An ECHO Dot for $19?

[Jean]

Found this, Vobot, an Alexa-enabled smart button (http://getvobot.com/). It looks like a echo dot w/o far-field voice recognition.

Will it be practical if I couldn't talk to it in a distance？

[jwlv]

If you have to press a button to use it, why not just press the home button on phone and talk to Siri or GoogleNow?
Being able to activate Alexa from a distance is the biggest advantage of using Echo.

[Yoda_One]

@jwlv I agree but as a add-on for convenience especially for controlling smart devices it has it place. It will even be better once Amazon allows controlling/ directing to a particular Alexa device. Ex. Play Bach on  Family Room DOT or send music to Media FireTV.

Just my 2 cents.
 

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[mike27oct]

Hey, at only $19, if someone wants to try one, they ought to just buy one.  What's the big financial risk?

[Yoda_One]

^^^ +1 I put myself down for one.

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[renegade600]

If you have to hold a button, might as well get walkie talkies  :-) Me, I am waiting for the Zenbo.   

[vegasguy]

The Roger app is free and you can use it to talk to Alexa.


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[mike27oct]

Agree, but Roger app is limited, and seems less so than this gadget when it comes to commands; like to play music.  Roger can't do that.

[Vonda Z]

If you have to press a button to use it, why not just press the home button on phone and talk to Siri or GoogleNow?
Being able to activate Alexa from a distance is the biggest advantage of using Echo.

It looks like it is also hands free - but seems like you should be within 5 feet for best results:

Vobot is a hands-free, voice-activated device. Just say the wake word "Hey Alexa" and it responds instantly (works great within 5-feet).

It looks cool but given that they are crowdfunding this on indiegogo and haven't even set up the campaign yet, I'll wait until it actually exists before getting excited.