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on April 8, 2016
What can I say, this thing is amazing !! We use it everyday for the weather and music. Having it tell us jokes is fun for the family. Ask Alexa to self destruct, lol. Shopping list is also another feature that we use. Also, check out these cool skins, super easy to apply and look great !
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on October 27, 2016
I LOVE the Echo. I have two Echos and a Gen 2 Echo Dot.
Let me start by saying that I'm not an audiophile. Until I got the Echo, I mostly listened to music in the car, and even then it's just the radio on a stock audio system. I've actually found the idea of listening to music at home a bit tedious. I didn't like the small speakers that came with iPhone docks (or the price of good ones), and managing playlists on my Mac was annoying. I really didn't want to go to my computer to play music, and even if I did, it only played from the speakers on my computer, which wasn't in an optimal location.
My mom got an Echo and asked me to set it up for her. I liked it, so I got one for myself. I'm hooked! The Echo has brought music back into my life.
I have an echo in the den, the living room, and the bedroom. The Dot allows me to use a Bluetooth speaker I can take into the bathroom when I shower, or the backyard. I bought a battery for one of the big Echos so I can bring that into the kitchen when I cook. I have music everywhere now. I fire up music whenever I'm not watching TV.
My experience trying to find a good Bluetooth speaker for the Dot has made me realize that the speaker on the full-sized unit is actually very good for the price. I bought and returned several Bluetooth speakers that cost from $60 to $200. I settled on the UE Boom 2 for about $180. The mid-range is better than the Echo's, but overall I think the Echo's sound is better than any of the Bluetooth speakers I've bought.
I've discovered a lot of new music and I'm loving the easy access to Pandora and Amazon Music. This has literally been a life-changer for me.
My only issues (and the reason for 4 starts instead of 5) are: 1) Alexa doesn't hear me very well when music is playing. It was a lot better when I first got my Echo in July. Now I often have to get right up to the Echo and say the wake word. It's a bit frustrating. I hope they fix this with an update soon. 2) I don't understand why the app and the spoken commands only allow you to set the volume from 1-10 (10 steps) while the volume controls on the Echo itself has something like 30 steps. Sometimes volume 4 is too soft while volume 5 is too loud, which isn't the case when you have the 30 steps that are physically available on the unit. This just seems like an odd discrepancy
Let me start by saying that I'm not an audiophile. Until I got the Echo, I mostly listened to music in the car, and even then it's just the radio on a stock audio system. I've actually found the idea of listening to music at home a bit tedious. I didn't like the small speakers that came with iPhone docks (or the price of good ones), and managing playlists on my Mac was annoying. I really didn't want to go to my computer to play music, and even if I did, it only played from the speakers on my computer, which wasn't in an optimal location.
My mom got an Echo and asked me to set it up for her. I liked it, so I got one for myself. I'm hooked! The Echo has brought music back into my life.
I have an echo in the den, the living room, and the bedroom. The Dot allows me to use a Bluetooth speaker I can take into the bathroom when I shower, or the backyard. I bought a battery for one of the big Echos so I can bring that into the kitchen when I cook. I have music everywhere now. I fire up music whenever I'm not watching TV.
My experience trying to find a good Bluetooth speaker for the Dot has made me realize that the speaker on the full-sized unit is actually very good for the price. I bought and returned several Bluetooth speakers that cost from $60 to $200. I settled on the UE Boom 2 for about $180. The mid-range is better than the Echo's, but overall I think the Echo's sound is better than any of the Bluetooth speakers I've bought.
I've discovered a lot of new music and I'm loving the easy access to Pandora and Amazon Music. This has literally been a life-changer for me.
My only issues (and the reason for 4 starts instead of 5) are: 1) Alexa doesn't hear me very well when music is playing. It was a lot better when I first got my Echo in July. Now I often have to get right up to the Echo and say the wake word. It's a bit frustrating. I hope they fix this with an update soon. 2) I don't understand why the app and the spoken commands only allow you to set the volume from 1-10 (10 steps) while the volume controls on the Echo itself has something like 30 steps. Sometimes volume 4 is too soft while volume 5 is too loud, which isn't the case when you have the 30 steps that are physically available on the unit. This just seems like an odd discrepancy
on July 8, 2017
At first I was pleasantly surprised with my Echo. The sound quality is great and it's pretty useful when it works. The issue I have is that this won't stay connected to my local network. It loses connection and when I run through the setup process it fails to connect until I unplug the Echo and plug it back in then run setup. My network is stable and not the problem. It gets pretty annoying having to go through this every other day.
on December 6, 2015
I have owned and used this for 6 months now before writing this review - I wanted to make sure that everything I write on here remained accurate to the best of my ability.
