Sieghard, Yes, the Amazon unlimited music cost of $79 annually is in addition to what you pay for prime membership. If you're not a prime member, the cost is more but I don't know the amount. I was already paying $4 a month to have unlimited music on one Echo so I decided in my case, it was worth the extra $31 annually to have unlimited music on all my echoes.
Alan -----Original Message----- From: viphone@googlegroups.com [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Sieghard Weitzel Sent: Friday, March 30, 2018 11:14 PM To: viphone@googlegroups.com Subject: RE: Echo? So is that unlimited music an extra $79 in addition to Amazon Prime? Yes, Alexa has many skills, but as I said before, I find their use to me is limited since half the time I forget the correct word or phrase I have to use for skills I may not use often. I am sure being in Canada has something to do with it, Alexa officially has only been available here since the beginning of December and we don't even have, for example, family sharing or what Amazon calls this where I could, for example connect my wife's account to mine. I was also wondering why Alexa always said she couldn't yet play my Audible books. I now found out that my Audible membership which I have had for more than 10 years is a US membership since there was no Audible Canada until last October. For some reason Alexa here in Canada can only play books I purchase from Audible.ca. I could ask Audible to transfer my US account over and apparently I would get to keep all my books and any existing credits on my account would also transfer, but so far I have hesitated because just as Amazon it seems that Audible offers here are still more limited compared to the US. For example, currently Audible.ca only offers one monthly subscription for 1 credit, there is not yet an option for the 2 credit a month subscription or even to purchase 12 or 24 credits all at once. The price does make Audible.ca attractive since a 1 credit membership costs the same $14.95 as in the US except it is $14.95 Canadian and with the Canadian Dollar being pretty weak right now that of course I s better than $14.95 US which works out to about 30 to 32% more. In fact, my Platinum membership from the US which is $22.95 currently is about $30 give or take a Dollar so even though I get two credits for that at a reduced cost per credit, after the exchange I pay the same as I would for 2 credits here except I can't yet buy two credits a month. They just started offering the daily deal here in Canada, but none of the other promotions which often are offered in the States like buy 2 books for 1 credit or 3 books for 2 credits or buy any number of books from a preselected list where all books on the list are $4.95 are offered yet here. Anyhow, I might just purchase 24 credits with my US membership and then transfer my account, this way these credits come to my Canadian account and then I can continue with just the 1 credit subscription and hopefully in the next year or so they will expand what they offer here. Regards, Sieghard -----Original Message----- From: viphone@googlegroups.com <viphone@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Alan Lemly Sent: Friday, March 30, 2018 7:53 PM To: viphone@googlegroups.com Subject: Re: Echo? Sieghard, That's curious and I'm sorry if I led you astray. Alexa played the latest AppleVis podcast for me just now when I asked as I posted and also when I tested it before posting. I wonder if your being in Canada affects your results? I will say that I've noticed that Alexa seems to be progressing at a fairly accelerated rate so I'm enjoying all she can do and look forward to the continued improvements. I'll wish the skills available to Canada will catch up and things like unlimited music will also become available there. I agree that you really only need one unlimited music service and I understand why you chose Apple Music but in my case, I really enjoy listening to music on my Echoes and getting unlimited music from Amazon for $79 annually as an Amazon prime member was just too good to pass up. Alan Selnt from my iPhone > On Mar 30, 2018, at 3:50 PM, Sieghard Weitzel <siegh...@live.ca> wrote: > > Hi Alan, > > Interestingly enough Alexa is very stubborn when it comes to playing > Podcasts. I just asked her exactly what you said "Alexa, play Applevis > Podcast" and she replied "Here is a playlist you might like..." and she went > on to playing some music. I then said "Alexa, play Podcast Applevis" and she > said "I can't find a program called Applevis". > When I ask her "Alexa, play Windows Weekly podcast" she plays the latest > episode no problem, she says "Windows Weekly, here is the latest episode from > Tune In". > When I ask for the Blind Side Podcast, FS Cast, Today in iOS it's no go. > > Regards, > Sieghard > > -----Original Message----- > From: viphone@googlegroups.com <viphone@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Alan > Lemly > Sent: Friday, March 30, 2018 1:43 PM > To: viphone@googlegroups.com > Subject: Re: Echo? > > I'll add to Sieghard's excellent overview that Alexa and the Amazon Echoes > are great for listening to podcasts. You don't even need to enable any > additional skills to do this. You just need to know the name of the podcast. > For example, you can say "Alexa, play AppleVis podcast" and she'll play the > latest episode of that podcast. Very convenient. > > Alan Lemly > > Sent from my iPhone > >> On Mar 30, 2018, at 3:25 PM, Sieghard Weitzel <siegh...