When I listened to a demo of Alexa done during the CSun conference I was quite amazed not only by what Alexa could do but also by the voice quality. To me Alexa is the best TTS voice I have ever heard and while I still prefer audio books, I could maybe even see myself listening to a Kindle book read by Alexa. I was almost ready to order an Amazon Echo right then, but realized that I had to order it from amazon.com since it is not sold on amazon.ca, the Canadian Amazon website. I am also not very invested in things like Amazon Music and even would I purchase an Amazon Prime membership here in Canada, I wouldn’t have access to services like Amazon Instant Video. Therefore I told myself that I am not going to give Amazon money for an Echo until the product is sold in Canada and until they improve their offering here.
The app sounds tempting, but it suffers from the same problem as all other such apps like Google and Cortana which is that you need to run the app to use it, it is not possible to push a button on the phone to invoke Alexa instead of SIRI or to get her to listen by saying a voice command. Also, it is not actually an app from Amazon, but from a third-party developer so then I would also think about whether I want everything I say to this app go through somebody elses server where they can potentially do who knows what with the information. Lastly, I found another article on the Verge which brought me to the website www.HeyLexi.com<http://www.HeyLexi.com> and here the developer says: Because of limitations set by Amazon, Lexi does not support Music or Books. You will need to download the Alexa app to update your settings, like locations. Among a few other things having access to my Audible library via Alexa would be one of the most benefitial features for me and it seems like that is not the case with this app. So, I think for myself the Lexi app (if it’s even available in Canada which may not be the case since I couldn’t find it so far) would give me few features or advantages. I also assume that if Amazon at some point releases an official Alexa app or if they add asking things to the existing Amazon Echo app that I can then try it without having to spend money for it. Best regards, Sieghard From: viphone@googlegroups.com [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Russ Kiehne Sent: Monday, May 09, 2016 9:50 AM To: viphone@googlegroups.com Subject: So long, Siri: How to get Amazon Alexa on your iPhone Is the following app accessible with voiceover? So long, Siri: How to get Amazon Alexa on your iPhone [https://s.yimg.com/lo/api/res/1.2/RomYpJPLOuEVNayJUValCQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW15O3c9NDgwO3E9NzU7c209MTtpbD1wbGFuZQ--/http:/media.zenfs.com/en_US/News/BGR_News/amazon-echo-alexa.jpg] Apple's virtual personal assistant Siri was unquestionably a groundbreaking feature when it first debuted on the iPhone<https://bgr.com/tag/iphone>. It got off to a rocky start — of that, there is no question — and people still run into aggravating problems every day with Siri. But Siri has improved dramatically over the years, expanding its functionality and growing more accurate along the way. Then, Amazon surprised us all when the Echo speaker<http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Echo-Bluetooth-Speaker-with-WiFi-Alexa/dp/B00X4WHP5E?tag=b0c55-20> came out of nowhere and introduced the world to Alexa. And now, Alexa has finally leapt off of Amazon hardware and onto Apple's iPhone and iPad for the first time. Some believe that Alexa was intended to become a core part of Amazon's smartphone and tablet offerings, but the company's plans were derailed in light of the fact that the Fire phone was a spectacular flop. Perhaps as a result, Amazon instead released a line of dedicated speakers including the Amazon Echo<http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Echo-Bluetooth-Speaker-with-WiFi-Alexa/dp/B00X4WHP5E?tag=b0c55-20> and more affordable Amazon Tap<http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Tap-Portable-wireless-Bluetooth-Speaker-with-WiFi-Alexa/dp/B00VXS8E8S?tag=b0c55-20>. The Echo and Tap serve mainly as delivery mechanisms for Alexa, which is Amazon's own take on Siri. Alexa is controlled by voice just like Siri, but its focus is on shopping and connected device controls, in addition to providing answers to questions a la Siri. Alexa is no longer confined to the Echo and Tap now that Amazon has given developers access to various APIs, and the killer software feature is now finally available on Apple's iPhone and iPad lineup. Amazon's assistant arrives courtesy of a third-party app called Lexi, which is immediately available for download in the App Store. Simply install the $5 Lexi app and log into your Amazon account, and you'll instantly gain access to Alexa. Ask questions like "what's the weather like?" or "what time is the Yankee game?" and Alexa will serve up answers in no time. Of course, you'll also be able to enjoy Amazon integration, so you can order products or add items to a shopping list with simple voice commands like "add toilet paper to my shopping list" or "buy more toothpaste." -- The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone list. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com The archives for this list can be searched at: http://www.mail-archive.com/viphone@googlegroups.com/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "VIPhone" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com<mailto:viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>. To post to this group, send email to viphone@googlegroups.com<mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com>. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/viphone. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone list. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com The archives for this list can be searched at: http://www.mail-archive.com/viphone@googlegroups.com/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "VIPhone" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to viphone@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/viphone. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
