Echo Tips

In this episode we catch you up on all the Alexa AI Beta news from several episodes, going all the way back to our first experience in episode 278. We discuss the basics of launching the Beta, the types of information you can solicit, hallucinations, Conversation Mode, new hardware, and child safety features. Check out this omnibus episode to catch up on all the AI goodness!

In this episode we revisit an episode from our archives. Its a classic and historically very popular episode, that deals with how to set your Alexa alarm to wake you up to music, radio stations, and a whole lot more!

In this episode we play with some features in the Alexa AI Beta, which seem to suggest a capacity for various English accents. That right, have your Alexa talk like a southern from deep in Alabama, too a pirate on the high seas, and much more.

It looks like a version of the new AI Voice, for Alexa is here. Back in the September Amazon Event, we were told and even got to hear a small segment of what the new Alexa Voice would sound like, join us as we dive into the Alexa Beta and test out the new voice. Its hard to tell whether this is the same voice demonstrated on stage or a slightly less advanced version, but the natural sounding quality; pronunciation and timing has improved from our dusty old Alexa Voice. So have a listen as we delve into this topic.

In this episode we discuss the Conversation Mode on the newest Echo Show 8 (3rd Generation). How will this influence the natural feel of having a conversation with the Alexa AI Beta? Does it apply outside the Beta? And how do you turn it on? That and more are discussed in this episode of the Echo Tips Podcast.

In this episode we take a look at Amazon's all new Alexa Accessibility Portal, where you can learn about various features and tools that make these devices usable by nearly everyone.

In this episode we revisit Amazon Kids Plus. We take a look at how easy it is to surface content on the Echo, using the Kids Plus features. An annoyance I have with Amazon blocking Podcasts entirely for parents using the free tool, and not granting some sort of whitelisting option.

In this episode we have a listen to two voices for Amazon Kids Plus, subscribers, I'd never heard before. The Tiger and Panda voices. We also, learn Kids can't listen to Podcast, unless their part of the Amazon Kids Plus package. That, an more on this episoe.

In this episode we discuss the newly released Echo Hub. We'll compare it to the Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen) and the Echo Show 15.

Additional Resources and Reviews

https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/devices/amazon-echo-hub-best-features

https://www.thurrott.com/smart-home/298199/amazons-echo-hub-is-now-available-at-179-99

Amazon's September 2023 announcement mentioned a new high quality voice coming to Alexa. Where is it? When will it get here? More importantly, what can we expect, based on other movers and shakers in the field of voice technology. That and more discussed in this episode of the Echo Tips Podcast.

In this episode of the Echo Tips Podcast, we look at one of the very first games to demo Amazon's AI Large Language Models. We'll be playing a round of 20 Questions with Volley Inc.'s Amazon Skill called Volley games.

Are you playing with the Alexa Beta, but getting mixed results? If so, we'll show you how to figure out which Beta your on, at any given moment. We will discuss the notion of paying for a smarter AI enhanced Alexa and revisit some of the practical things you could use Character AI for. This an more on this episode of the Echo Tips Podcast.

In this episode we take a look at the all-new Character.AI Skill that was announced at CES 2024.

PopGun Labs announced during CES 2024 their Splash Music Skill on Alexa. Now using only your voice you can generate a song, lyrics, genre, and more simply via a voice command, using cutting edge AI! Have a listen as we go back down the AI rabbit hole!

As announced in September 2023, Character AI's characters are now available in the Alexa AI Beta. Imagine talking to Abraham Lincoln about a thorny political topic or asking Socrates a philosophical or moral question. Or imagine talking to Wonder Woman or Batman?! That's right, that's available and a whole lot more, check it out on this episode of the Echo Tips Podcast.

In recent news it was suggested that some advertising firms were selling info based on recordings acquired from 3rd parties. What's the real story about Amazon Echo's Alexa and her privacy controls? How does the technology work? Does she really listen to everything going on and record it? We'll tackle these items one by one and demonstrate some powerful privacy controls that are a single voice command away or a tap of your finger in the Alexa App.

