The Echo Dot Kids Edition: Meet Alexa Junior

Amazon Introduces an Echo Dot Designed Specifically for Youngsters;
Meet Alexa Junior, the Kid-Friendly Echo Device

Includes Kid-Friendly Skills, Curated Entertainment,  and Parental Controls

Little kids seem to love Alexa and her family of voice controlled devices.  Parents and grandparents often use Alexa to help keep children entertained.  But as Alexa was initially designed for adults, she is not always child-friendly, right out of the box.  Often, users have enabled adult-oriented skills that they do not necessarily want tots to access.

I know a woman who is both a metalhead and a Grandma.  Her Amazon music library is full of songs with explicit lyrics she'd never intentionally play around young, developing ears.  Once, she was in the kitchen fixing a snack for the children, when she was interrupted by the sounds of Staind emanating from Alexa.  She ran out of the kitchen and yanked out the plug. Something her grandkids had said prompted Alexa to start playing the song "Please," which is riddled with the F Word.  

My friend loves her Echo, and so do her grandkids. But the "Staind Incident" has prompted her to put her Echos away when the grandchildren visit, so they are not inadvertently exposed to adult lyrics or adult jokes.  The Echo Dot Kids Edition is here to address issues like hers.  

Harmony Hub: Add Voice Control to Your TV and Entertainment Center

The Logitech Harmony Hub, Part 1:

     

Control your TV, DVR, and Other Entertainment Components with Your Voice

If you have a Fire TV and Alexa, you've probably already played around with voice controlling it.  And you may have wished you could extend these voice-control abilities to your TV itself, as well as your other entertainment system components.  Well, what if I told you there was a way to add this voice control to your existing equipment?  Would you like to learn more?

Today, we're going to tell you just how to do that, using the Logitech Harmony Hub.  In Part 1, we're going to introduce you to the Harmony Hub itself, and talk about how it can enhance equipment you already own.  Later, we'll get a little bit deeper into setting up the Harmony Hub, as well as configuring it to work with your equipment.

What is the Harmony Hub?

The Harmony Hub is a small device that connects to your home wifi and turns your smartphone or tablet into a universal remote control. Additionally, once you activate the corresponding skill, it adds Alexa Voice Control abilities to your home entertainment system. So the Harmony Hub gives you BOTH universal remote and Alexa voice control abilities.

Amazon Will Stream the Super Bowl for Free

Watch the "Big Game" for Free on your Fire TV

No "Cable Provider" Log-In Required!

Are you a cord-cutter?  Do you want to watch "The Big Game," and are concerned about reception?  Were you thinking you'd need to go out to watch the game, when you'd much rather party at home? Well, you are in luck if you are a Fire TV owner.  Amazon has announced that they will be streaming "The Big Game" live on February 4, 2018.  Even better? All you need to do is say "Alexa,  play the Big Game" to queue up the Super Bowl.

Streaming coverage will begin at noon, EST.  All the pre-game coverage will be streamed for free, as well as the Half Time Show and all of the commercials.  Streaming is free for ALL Fire TV users, regardless of Prime membership status.

You will need to download either the NFL app for Fire TV or the NBC Sports App before The Big Game.  To do so, click on the appropriate link. You will be brought to the Amazon App Store. Make sure you are logged in, then select "Deliver to Fire TV" and click on "Deliver." The app will be available on your Fire TV within minutes. You may also download these apps through the APP Store, accessed via your Fire TV. (Personally, I find it easier to navigate the Amazon App Store on my PC than using the Fire Stick.)

This can also be a cost-effective way to add Super Bowl viewing capabilities to supplemental TVs, especially if your Cable Provider requires "boxes" to access sports packages, and you do not rent boxes for supplemental TVs.  A Fire TV Stick's cost is not much more than the cost of an OTA (Over The Air) Antenna, and many of us get better picture quality through streaming than we do on OTA TV.  