Pros: Unique product with a plethora of wonderful and completely unique combinations of capabilities.
-fast response time
-once you learn how to ask certain things and read the instructions of each major update, you find yourself using it without even thinking. I even use it to dress myself occasionally - like asking for different ways to tie a bow tie (since I normally wear a standard tie lol)
-flash briefing while getting ready to go to morning meetings and business briefings is a phenomenal time saver (with no strain on the eyes!)
-each update (all auto updates) really adds a lot of function and prime continues to add so much more functionality every month. I no longer use Spotify. Prime music lets me import the music I already own and use their massive library as well. (Which can be hilariously strange, I will admit, as they somehow do not have The Beatles - no I am not joking - but they have over half of the obscure punk bands I grew up loving decades ago).
-Alexa learns quite a lot of subtle things. If I say her name in a sentence now (this took a few months) she will not respond unnecessarily. However, if I open with "Alexa" she will always respond. I still get the occasional unwanted response from her, but she has never once failed to respond when I called her.
-I avoid so many arguments with my wife now because of Alexa's shopping list function and the iOS/android app -- also, the built in To-Do lists. Happy wife happy life. Enough said.
-tech wise: the speaker on the Echo is phenomenal. It sounds better than the 50" Vizio Soundbar that's mounted to the tv in our home office. The 360degree sound and deep bass is SO good for any genre of music. You don't get any peakage or distortion, no matter how heavy the bass or how high the treble - also mids are completely clear, audible and articulate. I could not be happier with the sound quality.
-smart home integration is superb if you buy the other items after Echo (to ensure compatibility)
Cons:
-while this item has Bluetooth capabilities, they have been very unnecessarily and frustratingly limited (because I assume they think that following the business model of Microsoft and Mac to make frustrating proprietary crap in the worst possible ways is a smart idea -- it's not). If I could integrate this with other Bluetooth devices aside from the phones that are running Alexa App and the Amazon Prime Music App - this device would literally be perfect. For example, being able to use Bluetooth stereo headphones/mic while I'm in the office, or even a remote Bluetooth speaker for another room. They tried with their remote to at least do SOMETHING, but it's always out of stock and it really should be included with the base unit - even if it makes the price 199.99 instead of 179. Also, as someone who is a huge technophile, does pretty much all of my computing from a terminal emulator, the fact that Amazon had support for Linux with their Prime Music and other apps for so long - and has now REMOVED that support - absolutely infuriates me. Open source is the future, it doesn't matter how many decades the old men (Gates and co.) try to drag their heels...
Pros: Unique product with a plethora of wonderful and completely unique combinations of capabilities.
-fast response time
-once you learn how to ask certain things and read the instructions of each major update, you find yourself using it without even thinking. I even use it to dress myself occasionally - like asking for different ways to tie a bow tie (since I normally wear a standard tie lol)
-flash briefing while getting ready to go to morning meetings and business briefings is a phenomenal time saver (with no strain on the eyes!)
-each update (all auto updates) really adds a lot of function and prime continues to add so much more functionality every month. I no longer use Spotify. Prime music lets me import the music I already own and use their massive library as well. (Which can be hilariously strange, I will admit, as they somehow do not have The Beatles - no I am not joking - but they have over half of the obscure punk bands I grew up loving decades ago).
-Alexa learns quite a lot of subtle things. If I say her name in a sentence now (this took a few months) she will not respond unnecessarily. However, if I open with "Alexa" she will always respond. I still get the occasional unwanted response from her, but she has never once failed to respond when I called her.
-I avoid so many arguments with my wife now because of Alexa's shopping list function and the iOS/android app -- also, the built in To-Do lists. Happy wife happy life. Enough said.
-tech wise: the speaker on the Echo is phenomenal. It sounds better than the 50" Vizio Soundbar that's mounted to the tv in our home office. The 360degree sound and deep bass is SO good for any genre of music. You don't get any peakage or distortion, no matter how heavy the bass or how high the treble - also mids are completely clear, audible and articulate. I could not be happier with the sound quality.
