 'what have things come to?' I am NOT totally tech challenged I just use what is useful to me--shopping & booking on-line but no social media.I may be 70 but in my head I'm still 35, I'll leave all this to those who find it useful & Lee Holbein makes me switch off in seconds.Am I missing something?

 

[Mazza]

Well SF, I am not far behind you in age and am on no social media and don't plan on getting this Echo. BUT last week, Lovefilm closed down its DVD service and I got a firestick and joined Amazon Prime which means I can watch loads of movies on the Tv and things like BBCiplayer/the foreign dramas on Channel 4 (which annoyingly they don't televise in full) on the Tv rather than the stupid PC screen. I am very happy with it and I managed to instal it and, amazingly, get it to work quite easily. (I also joined Cinema Paradiso so I can still play actual DVDs though!)

The need for an Echo passes me by I'm afraid. I can see it is useful for streaming music but I can't bear it when Lee, or perhaps the advert, says "Alexa remind me to buy X". Am I alone in shouting "what's wrong with a ****ing shopping list?" at the telly???? Analogue in the digital age!!!!!!!

 

[yorkrose26]

it was £79.99 on prime day for prime members so i feel there is a new model coming

Yeah I know I was kicking myself that I didn't buy it then, got a amazon tablet instead (though to be honest I haven't really used it that much), so I am tipping that if a 'third party' can reduce it that much than your intuition is probably right, so I will and see, though I thought this was suppose to be expandable etc, thus the 'definitive' speaker, so wondering why and what innovations will be in a new one, as according to LH this Echo is only running at 5% capacity!

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

I don't know who did Flinty Bints make up for the launch show but she looks like one of those creepy dolls.

 

[shopperholic]

I always have my iPhone by me so if I do feel the need to ask a question (which I never have) I can just ask Siri, who can also control music, volume etc. As for switching lights on and off, I'm capable of walking to the switch and switching it off myself (or send the husband :mysmilie_17 so although some people will find it handy, this is one of those dust gathering gadgets I have absolutely no use for.

It's also one of those rare times another retailer can be mentioned on air or QVC FB/Twitter, when it benefits QVCs profits although, when people out of curiosity hop on to Amazon, they'll see how great they are and how much better their prices are for everything else that QVC sell. :mysmilie_3:

 

[Brissles]

Oh dear--I feel VERY last century! all this technology and even the terminology leave me saying 'what?!!'.I am now the 'older' generation who look at the present day thinking 'what have things come to?' I am NOT totally tech challenged I just use what is useful to me--shopping & booking on-line but no social media.I may be 70 but in my head I'm still 35, I'll leave all this to those who find it useful & Lee Holbein makes me switch off in seconds.Am I missing something?

Oh SF, I'm with you on this ! I'm freefalling towards 70 and have always considered myself intelligent, but today's technology makes me feel like a jelly baby ! I almost threw a brick at the tele last Sunday when having wasted an hour watching a sub-titled drama on Channel 4, only to be told the rest of the series would be on All4 and could be 'streamed' for continued watching. Hells bells, why do they DO that ?

Anyway, I've discovered that most of this 'technology' with social media etc wont enhance my daily life. I use a camera to take photos, my pc for information, my non-smart phone for emergencies while out, and my landline phone for other calls. A friend has Alexa but uses it as a glorified music system, but my cd player works perfectly well.

I have checked out this 'firestick' to see if it will work on my HD TV (its a Smart tv but I had the internet disabled because of the increased data charges), and it appears it will as I have WiFi, so may give it a go to get Netflix and the mysterious All4 !!!!

 

[yorkrose26]

Oh dear--I feel VERY last century! all this technology and even the terminology leave me saying 'what?!!'.I am now the 'older' generation who look at the present day thinking 'what have things come to?' I am NOT totally tech challenged I just use what is useful to me--shopping & booking on-line but no social media.I may be 70 but in my head I'm still 35, I'll leave all this to those who find it useful & Lee Holbein makes me switch off in seconds.Am I missing something?