If you do not own an Echo Device, Amazon has a deal going on right now where you can purchase a Fire TV Stick and a Dot for only $70.  Having both a Dot and a Fire TV will allow you to control your TV via voice.  (Click the link for a how-to on voice controlling your TV with a Fire TV and Alexa.)  And you will be able to queue up the Big Game by merely saying "Alexa, Play the Big Game," starting at Noon on February 4th.  

If you do not yet own a Fire TV, the good news is that you still have plenty of time to purchase one before Super Bowl Sunday, even without Prime Two Day Shipping.  And you will not need any type of "log-in" to watch the game, other than your Amazon account.

Merry Alexa-Powered Christmas

Let Alexa be Your Holiday Helper

 

Use your Amazon Echo to Help with your Holiday Prep

We are midway through the Holiday Season, and getting down to the wire.  Last night, we lit all eight candles on the menorah, and on Sunday Night, Santa finally comes.  As with the other Holidays we've looked at, (Halloween and Thanksgiving,) your Alexa powered device can help you make your Holidays a little merrier.

Today, we're going to look at Alexa skills you can use to help you through the Holidays.  Most of these skills can be enabled by saying "Alexa, enable the [name] skill.

Holiday Cooking

We've already covered the ways Alexa can help you with your Holiday Meal Prep when we talked about an Alexa-Powered Thanksgiving. Many of the same recipe and meal planning skills can help you with your Holiday meal prep.  You can find out all about the Pie Guy skill, Betty Crocker, What's Cooking, Roast Calculator, and more in that article.  But there are a couple of helpful holiday food skills we did not cover there: Holiday Cookies, and Santa Snacks.

Holiday Cookies, of course, gives you all sorts of ideas for Holiday Cookies.  It will read you the ingredients as well as the instructions.   You can pause and/or repeat any step at any time.  And of course, you can do it all hands-free.  To enable, ask Alexa to enable the "Holiday Cookies" skill. To use, say "Alexa, ask Holiday Cookies..." or "Alexa, open Holiday Cookies.

Santa Snacks: Santa Snacks will help you find the perfect snack for Santa!  Just answer a few questions, and this skill will suggest a snack to leave for Santa Claus.

Santa-Related Alexa Skills

An Alexa Powered Thanksgiving

Alexa can Ease Your Thanksgiving Prep
And Help you on Thanksgiving Day

An Amazon Echo Makes an Excellent Thanksgiving Assistant

Thanksgiving is a week away. For some people, Thanksgiving is all about the food; for others, it's about football. For most, it is a hectic time that we all love.  But it is also a time in which we can all use a helping hand. And Alexa can step in and give you help, easing some of the stress.  

Today, we're going to look at how Alexa can help you with Thanksgiving, both in the lead up period and on the big day. We will look at Thanksgiving skills that can be enabled, as well as built-in abilities that will come in handy.

Alexa Turns Three: The Evolution of Amazon's Alexa

Happy Birthday, Alexa!
The Amazon Echo Turns Three Years Old!

The Evolution of Alexa and the Amazon Echo

Time sure flies when you're having fun, as the saying goes.  It doesn't seem like Alexa has been around for three years! But today marks the third anniversary of the Echo's release.  Let's take a look at how Alexa has evolved over a three-year period.

Amazon Echo, Generation One, 2014

The Amazon Echo was the first Alexa-enabled product sold by Amazon. Initially, it was offered to Prime Members by invitation only, as well as to a couple of lucky Vine Reviewers.  Generation One Echos cost about $200, but early adopters received them at a 50% discount.  Echos remained an invitation-only item until well after the Holiday Season was over, making them a very hot gift item. And of course, by the time Amazon made them available to the General Public, they stopped the 50% discount for Prime Members.

Generation One Echos shipped with an included voice remote, another practice that was soon discontinued.  For most of 2015, the Echo was available in limited quantities, and was a very hard item to get.  In 2016, used and refurbished Echos started hitting the market, and in fact, refurbished Echos were a hot commodity during Amazon's second "Prime Day" in 2016.