-smart home integration is superb if you buy the other items after Echo (to ensure compatibility)
Cons:
-while this item has Bluetooth capabilities, they have been very unnecessarily and frustratingly limited (because I assume they think that following the business model of Microsoft and Mac to make frustrating proprietary crap in the worst possible ways is a smart idea -- it's not). If I could integrate this with other Bluetooth devices aside from the phones that are running Alexa App and the Amazon Prime Music App - this device would literally be perfect. For example, being able to use Bluetooth stereo headphones/mic while I'm in the office, or even a remote Bluetooth speaker for another room. They tried with their remote to at least do SOMETHING, but it's always out of stock and it really should be included with the base unit - even if it makes the price 199.99 instead of 179. Also, as someone who is a huge technophile, does pretty much all of my computing from a terminal emulator, the fact that Amazon had support for Linux with their Prime Music and other apps for so long - and has now REMOVED that support - absolutely infuriates me. Open source is the future, it doesn't matter how many decades the old men (Gates and co.) try to drag their heels...
on October 18, 2016
I ordered Echo specifically for music - I’ve had a huge music library on Amazon for years. But it didn’t take long after installing Echo to find out that there is now an annual charge for having over 250 songs, so only a small portion of my library is available. But OK - since subscription is to be expected these days, I decided to pare down my library down to fit and get Echo to play only the songs that are free.
But I found Alexa will not play them. When I ask to play something from my music library, it plays unfamiliar songs that I know are not in there. If I ask for one of my playlists instead, more often than not she’ll just start playing crappy Prime music.
When that happens, I just keep saying “Alexa, next” until maybe 7 tunes later, it produces something I can actually tolerate. Another 7 or so crappy tunes, and my blood pressure is rising, so I figure it’s too much work to listen to any more music on Echo. I say “Alexa, stop.”
When I ask for a specific song, I might get it to play because it’s actually in Prime (I’ve been a Prime shipping member since the beginning). But more often, I will get a pitch for the “Unlimited” music at $8 per month, and a short sample of the song I wanted to hear to try to upsell me to an expensive service I don’t want.
I’ve found that all of the Prime services are quite limited – not only Music, but Video and Books. It’s especially hard to find anything of any real value in Books - mostly it’s stupid romances and mysteries. Video has a similar low ratio of classics to dreck. Now I've discovered the same problem exists in Prime Music. And compared to Prime services, Google Play and Google Search are a pleasure. They have enough good content that I use them at work constantly. I was expecting something similar for my home from Amazon.
But back to Echo. Another battle I had with Alexa was that I assumed she could hear me at all. It’s quiet in my small house, and my office is just down the hall from her, but often I got no response to my voice commands. So I figured I’ll try using the Fire TV remote device to feed in my commands directly. I bought Fire TV initially because of the suggestion somewhere on the web site that it would work with Echo, which I planned to buy later (I don’t particularly like Fire TV, but at least it wasn’t expensive.)
I could see from the Alexa app how to do the pairing, but had no luck, so I called Support. After a while I was told I have to un-pair it for TV and set it to work for the Echo instead, so we spent about an hour trying to do that over and over without success. I wouldn’t mind switching pairing back and forth if it would work, so I gave it my best shot.
Finally I got escalated to the Echo team and learned from that team member that the Fire TV remote will never work. Instead I have to buy a remote that is specifically for Echo. Already I wasted hours on several support calls trying to get Echo to play my music library, then another hour trying to get the Fire TV remote to work, and finally I learned it would cost me another $30 to get Alexa to hear me if I’m in my office, only about 12 feet away. What a waste for something that shouldn’t be necessary in the first place.
As for troubleshooting the music library, several very nice Support team members tried to help me get it to upload. I first got a rep who says she’d give me a 30-day trial to verify that it would work before I subscribed. So I spent a couple of days editing my copy of my library (on an extended drive) so I could try dragging them into Amazon’s Music’s desktop app to upload them. But then, the upload from my desktop would not work. Instead I got an email that the trial had already expired -- in two days instead of thirty.
Another rep tried to get the trial going, but I got another two-day expiration (I do have other things to do, so I wasn’t working on it during those two days). So again, uploading my meager library did not work. I even got a third expired trial, but by then I was past caring.
Actually, all of the support reps are very earnest, charming, polite, and accommodating, but they seem to have a very small knowledge base to work with. There is no documentation available to them, much less customers, so they have to guess – that’s probably why it took forever to find out the Fire TV remote wouldn’t work. The 30-day trials didn’t work either, but it made sense that there would be a way to accommodate customers who do want to give it a chance before investing heavily in the necessary upsells. I guess upper management didn’t think of that.