What can the new Alexa AI Chat-Bot really do! Can it pull live content, can it pull website data, can it write a poem, and most importantly does it hallucinate? This an more, in this episode.

We heard back in September about new AI Large Language Model smarts coming to Alexa, an now we have a demo of these new Beta features to share with you! And as best as I can tell, we're the first to discuss and demo these new features.

In this episode we actually setup a Echo Dot that has been factory reset, to give you the feel for the setup process.The trick is making sure bluetooth is turned on, on your tablet or smartphone. This greatly speeds up and simplifies the process.

In this episode we cover how to setup a brand new Echo or Echo Show. The process has changed over time, and we'll mention some handy tips for various situations such as home automation setups & if your buying another Echo to augment your home.

In this episode we take a look at FireTV Stick Deals! And what you need to know, what's a good deal and what's not. FireTV Sticks of coarse have Alexa, with voice commands, which are super useful. We look at a starting price of $24.99 and discuss even why you should look at buying a FireTV stick even if you've already got a smart TV.

In this episode we give a simple run-down or buying guide for the Alexa line of products known as the Amazon Echo & Echo Show. We cover what's old and new, what a good price would be and what is a horrible price! Happy shopping!

We haven't visited this topic in a long time, but there is a wealth of high production choose your own adventure games on the Amazon Echo. In this weeks episdoe we discuss Batman, Superman, Star Finder, and more, as examples of truly amazing choose your own adventure games.

We revisit Notifications, especially with an eye on a new category that was annoying some folks called 'Interesting Stories". We'll discuss how to turn that off and do a high-level review of how Notifications can be useful.

In this episode we take a look at a wake routine bundled with Amazon Kids Plus, that's pretty cute. Alternatively, you could probably roll your own as a parent. We also discuss, a bug, I've seen lately where layered Alexa commands don't seem to work.

Amazon's announced AI and Large Language Models come first to Amazon Kids Plus, a paid for service by parents around the world. In this episode we demo some of its features, some work... some obviously are still a work in progress. See below for some of the latest articles on the topic.

References:

Tech Crunch

https://techcrunch.com/2023/10/25/amazon-brings-conversational-ai-to-kids-with-launch-of-explore-with-alexa/

PC Mag

https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/amazon-echo-show-8-3rd-gen-2023

In this episode, we dive back into the most recent Amazon Event. We take a look at some intriguing announcments, about features coming to the Amazon Echo Shows and Fire TV products which will meke finding your conent that much easier. In fact I'm very impressed by the demo, and I think you will be too!

In this episode of the Echo Tips Podcast, we take a third look at the Amazon Event, and take a peak at what Amazon says is coming for Parents & Children with Alexa, in the near future.

In this episode, we take a second look at Amazon's September Announcements. We learn that at least 25 new historical and other characters with associated voices are coming to Alexa devices in the future, along with more realistic voice inflections. We also surface, a key component in how that conversational mechanism works, an why a new Echo Show might be needed.

In this episode we take a look at Amazon's most recent September event, announcements, and hardware releases. We in particular scrutinize the AI features that are suppose to make Alexa smarter. Lastly, we tell you how to join the "Preview Program", so you can be on the bleeding edge.

In this episode we take a look at a seemingly new feature that allows you to get your reminders broadcast across all your Echos or a select number of them. We also revisit the options for repeating reminders, follow-up mode, and a few other options.

We delve into Timer settings that allow you to get those vital alerts on all your Echos and/or your telephone. Never burn that pizza again!

We delve back into our treasure chest of past episodes and pull out a oldie but a goodie, about Guard Mode. That's right the ability to use your Amazon Echo like a guard dog for your home, to alert you when something might not be right at home.

In this episode we take a deep dive into Amazon Music's Explicit Content Filters, Parental Controls, and utter lack of features compared to some 3rd party services. Did you know you can't block a song, album, or artist! Its true. Even if it was for benign reasons, for example two artist with the the same name, an you simply don't want to hear one but only the other. Or worse yet the Parental Controls don't give you any clear blacklist or white-listing options. No worries Spotify comes to the rescue or does it?