Initially, the Echo was primarily a glorified version of Siri, combined with a voice-activated media player.  Few skills were available, and third-party manufacturers had not begun making the dozens of Alexa-compatible devices we can find today.  In fact, although they supported Pandora, Spotify, Sirius XM, and other music service support was yet to come.  In 2014, the most impressive thing about the Echo was its "cool factor." It was the first and only voice assistant that was NOT part of a phone OS at the time. It also performed better than Siri on many tasks.

An Alexa-Powered Halloween (Smart Home Series Part 11)

An Alexa Powered Halloween:
Enhance Your Halloween Using Alexa and Your Amazon Echo

 

Halloween is upon us. Although Halloween falls on a Tuesday this year, many communities are celebrating this weekend.  Additionally, many of the adult parties are scheduled for Saturday. Many families are using this weekend to prepare for Halloween.  If you have an Amazon Echo or Dot, you can use Alexa as an adjunct to your Halloween preparation and celebrations.

Today, we return to our Smart Home Series.  This article is Part 11 of the series. You can go back and read Part 1 here.  This post examines fun, Halloween-related things to do with Alexa. We'll look at spooky skills, spooky sounds, and spooky videos, as well as how to find some Halloween-related recipes using Alexa.

Spooky Skills

As we learned earlier, Alexa has a plethora of skills which can extend her functionality. Amongst these skills are some specific Halloween oriented skills.  Remember, you can activate most skills by saying "Alexa, activate the [name of skill] skill."  (Skills which require account linking usually need to be activated from the skill's page at Amazon, or through the Skills section of the Alexa app.  More information about skills and how to activate them can be found in Part 3 of our Alexa series.)  Since most of these spooky skills do not require account linking, they can be activated with a voice command.

Creating Groups with Alexa (Smart Home Series, Part 8)

Make Your Smart Devices Work Together
by Creating Alexa Groups

Control Devices Made by Different Manufacturers
with a Single Voice Command

  

This is Part 8 in a series about building an Alexa compatible Smart Home, and about learning to use the Alexa App.  Previous articles focused on setting up and using Alexa, as well as setting up a Smart Plug and a Smart Lighting System.  You can find Part 1 of this series here, as well as links to all 7 previous chapters in the Sidebar.

Today we're going to discuss something we've touched upon in previous articles: setting up Groups in Alexa. Setting up groups allows you to control various Smart Devices with a single Alexa command.

What is an Alexa Group?

 A Group is merely a collection of devices, gathered together, so you can control all at once.  We briefly touched on Groups in Part 1 of this series, in the section called "How Does the Echo Help with Your Smart Home?"  As noted then, each Smart Device comes with its own app that you typically need to use to set-up the device. Without the help of Alexa, you'd also need to use the app to control the device. This is all well and good when you have only Smart Devices from a single manufacturer, AND if you do not want to control things with your voice. But what if you have some Smart Light Bulbs, like a few Hue Lights, and other lights on Smart Outlets, like the WeMo? Do you really want to have to open a few different apps just to turn on your lights?  Setting up Alexa groups eliminates the need to do that.

A group is simply a set of devices and/or scenes, saved under a specified name. It is very similar to the concept of "rooms" used by the Hue Lighting System, except it's a thousand times more flexible. A group can consist of one or more device.  You may then activate the device or devices with a single command word.

For example, I have Hue Bulbs in both my bedroom and office. Both these rooms are on my top floor. I also have bedside lights controlled by a WeMo Smart Outlet.  I have all of these lights in a group called "Upstairs."  I can turn them all on by saying "Alexa, turn on Upstairs." Without this grouping, I'd have to say "Alexa, turn on Bedroom" to turn on the Hue Light in the bedroom, "Alexa, turn on Office," to turn on the Hue Light in the Office, and "Alexa, turn on Bedside," to turn on the bedside WeMo. Because I have all 3 lights in a group called "Upstairs," instead I can just say "Alexa, turn on Upstairs," and she turns on all 3 lights.

So Alexa allows me to place items from different rooms and  manufacturers into "groups" for easy control, as well as adding voice control capabilities to those devices.  It allows me to control sets of devices without having to open several apps. I can also add "Scenes" from the device's own app into an Alexa Group.  I can then access all those things at once, merely by commanding Alexa with the name of that group. Grouping can take a half dozen different commands, and unite them into a single word.