As noted by other Echo reviewers, the bugs are apparently not yet worked out, and it seems to me that the support process has apparently been defined only for garden-variety issues. I get the feeling that this product was just released too early, and the customer service process was not coordinated with the release to deal with the inevitable problems customers would have with Echo.
I hope Amazon will learn from this review and fix these problems for others, but it’s too late for me. While going through all of these remarkable hassles, I was constantly re-evaluating my commitment to this device. I was deciding whether to spend up to $235 for what is essentially just a voice-activated speaker - $180 plus $25 for the subscription, $30 for an additional remote.
But the other services are marginal at best. As in the other reviews here, I found that Alexa knows practically nothing (Bing search engine?), so getting questions answered successfully is rare. Alexa does set a timer and reports the weather competently, but I have an iPhone, so why would I care about those small conveniences? All I really wanted was voice-activated music.
If I ever had gotten my library in there on a trial basis, I’d probably have gone ahead and used it – maybe even paid for a subscription, though certainly not Unlimited music. But Amazon’s trial software doesn’t work yet to show me that my music library would ever work, so why should I keep banging my head on the wall trying force Echo to work as advertised?
Recently, I learned that Google is releasing a competitive device in a couple of weeks, and the online review says I can easily upload my music library to it and use Google Play and Search instead. Plus it’s going to be about half the price of Echo, and considering all the upsells needed to make Echo work, it seems like a no-brainer to just give up on Alexa and Echo.
So sorry, Amazon, I love you -- I’m one of your oldest customers, and have probably spent over $100,000 on your site since 2000. But this product has become a paperweight that I don't even try to use anymore. I’m sorry to say that it’s time to throw in the towel and just send it back.
But I found Alexa will not play them. When I ask to play something from my music library, it plays unfamiliar songs that I know are not in there. If I ask for one of my playlists instead, more often than not she’ll just start playing crappy Prime music.
When that happens, I just keep saying “Alexa, next” until maybe 7 tunes later, it produces something I can actually tolerate. Another 7 or so crappy tunes, and my blood pressure is rising, so I figure it’s too much work to listen to any more music on Echo. I say “Alexa, stop.”
When I ask for a specific song, I might get it to play because it’s actually in Prime (I’ve been a Prime shipping member since the beginning). But more often, I will get a pitch for the “Unlimited” music at $8 per month, and a short sample of the song I wanted to hear to try to upsell me to an expensive service I don’t want.
I’ve found that all of the Prime services are quite limited – not only Music, but Video and Books. It’s especially hard to find anything of any real value in Books - mostly it’s stupid romances and mysteries. Video has a similar low ratio of classics to dreck. Now I've discovered the same problem exists in Prime Music. And compared to Prime services, Google Play and Google Search are a pleasure. They have enough good content that I use them at work constantly. I was expecting something similar for my home from Amazon.
But back to Echo. Another battle I had with Alexa was that I assumed she could hear me at all. It’s quiet in my small house, and my office is just down the hall from her, but often I got no response to my voice commands. So I figured I’ll try using the Fire TV remote device to feed in my commands directly. I bought Fire TV initially because of the suggestion somewhere on the web site that it would work with Echo, which I planned to buy later (I don’t particularly like Fire TV, but at least it wasn’t expensive.)
I could see from the Alexa app how to do the pairing, but had no luck, so I called Support. After a while I was told I have to un-pair it for TV and set it to work for the Echo instead, so we spent about an hour trying to do that over and over without success. I wouldn’t mind switching pairing back and forth if it would work, so I gave it my best shot.
Finally I got escalated to the Echo team and learned from that team member that the Fire TV remote will never work. Instead I have to buy a remote that is specifically for Echo. Already I wasted hours on several support calls trying to get Echo to play my music library, then another hour trying to get the Fire TV remote to work, and finally I learned it would cost me another $30 to get Alexa to hear me if I’m in my office, only about 12 feet away. What a waste for something that shouldn’t be necessary in the first place.
As for troubleshooting the music library, several very nice Support team members tried to help me get it to upload. I first got a rep who says she’d give me a 30-day trial to verify that it would work before I subscribed. So I spent a couple of days editing my copy of my library (on an extended drive) so I could try dragging them into Amazon’s Music’s desktop app to upload them. But then, the upload from my desktop would not work. Instead I got an email that the trial had already expired -- in two days instead of thirty.