@live.ca> wrote: >> >> You have to download the skills, some you can ask Alexa directly to enable >> them but others you have to use the Amazon Alexa app on the iPhone since >> things like Netatmo weather station, Lyric WiFi thermostat and so on require >> you to put in your login name/email address and password. >> I find a lot of the more trivial skills fairly useless because you have to >> remember the correct phrase to talk to it so that can get a bit tideous. >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: 'RobH.' via VIPhone <viphone@googlegroups.com> >> Sent: Friday, March 30, 2018 12:47 PM >> To: viphone@googlegroups.com >> Subject: Re: Echo? >> >> Are Skills on it from the start, or downloaded, or whatever; I really hadn't >> followed the plot on these until Bro' was on about his latest gismo for an >> hour on the phone. Got cramp, then got bored listening to him! But >> fascinated really. >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Mama Peach" <mamape...@charter.net> >> To: <viphone@googlegroups.com> >> Sent: Friday, March 30, 2018 10:15 PM >> Subject: Re: Echo? >> >> >> There are tons and tons of skills as mentioned, and many of them are really >> fun dice, card and adventure games. You can do so much with the Echo >> devices. I have an Echo Spot and I have a fire tablet that also has Alexa on >> it. >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Sieghard Weitzel >> Sent: Friday, March 30, 2018 12:41 PM >> To: viphone@googlegroups.com >> Subject: RE: Echo? >> >> I assume this refers to the Amazon Echo smart speaker which works with >> Amazon's digital assistant Alexa. >> Google has their line of google Home speakers which of course use the Google >> Assistant, in that respect Google is pretty boring, Apple has SIRI, Amazon >> has Alexa and Google has the "Google Assistant", very impersonal. >> Anyhow, just as with the Google Home speaker line-up, there are a number of >> Echo speakers available. The most popular ones I think are probably the Echo >> Dot and the regular Echo. Both are round cylinders, about 3.3 inches in >> diameter and the Dot is only about 1.5 inches tall, a regular Echo is >> probably about 6 or 8 inches tall. The Dot also has a 3.5mm output jack >> which allows you to hook up larger speakers for better audio or you can >> connect it to a receiver or Sonos player. You use the word "Alexa" to get it >> to listen and then ask your question, it can set alarms, timers and do >> conversions as well as answer a bunch of questions about countries, people >> etc. You can also enable so-called "Skills", basically think of them as >> apps. We have the Philipps Hue light bulbs at home as well as a Netatmo >> weather station and Honeywell Lyric WiFi thermostat. I can ask Alexa to turn >> on the lights, ask the temperature or humidity of the Netatmo outside or >> inside modules or tell it to set the temperature to 21 degrees or whatever. >> Alexa can also tell all sorts of jokes like Knock Knock jokes, dinosaur >> jokes etc., she can sing songs, tell stories or poems, and as for timers the >> nice thing is that you can set multiple timers which I still can't believe >> SIRI can't do after being around for what, 6 and a half years? In the >> US/Canada and Mexico you can also make free phone calls via the Echo to any >> landline or cellular phone although I must say the quality is often >> disappointing. Also, if you have multiple Echos throughout the house of even >> one in a different location but on the same Amazon account you can use them >> like a hands free Intercom, when I'm in the bedroom and want to talk to my >> wife in the living room I can simply say "Alexa, drop in to the Living Room" >> and after a couple of seconds my wife hears a few beeps and then there is an >> open two-way line where you can just talk. >> >> Regards, >> SieghardI can simply say >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: 'RobH.' via VIPhone <viphone@googlegroups.com> >> Sent: Friday, March 30, 2018 11:24 AM >> To: viphone <viphone@googlegroups.com> >> Subject: Echo? >> >> hi, often saw threads or comments about "Echo", can't remember what this is >> or does or whatever. An app to do something with something else; all so >> vague. >> Enlightenment please, hearing a lot more lately as popular without any of >> them saying Why! >> >> Thanks, BobH. >> >> -- >> 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. Mark can be reached at: >> mk...@ucla.edu. 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