How Do I Set Up an Alexa Group?

You use the Alexa App to set up your Alexa Groups, of course. You can set up groups using either the ios (Apple) app, the android app, the Fire Tablet app, or the browser-based Alexa Web Portal. Before diving in, you need to make sure you have all of your apps and devices linked and prepared. So it's best to check those things first, and then you can go on and get grouping.

The Philips Hue Smart Lighting System, Part 1 (Smart Home Series, Part 6)

The Alexa-Compatible Philips Hue Smart Lighting System 

Automate Your Lights with Philips Hue and Alexa

This is part 6 in a series about building an Alexa Compatible Smart Home. Previous articles focused on The Alexa App itself, fun things to do with your Echo devices, and how to customize your Alexa and Echo experience. (See the sidebar for links to previous lessons. You can find Part 1 here.) Currently, we are talking about adding third-party devices to a Smart Home set up. Today, we'll be reviewing the Philips Hue System and discussing how to use it with your Alexa-enabled devices.

What is the Philips Hue?

Philips Hue is a wireless Smart lighting system.  Hue allows you to control and customize your lights in many ways.  At its most basic, you can turn your lights on and off via voice or via app.  At the more sophisticated end, you can create lighting groups, automate lighting schedules and tones, dim and brighten, as well as schedule. Hue lights eliminate the need for separate dimmers and timers. Hue bulbs can convert existing fixtures and lamps into Smart Appliances.  Hue also offers a wide variety of smart lighting products, such as lamps and strip lights, to help you light your space in many flexible ways.  They also offer installable dimmer switches and motion detectors to extend control-ability of your lighting.

Phillips Hue systems all begin with a Hue Hub. This is a small box that attaches to your router and pairs with your Hue Products.  Each hub (or bridge) can connect with at least 50 Hue products. (Phillips just released Generation 3 of the Hue Hub. Later generation hubs can handle a larger number of devices. Gen 1 hubs were capable of connecting with "up to 50" bulbs.)

The second vital part of the Hue system is the Hue App.  The app interfaces with your lights, and allows you to control and customize them in all the ways described above. The app is available for ios (Apple), Android, and Fire Tablets.  And of course, there is a Hue Alexa Skill.  Alexa works wonderfully with all parts of the Hue System. Alexa gives you voice control for your lights when you are home, and the Hue App gives you remote control when you are not at home.  Through the app, you can set up all types of lighting "scenes" and "routines."  It is also IFTTT compatible, for aficionados of that app.

And of course, the third part of the Hue System are the lighting products themselves.  Philips offers a full range of Hue-enabled Lighting Devices, from single bulbs, to lighting fixtures.  Their multi-color bulbs and lighting strips are two of their more popular products.  They offer flood light bulbs in both colored and plain white.  So you can buy lamps and fixtures with Hue compatibility built right in, or you can add bulbs to the lamps and fixtures you already own. All Hue lighting products are LED, for maximum energy efficiency and long life. Philips Hue Bulbs can reduce power costs in many ways.

The Alexa App, In-Depth, Part 3 (Smart Home Series, Part 4)

The Alexa App, In-Depth, Part 3:
Extending Alexa with Skills

Adding Additional Alexa Skills, and
Fun Things to Do with Alexa

This is Part 3 of an in-depth look at Amazon's Alexa app and the Echo Family of Alexa-enabled devices. Part 1 introduced the Alexa app, talked about setting it up, accessing menus, using Alexa as a media and audiobook player, as well as pairing devices to the app. Part 2 looked at all the submenus in the settings section, as well as about lists, alarms, and reminders. It covered personalizing your devices, setting up news briefs, setting your location, changing your wake word, and changing other Alexa defaults. Part 2 discussed pairing accounts to Alexa, as well as customizing news and sports briefings, pairing a calendar, changing your music streaming defaults, and voice purchasing with Alexa.  Part 2 covered customizing almost every Alexa setting that can be customized. Today, we're going to get to the fun stuff.  Alexa can do a lot that's fun, inane, or just silly. Some of these things are available natively, while others require enabling skills.