Another rep tried to get the trial going, but I got another two-day expiration (I do have other things to do, so I wasn’t working on it during those two days). So again, uploading my meager library did not work. I even got a third expired trial, but by then I was past caring.
Actually, all of the support reps are very earnest, charming, polite, and accommodating, but they seem to have a very small knowledge base to work with. There is no documentation available to them, much less customers, so they have to guess – that’s probably why it took forever to find out the Fire TV remote wouldn’t work. The 30-day trials didn’t work either, but it made sense that there would be a way to accommodate customers who do want to give it a chance before investing heavily in the necessary upsells. I guess upper management didn’t think of that.
As noted by other Echo reviewers, the bugs are apparently not yet worked out, and it seems to me that the support process has apparently been defined only for garden-variety issues. I get the feeling that this product was just released too early, and the customer service process was not coordinated with the release to deal with the inevitable problems customers would have with Echo.
I hope Amazon will learn from this review and fix these problems for others, but it’s too late for me. While going through all of these remarkable hassles, I was constantly re-evaluating my commitment to this device. I was deciding whether to spend up to $235 for what is essentially just a voice-activated speaker - $180 plus $25 for the subscription, $30 for an additional remote.
But the other services are marginal at best. As in the other reviews here, I found that Alexa knows practically nothing (Bing search engine?), so getting questions answered successfully is rare. Alexa does set a timer and reports the weather competently, but I have an iPhone, so why would I care about those small conveniences? All I really wanted was voice-activated music.
If I ever had gotten my library in there on a trial basis, I’d probably have gone ahead and used it – maybe even paid for a subscription, though certainly not Unlimited music. But Amazon’s trial software doesn’t work yet to show me that my music library would ever work, so why should I keep banging my head on the wall trying force Echo to work as advertised?
Recently, I learned that Google is releasing a competitive device in a couple of weeks, and the online review says I can easily upload my music library to it and use Google Play and Search instead. Plus it’s going to be about half the price of Echo, and considering all the upsells needed to make Echo work, it seems like a no-brainer to just give up on Alexa and Echo.
So sorry, Amazon, I love you -- I’m one of your oldest customers, and have probably spent over $100,000 on your site since 2000. But this product has become a paperweight that I don't even try to use anymore. I’m sorry to say that it’s time to throw in the towel and just send it back.
on December 10, 2016
I have had the echo since the original beta offer. I wanted to wait quite some time to really put it through its paces and wait for it to become fully featured and to get some home integration items. Now we have 2 Echos (kitchen & bedroom) and a dot (media room). Connectivity wise, we have a Phillips Hue bridge, 6 Hue lights, and a TP-Link Smart Plug. Things I love about the Echo:
1. Flash briefing -The customization of news is awesome. My GF and I are both in technology, so we have weather,Echo tips, tech news, and world news on our briefing.
2. Home Automation - I rarely use light switches anymore. If you want to feel like you are in the future, get some smart lights and integrate them to Alexa. Being able turn lights on/off, and dim them is awesome. In addition to what Alexa can do, the lights flash if we get texts or calls, so we can silence our phones and still be aware of incoming messages or calls if our phones are not on us.
3. Music - I love music, and I always have to have it on wherever I go. Short of an intercom/music system, our Echos are perfect. Music is one of those things that I always found to be painful. Before I would have a BT speaker which I'd have to pair to my phone then open an app (Amazon Music/Pandora) to get music. Now I just tell Alexa to play a playlist/music/pandora, and I'm done. The Echo really is perfect as a music vehicle, and if I need to exert more control I can use the app.
4. Skills - Skills still seem novel, but the flexibility of skills is impressive. My GF is a developer and tried her hand at a basic skill as part of Amazon's promotion. She seemed impressed with what could be done.
I remember when I first got the Echo it was mainly a tool for an inquisitive mind. I wanted to push the Echo to see what it could and couldn't answer, but it has quickly cemented its place as a central piece of our house. Also, we've decided to make the Echo more seasonal. I wouldn't recommend it for the acoustics, but it is hilarious.
1. Flash briefing -The customization of news is awesome. My GF and I are both in technology, so we have weather,Echo tips, tech news, and world news on our briefing.