Submit Feature Requests for Amazon Music

https://bit.ly/AmazonMusicFail

In this episode we demonstrate how you can give feedback to your favorite music stations on iHeartRadio and discuss the price hike on Amazon Unlimited Music.

This concludes season 5 of the Echo Tips Podcast. We cover a variety of past demos, just in case you missed them. Also have a listen to our possible new theme music and vote on what you like best.

In this episode we revisit Blueprints. Blueprints allow you to create custom skills for yourself, your family, and/or your business! Formerly covered in episode 154.

What does Amazon's AI, Google BARD AI, and OpenAI's ChatGPT, mean for the A-Lady. After some recent announcements from Google and Amazon about AI an their Virtual Assistants we explore what the future might hold.

Show Notes:

BARD coming to the Google Assistant:

https://www.axios.com/2023/07/31/google-assistant-artificial-intelligence-news

AI Plus Alexa

https://www.axios.com/2023/07/26/amazon-alexa-ai-home

META's AI Personas

https://www.cnet.com/news/social-media/meta-will-let-you-use-ai-chatbots-with-personalities-report-says/

In this episode we take a look at how you can set alarms and timers on other Echos, no matter where they are located. We also revisit the Announcements feature and some new ways it operates.

In this episode we discuss two networks devoted to the vision impaired; namely AMI-Audio and Vision Australia. We also take a look at a set of reoccuring bugs with podcast playback and Audible audiobooks. Lastly, we visit some of the concerning news surrounding Belkin's WEMO and their smart devices.

Link to Stacey's IOT Podcast dealing with WEMO

https://staceyoniot.com/podcast-why-we-think-wemo-is-a-no-go-for-us/

There's some amazing Prime Day Deals, ending on July 12th. We discuss a few and then review the power of Alarms, Timers, and Reminders.

In this episode we revisit the brand new Hey Disney Skill. We take a look at the Disney Stories feature and trivia game.

In this episode you'll learn about the Hey Disney feature called Soundscapes. These can transfer you to a universe of your choosing whether its Disney, Marvel, or Star Wars!

In this episode we introduce you to the all-new Hey Disney! skill. There's a lot going on with this skill, so this is part one of several episodes about the Hey Disney Skill. Below find a list of some of the commands we used and some we'll use in the future.

# Hey Disney Feature on Alexa

Alexa, introduce me to Hey Disney

Hey Disney! Start the magic

Hey Disney, what can you do?

Hey Disney! let’s go on an adventure! Hey Disney! play a soundscape

Hey Disney, let's play Trivia

Hey Disney, tell me a story

In this episode we demo the Nature Sounds, Sleep Jar, and Ambient Visions Skills. We also highlight the recent Amazon outages that may have affected Alexa's performance over the past few days.

Ever wanted to remind yourself of something as soon as you got home? What about work? Now you can using location-based reminders. In this episode, we’ll show you how to set up location-based reminders on your Amazon Echo device. Tune in now! From our Archives, previously episode 44.

Tune in to the latest episode of Echo Tips where we discuss Amazon’s recent decision to discontinue its celebrity voices for its virtual assistant. We’ll cover the launch of the feature in 2019 with Samuel L. Jackson’s voice and the addition of Shaq and Melissa McCarthy. We’ll also talk about what this means for users who paid for these voices and what we think the future holds for custom voices on the Amazon Echo. And how AI is going to make our Alexa devices smarter than ever.

Referenced in this Podcast:

The Verge:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/30/23742109/amazon-alexa-celebrity-voices-discontinued

VoiceMod's Voice.ai

https://www.voicemod.net/ai-voices/

Get ready for the latest episode of the Echo Tips Podcast! This week, we’re diving into the exciting new features of the Echo Pop and the newly revised Echo Show 5. Tune in to learn all about these amazing devices and how they can enhance your smart home experience. Don’t miss it!