Echo Dot

[DParker]

Hey Henry , You can just hook up alexa or a dot to e the echo battery .. https://www.echobattery.com/

Good idea but this is what the Echo should have been in the first place except with a docking station...  Very expensive add-on!

The Echo is priced at $179.99 and people already grumble about that.  Building in the kind of battery capacity offered by the product above would have made the Echo significantly more expensive for everyone, including people who don't care about portability.  That would have made it a non-starter for most consumers, and a flop of a product introduction.  You actually want that capability and you're complaining about the cost of adding it (AND your complaint is based on pre-order prices).  Imagine how people who don't want/need it would react to the Echo if it were priced at $250+.

[saturnkk]

Hey Henry , You can just hook up alexa or a dot to e the echo battery .. https://www.echobattery.com/

Good idea but this is what the Echo should have been in the first place except with a docking station...  Very expensive add-on!

The Echo is priced at $179.99 and people already grumble about that.  Building in the kind of battery capacity offered by the product above would have made the Echo significantly more expensive for everyone, including people who don't care about portability.  That would have made it a non-starter for most consumers, and a flop of a product introduction.  You actually want that capability and you're complaining about the cost of adding it (AND your complaint is based on pre-order prices).  Imagine how people who don't want/need it would react to the Echo if it were priced at $250+.

I am working under the assumption that a GIANT corporation like Amazon could get it built for much cheaper then a guy in his garage.  I would rather have had it as part of the echo for $200-$220 and be a warranteed by Amazon piece of equipment than a thrd party add-on.  It is a speaker so it would have made sense for it to dock. 

[oldsod]

 Your have  all the luck,in the uk we pay a high price.

[saturnkk]

Your have  all the luck,in the uk we pay a high price.

Someone has to support your royalty's standard of living!   

We gave up on that 200+ years ago.  We were pretty serious too!   

[oldsod]

We have royalty,you have ?,but you wish.

[DParker]

I am working under the assumption that a GIANT corporation like Amazon could get it built for much cheaper then a guy in his garage.

There are limits to economies of scale, no matter how big your company is.  The underlying materials and manufacturing costs have lower boundaries, and that floor for battery technology costs is likely higher than you imagine.  But, OK...suppose Amazon could add that functionality for *half* of what the Battery Boots cost to make, and still get the same ROI as the current Echo.  If we estimate that based on the anticipated retail prices of the Battery Boots you're still adding $35-$50 (or ~20%-28%) to the price of the Echo.

I would rather have had it as part of the echo for $200-$220 and be a warranteed by Amazon piece of equipment than a thrd party add-on.

What about the rest of us who don't want/need that portability?  Adding at least $35-$50 to the cost for a feature that most potential customers aren't going to use would be dumb.  Now, Amazon offering the same type of accessory as an optional add-on would make sense...but not building it into every unit.

It is a speaker so it would have made sense for it to dock.

Characterizing the Echo as "a speaker" is a bit like characterizing your PC as "a monitor".

[saturnkk]

The Echo is priced at $179.99 and people already grumble about that.  Building in the kind of battery capacity offered by the product above would have made the Echo significantly more expensive for everyone, including people who don't care about portability.  That would have made it a non-starter for most consumers, and a flop of a product introduction.  You actually want that capability and you're complaining about the cost of adding it (AND your complaint is based on pre-order prices).  Imagine how people who don't want/need it would react to the Echo if it were priced at $250+.

I am working under the assumption that a GIANT corporation like Amazon could get it built for much cheaper then a guy in his garage.

There are limits to economies of scale, no matter how big your company is.  The underlying materials and manufacturing costs have lower boundaries, and that floor battery technology costs is likely higher than you imagine.  But, OK...suppose Amazon could add that functionality for *half* of what the Battery Boots cost to make, and still get the same ROI as the current Echo.  If we estimate that based on the anticipated retail prices of the Battery Boots you're still adding $35-$50 (or ~20%-28%) to the price of the Echo.

I would rather have had it as part of the echo for $200-$220 and be a warranteed by Amazon piece of equipment than a thrd party add-on.

What about the rest of us who don't want/need that portability?  Adding at least $35-$50 to the cost for a feature that most potential customers aren't going to use would be dumb.  Now, Amazon offering the same type of accessory as an optional add-on would make sense...but not building it into every unit.

It is a speaker so it would have made sense for it to dock.

Characterizing the Echo as "a speaker" is a bit like characterizing your PC as "a monitor".

Fair enough but using it as a speaker is at least 50% of what I use it for if not more.  It would be nice to take it outside and such.

[saturnkk]

odd wat it is doing with our quotes...

[leehop71]

The Dot has landed!  Going to plug it in and give her a go!  Be back with some thoughts.

[DParker]

Characterizing the Echo as "a speaker" is a bit like characterizing your PC as "a monitor".

Fair enough but using it as a speaker is at least 50% of what I use it for if not more.  It would be nice to take it outside and such.

If a portable bluetooth speaker is what you wanted then there were certainly better options that already exist...for FAR less money.  Although it includes bluetooth speaker functionality, that's a nice bonus feature, not the Echo's primary (or even secondary) purpose....however you personally have chosen to use it.

odd wat it is doing with our quotes...

That was my fault.  I've fixed it in my own post.

[DParker]

The Dot has landed!  Going to plug it in and give her a go!  Be back with some thoughts.

Yeah, Brown Santa (the UPS guy) just handed me the one I ordered for my son.

[saturnkk]

Characterizing the Echo as "a speaker" is a bit like characterizing your PC as "a monitor".

Fair enough but using it as a speaker is at least 50% of what I use it for if not more.  It would be nice to take it outside and such.

If a portable bluetooth speaker is what you wanted then there were certainly better options that already exist...for FAR less money.  Although it includes bluetooth speaker functionality, that's a nice bonus feature, not the Echo's primary (or even secondary) purpose....however you personally have chosen to use it.

odd wat it is doing with our quotes...

That was my fault.  I've fixed it in my own post.

Portable speaker is only one feature I would have liked.  But a good one!

[leehop71]

Got it setup with Amazon wake command.  My Bose needed to be charged so I haven't set it up with it yet.  Not sure what you meant DParker about having other options out there for using it with BT.  I have no option to have that instant on demand music through my Bose without the Echo.  Plus, the nice feature is you are not using up any phone, ipod, or tablet battery to play the music through the BT speaker.

[DParker]

Not sure what you meant DParker about having other options out there for using it with BT.

And I'm not sure what you mean by "using it with BT", assuming "it" refers to the Echo, as I didn't say anything about using it with BT.  What I said was was that there are better options than the Echo if what you want is a BT speaker.

I have no option to have that instant on demand music through my Bose without the Echo.

You don't have a computer?

Plus, the nice feature is you are not using up any phone, ipod, or tablet battery to play the music through the BT speaker.

That's what chargers are for (or at least, it's one thing they're for).

[leehop71]

And I'm not sure what you mean by "using it with BT", assuming "it" refers to the Echo, as I didn't say anything about using it with BT.  What I said was was that there are better options than the Echo if what you want is a BT speaker.

Was referring to the Dot being used to connect to BT speakers, not the Echo.

You don't have a computer?

Of course, but that's the whole idea of Home Automation......so we don't have to get up and go to the computer, or turn off the lights, or write things on our grocery list etc. etc.



That's what chargers are for (or at least, it's one thing they're for).

Again, it's not about using juice on the others, it's about still having them free to use not having to be concerned about how 'far away' I go being out of bluetooth range, and also, 'again' ... it's about Home Automation .... making us lazy...however you want to look at it!!