Echo Dot Experiments

Posted by DavidLD (A) on October 21, 2016 at 10:40:02

The Echo Dot 2nd gen just started shipping yesterday. Mine arrived today and I have been running some experiments. The Echo uses the voice actuated Alexa from the Amazon cloud to get to stuff on the Internet.

Amazon hopes that the low price ($50) will encourage you to buy other services with a monthly charge such as their on demand music streaming services, but I'm always looking for free stuff.

One of the applications for this device is that it is a quite neat digital FM and AM radio tuner. For example, tunin.com streams a zillion different radio stations worldwide including stations that are second and third channels to on-air frequencies and only available on line. Right now I am using the dot to stream a second NPR channel that is all Jazz from the local WUKY ratio station.

You can, of course, go to places like tunein.com and dig around to find radio stations that you can stream from your computer or tablet.

But, where the Echo dot really comes in is, say, you have vintage equipment. The Dot has a stereo audio out that connects via a 3.5 mm stereo plug. To go to your equipment you will probably need a cord with a 3.5 inch plug terminating to RCA type stereo jacks.

At that point you have connected your gear to a tiny, voice-actuated digital FM AM tuner. Alexa has trouble recognizing general terms like "play classical music". It likes to have whatever tunein calls the station on their list at http://tunin.com

For the moment I am listening to jazz on a Lepai amp and two small RS speakers that I sometimes connect to my laptop. But I will just dangle a cord with a 3.5 mm plug from my more serious sound systems and I should be all set! Echo needs AC and WiFi. You do the setup from your laptop. I read on the net that the Echo Dot does everything the full size $179 version does except that it has only a single small speaker.

The Echo can control other stuff too, like lights and thermostats and you can already find lots of these kinds of items from various manufacturers

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Topic - Echo Dot Experiments - DavidLD 10:40:02 10/21/16 (3)

Youtube demo video - DavidLD 11:43:12 10/27/16 (0)

upgrades - DavidLD 07:23:33 10/23/16 (1)

Dunno - E-Stat 11:50:21 10/23/16 (0)

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