What is an "Alexa Skill?

When you get a new Smartphone, it comes with certain abilities, like voice dialing, messaging, and a camera. It may not come with things like Facebook or a photo editor, but you can easily go to the App Store to add these capabilities. Likewise, a new PC comes with little more than a web browser pre-installed.  You usually download or install additional software.  Your Echo device comes with a lot of functionality built-in, but you can extend it through adding new skills.

An Alexa skill is like a phone app or a software program. It is a little program that will add new features to an Alexa compatible device.  Presently, all Alexa skills are voice-driven.  (That may change as Amazon develops Alexa devices with screens or cameras, like the Look and the Show.) And rather than "installing" a skill, you merely have to "enable" it.

The Alexa App, In-Depth, Part 2 (Smart Home Series, Part 3)

The Alexa App, In Depth, Part 2:
Personalizing, Refining, and Customizing Alexa;
News Briefings, Lists, Timers, and Alarms

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This is the second part of a series on using the Alexa app, and the third article in our series on Smart Home Devices.  Part 1 introduced the Alexa app, talked about setting it up, accessing menus, and using Alexa as a media player and audiobook reader, as well as about pairing devices to the app. Today, we continue our in-depth look at Alexa and how to use it, discussing the settings menu, lists, alarms, and reminders. We'll go through the Settings Menu, item by item, so you can customize your device, as well as your Sports and News Briefings.  We will also learn how to change Alexa's defaults. Part 3 will look at calling and messaging, adding additional Alexa skills, and fun things to do with Alexa. Then we will move on to smart home devices, and using them with your Echo device. We are breaking this down as there is A LOT to learn. However, once you finish going through this series, you will be an Alexa Master.  And you'll enjoy having a Voice Controlled Personal Assistant even more.

If you haven't already read Part 1, we suggest you do so before reading this week's post.  And if you want to be notified when new articles are published, please subscribe to this blog and/or follow us on Twitter (@techlaurels.)  You can use the appropriate widgets in the sidebar to do either.

The Settings Menu

You can find "Settings" near the bottom of Alexa's menu. The Settings menu is, of course, where you can adjust the settings of the Alexa app, as well as of your paired Amazon Devices.  The first part of the menu lists the devices, (Echos, Dots, Dash Wands, Fire TVs, etc.,) while the lower half, titled "Accounts,"  adjusts various Alexa functions. At the bottom is a "General" section with your Alexa history, as well as app information. There is also an entry here to add a new Alexa device.  The settings section is where you customize and personalize Alexa and your connected devices.

Part 1 discussed how to set up a new device, so we will not repeat that here.  Instead, we'll talk about adjusting settings on devices already paired to the app, as well as using the Settings section to personalize the way Alexa responds.

Of course, the Devices section lets you set-up and change each Alexa compatible device. The Accounts section helps you personalize the way Alexa responds to various requests. The most important parts of each section are detailed below.

The Alexa App, In-Depth, Part 1 (Smart Home Series, Part 2)

The Alexa App, In Depth, Part 1: 

Getting the Alexa App,
Adding your Echo, and

Using Alexa as a Media Player
    

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The Alexa App is the Companion to the Echo Family of Devices;
Use the Alexa App to Set Up and Customize your Echo Device.

Part one of this series introduced Alexa and the Amazon Family of Echo Devices.  This week, we're starting our in-depth look at the Alexa app. This app is the companion to the Echo and other Alexa-enabled devices.  You set up your Echo and other Smart Home Devices using the Alexa App.

There is a lot to Alexa and the app itself, too much really to cover in one post. Thus, we're going to start with how to get the app, and what the app is compatible with. Then we'll go on to show you how to pair an Echo device with the app.  Finally, we'll talk about using Alexa as a media player. Part 2 of this article, (which will be Part 3 of the series) will continue our review of all the things you can do with Alexa.  After that, we'll review various Smart Home Devices and how to integrate them with Alexa.

Prime Day is Here!