2. Home Automation - I rarely use light switches anymore. If you want to feel like you are in the future, get some smart lights and integrate them to Alexa. Being able turn lights on/off, and dim them is awesome. In addition to what Alexa can do, the lights flash if we get texts or calls, so we can silence our phones and still be aware of incoming messages or calls if our phones are not on us.
3. Music - I love music, and I always have to have it on wherever I go. Short of an intercom/music system, our Echos are perfect. Music is one of those things that I always found to be painful. Before I would have a BT speaker which I'd have to pair to my phone then open an app (Amazon Music/Pandora) to get music. Now I just tell Alexa to play a playlist/music/pandora, and I'm done. The Echo really is perfect as a music vehicle, and if I need to exert more control I can use the app.
4. Skills - Skills still seem novel, but the flexibility of skills is impressive. My GF is a developer and tried her hand at a basic skill as part of Amazon's promotion. She seemed impressed with what could be done.
I remember when I first got the Echo it was mainly a tool for an inquisitive mind. I wanted to push the Echo to see what it could and couldn't answer, but it has quickly cemented its place as a central piece of our house. Also, we've decided to make the Echo more seasonal. I wouldn't recommend it for the acoustics, but it is hilarious.
on June 10, 2016
This is my 5th (yes 5) Echo purchase, in addition to a Dot. I first purchased an Echo for myself, then one for each of two grandchildren, one for my son, one for my niece's wedding present, and most recently, one for my great-nephew's high school graduation present. I don't use nearly close to the amazing features that this little gadget offers. I do ask every morning, "Weather!" That's all I say and I get the forecast. Or "Tomorrow's weather!" Sometime I'm thinking, it's just a little to quiet in here, and I ask Alexa to play some happy music, or maybe I'll select a particular artist. My grandkids, of course, being technologically astute, use it for all sorts of cool stuff, such as downloading their music, etc. But, what's really special is my great-nephew's response to his gift. His mom on Facebook a video of him and his new Echo, and now his friends want one. His mom posted: "His response 'this thing is hot!' 😊 now I want one too!!!" So I guess I'll have to gift another one to his mom, my niece. Coolest, most fun gadget I've bought in a long time.
on December 4, 2016
I have had the Echo for 2 yrs or so and have seen it mature into a really nice platform. I am a google fanboy, so when Google Home came out and I was able to get a really nice deal, I bought it. So, the below is based on using both products.
From a review perspective, if you are looking for a mature product with lots of integrations/recipes to smart devices you use today, then Amazon Echo/Dot is a clear winner and you will not be happy with the relative immature nature of Google Home. I am shocked that Google didn't spend the money upfront to have significantly more recipes/integrations prior to releasing this product to effectively complete against Echo. The big feature you hear about on reviews is Google Home's ability to carry context from one question to next. For me, If I am going to do some multi-question thing, I am not going to talk to my device, I'm just going to grab my phone or tablet, which renders this feature relatively useless to me. The only cool feature I like is Home's ability to to cast to Chomecast audio. It is really nice. I hope Amazon figures out a way for me to link all my Dots and Echo together, so I can "cast" to Dots. So before you buy anything, make sure it integrates with the services you have today. The promise from Google of future integration is nice, however, knowing google's track record of sunsetting products, don't hold out too much hope for the long term.
I hope this helps those trying to make a decision between the 2 devices.
From a review perspective, if you are looking for a mature product with lots of integrations/recipes to smart devices you use today, then Amazon Echo/Dot is a clear winner and you will not be happy with the relative immature nature of Google Home. I am shocked that Google didn't spend the money upfront to have significantly more recipes/integrations prior to releasing this product to effectively complete against Echo. The big feature you hear about on reviews is Google Home's ability to carry context from one question to next. For me, If I am going to do some multi-question thing, I am not going to talk to my device, I'm just going to grab my phone or tablet, which renders this feature relatively useless to me. The only cool feature I like is Home's ability to to cast to Chomecast audio. It is really nice. I hope Amazon figures out a way for me to link all my Dots and Echo together, so I can "cast" to Dots. So before you buy anything, make sure it integrates with the services you have today. The promise from Google of future integration is nice, however, knowing google's track record of sunsetting products, don't hold out too much hope for the long term.
I hope this helps those trying to make a decision between the 2 devices.
on February 13, 2016
I have had this for a few months now and I love it! I can talk to it from the top of the stairs and it will turn on lights. The integration with WInk is awesome, and honesty seems to be faster than turning lights on with the Wink app. I can't wait to see what other integrations are coming!