Sound like my mother, I have 'persuaded' her to purchase an 'fruity pad' (which took some doing as she like you uses it for 'function over form'), though she mainly uses it for youtube, to watch the odd catch-up and e-mail. She is not as savvy as you seem to be with regards to shopping online (she always likes to tell me that she has ordered a book online, like it is something to be 'proud of' you know how the older generation are (sorry :mysmilie_17), no booking things like train tickets, accomodation etc, (the 'hard stuff'), she very kindly leaves to me! She has got a kindle also, but says she prefers the tablet! No I think it is good that the 'baby boomer' generation are embracing the technology, but my theory is that because they were born in or just after WW2 they are kind of like the 'function over fun', so they want things that will be purposeful in their lives, not just something for 'frivolity'. I am rambling now I know, sorry. On the flip-side of this though is my father who having been a teacher and quit teaching because he got slightly 'embarrassed' when he had to ask a 7 year (he was a Junior School Teacher), how to use the computer, he stated that he would never use technology ever again, he has a tablet and he is on it at least 3 hours a day!

 

[SUPERCOOLWILLOW]

rumours of a new model kinda confirmed here i would say

http://www.knowyourmobile.com/speak...ing-feature-apple-homepod-style-lands?fref=gc

 

[yorkrose26]

Am I being a bit 'wicked' (old fashioned usage of the word as I am not 'down with the kids' :mysmilie_17, when LH does the 'smart light' demonstration with Alexa and it never works!

Think they ought to make sure that the 'smart bulb' works fully before trying to sell it. I mean how often does theory work in practice? Where is the path of good intentions paved to QCV/Hell take your pick!

 

[Julius]

I know I've posted about it before, however it was really great when Lee Hohbein asked "Alexa" to turn off a lamp - and she didn't! I think this whole Alexa thing is a load of bollocks. I've heard several adverts for it on the radio. One has the (sound effect) of a baby screeching, then the sound effect of a squelching noise, before the actress playing the role of the mother says, "Alexa, add kitchen roll to my shopping list," to which Alexa responds, "OK, I've added it."
There's another one with the sound effect of a shower and a man going "Oooh, Alexa, can you turn up my hot water?"

The acting is just so OTT and contrived.

I don't need this nonsense. If I want to make a shopping list I will write one with a pen or memorise it.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

Of course what they omit to mention is that all this turning on lights, the oven and Uncle Tom Cobley and all, need smart technology at the other end, it won't work with the straight forward lights you have had for the 10years.

The one thing which bugs me is the barking out orders, I know it is daft but I would want to say please and thank you! A few years of that in a household and whole generations won't even know how to be polite in the most basic way.

 

[Mazza]

Well I struggled through my recording of the TSV and was a bit miffed. They asked questions, started on about recipes and ordering pizza and playing music. BUT he never showed you how this Echo would get to access the music did he? Or perhaps he did and I missed it but I thought I was paying attention. Any way I decided to try with my firestick and did get Amazon Music after I had downloaded the app to my iPad, but I reckon a few useful instructions wouldn't go amiss. I realise that is probably an older person's gripe, LOL. I've just used Alexa to play Desperado by The Eagles, a bit how I'm feeling!!! Still it did actually work. I wonder how long I shall remember how to do it though.

 

[lynnonthelake]

I don't think it's made clear that you have to enable lots of skills within the app in order for Alexa to understand what you want.

 

[Tiddlywinks]

I've got an Echo in several rooms and dots in others... I have them working with 'smart' bulbs and they work well. They interact via my BT home hub so no need for any other controllers or hubs.

I use them to play radio stations, stream music, find info from the internet, create reminders, set alarms; plus, they entertain little visitors when I have them.

I think it's great technology and the TSV is a really good price so I'd say go for it.

 

[Themroc]

I've got an Echo in several rooms and dots in others... I have them working with 'smart' bulbs and they work well. They interact via my BT home hub so no need for any other controllers or hubs.

I use them to play radio stations, stream music, find info from the internet, create reminders, set alarms; plus, they entertain little visitors when I have them.

I think it's great technology and the TSV is a really good price so I'd say go for it.

I agree, using it with my Sonoff S20's (£9 each) and they work a treat.