Prime Day, 2017 is Here

July 11, 2017

(Note: You may want to disable your Ad-Blocker so you can see the current pricing data and the images on this page.  Sale Prices may not show in graphic links; some sale prices are not reflected until you get to checkout.)

Amazon has started Prime Day early. Many deals are live on the Amazon Prime Day entry page. There are plenty of blogs spotlighting Prime Day Deals.  We are not going to rehash them all here.

However, as we are in the middle of a Smart Home series, we would be remiss if we overlooked Prime Day altogether.  The prices of Alexa-enabled devices have all been slashed to historic lows, and may sell out by afternoon.

An Alexa Powered Smart Home (Smart Home Series, Part 1)

My Smart Home, Part I:
Powered by Alexa & The Amazon Echo

Alexa is Amazon's Voice Controlled Personal Assistant

Alexa is Compatible with a Plethora of Devices

  

After last week's article reviewing The Dash Wand, I received an email request asking me to talk a little more about Alexa and my own Smart Home.  So today, a new series begins, focusing on the Smart Home. We'll take a look at my own Smart Devices, and how they have changed my life for the better.

This series will begin with an introduction to Smart Devices, as well as an Introduction to Alexa, Amazon's software-based Personal Assistant. Alexa acts as the hub for my own Smart Home devices, and she adds the voice control component to them. Later articles will go into more depth about how to use Alexa, how to integrate various devices into your smart home, and how to use Alexa to tie it all together and make it simple to operate. (In fact, I would not have expanded my own stable of smart devices had I not fallen in love with the Echo's ease of use.)

If you'd like to be notified when new articles in the series are published,we recommend you subscribe via e-mail, using the box in the sidebar of this  blog, or follow us on Twitter.  (Facebook can be flaky at showing followers our posts.) Future posts in this series will include items such as Smart Outlets, Smart Thermostats, and Smart Light-bulbs.  Today's post will concentrate on Alexa, Alexa-enabled devices, and the Amazon Echo.

What is a Smart Home?

Many of us remember the voice-directed computers featured in classic science fiction. 2001: A Space Odyssey had Hal, and on Star Trek, Spock often called to the computer for help. And while neither Knight Rider's KITT nor the Jetson's Rosie have materialized yet, we have made great strides in artificial intelligence over the last couple of decades. In 2017, having a voice controlled home is no longer in the realm of science fiction, nor limited to the wealthy.

Simply put, a Smart Home is a home equipped with lighting, heating, and other devices that can be controlled remotely, usually by means of a computer or a mobile phone. A smart device is merely a single component of a Smart Home. Smart devices usually depend on a live internet connection to function.  Most can be controlled via wi-fi, even if you are not inside your house.

Today, you can buy devices with smart technology built in.  You can also buy accessories to bring smart technology to older devices.  You can find Smart Devices in all categories, from lighting to entertainment to security to appliances. Most devices come with some sort of app to use as a controller. Some devices also use hubs for communication. (We will be covering various smart devices and their capabilities in future articles in this series.  Again, if you have an interest in this area, you may want to subscribe to this blog, and/or follow us on Twitter, so you don't miss a single article.)

Many manufacturers are making smart devices. Some of the more common names in Smart Home Technology are Wink, Nest, Belkin We-Mo, TP-Link, Phillips Hue and Ecobee. Samsung is probably the leader in Smart Appliances, including refrigerators and washers, and is getting into the hub and lighting areas as well.

Most smart devices do not have built in voice control. To control the device, you must open an app on a phone, tablet, or computer.  That is where Alexa, and her Echo Family of devices come in.  Alexa is an easy and economical way to bring hands-free control to your Smart Devices.  Alexa brings voice control to your Smart Home and frees you from the apps.

What is Alexa, and What Can She Do?

Alexa is the name of Amazon's software-based Personal Assistant.  Alexa is not a smart device per se, but rather, can interface with a plethora of smart devices, including those made by other manufacturers.  In addition, Alexa powers Amazon's own array of smart home devices, which in turn, extend voice control to compatible Smart Home devices.