amazon dot / echo

iammumtoone

I was thinking of buying a dot (the echo is a bit far out of my budget)

I want it to mainly work as a speaking calendar/reminder. Will it do this? For example I want my son to be able to tell it "remind me maths homework Thursday night" then on Thursday it will remind him.

Before anyone starts yes I know I can do this myself but I am trying to help him take more responsibility for himself his memory and organisation are terrible. He hates writing (as he can't write very well) so a diary is not going to work for him.

If I buy one I would also want to make use of it myself so will it work with two voices?

What do others use theirs for? What would you say is the best feature of it? Is the echo worth the extra money, what extra does it do for the price difference?

Is prime needed to use it? I do have prime but would rather not be tied to it.

One last thing is there anything similar from another manufacturer I could consider instead.

Thanks

busybee100

Hi iammumtoone
Not about dot or echo but has he got a smart phone? We use google and microsoft calendars to set up reminders. There's a widget which gives a scrolling 2 weeks on the home screen, it updates itself as the hours pass. You can also set the calendar up so you/others can see it or add to it. It took us a while to find our way around but it is very useful.

busybee100

Oh what I do know, well have been told, about dot/echo is yes you do need prime and the echo is if you haven't got a sound system, the dot plugs into your existing system.

iammumtoone

he doesn't have a phone, I refuse to get him one at his age (9).

He does have a ipad, I did think about using that but half the time it is left uncharged and I just though it would be easier to speak to a device.

Plus I wouldn't mind one myself, be handy to just ask for a weather/traffic report etc whilst doing other things than have to stop and use phone/tv to find out. Not sure if thats as easy as it sounds though.

bsod

sounds cool - every house visitor gets profiled 24/7, every garbled dream, every word ever spoken gets recorded, converted to text, analysed, stored, and monetised until eventually it will all be hacked and leaked to an unsuspecting world wondering where their privacy went.

iammumtoone

bsod wrote: »

sounds cool - every house visitor gets profiled 24/7, every garbled dream, every word ever spoken gets recorded, analysed, stored, and monetised until eventually it will all be hacked and leaked to an unsuspecting world wondering where their privacy went.

I am sure it can be turned off! From what I have read so far you have to call its name to turn it on then I assume it auto turns off after a few minutes if its not been spoken to.

I don't think anyone would really be much interested in the conversations in this house they are a bit boring mostly involving around Pokemon and whats to eat.

david39

Anything that contains a microphone and connects to the outside world has the potential to send your conversations to somewhere else if set up to do so : mobile phones, house phones, voice-actuated tvs, tablets, desktop PC, even your intercom doorbell if it has hidden circuitry.
Best to only whisper inside the house, too, as "they" can sit outside your house and hear you by measuring the vibrations of your window panes.
Oh, and then your satnav connects with satellites, so aliens in space might overhear you as well.

Better communicate by sign language or pen and ink from now on.

Lisbon

Bear in mind you need to buy one of these for each room, so could be a costly way to remind your son to do his homework! A cheaper option might be a basic mobile phone with a calendar/alarm (which he can carry with him round the house - no escape!). Even if he hates writing, it shouldn't be that hard to find a very brief way of setting the alarm with an appropriate reminder. You might need to give him a hand at first, but most kids seem able to text regardless of how much they hate handwriting, so might be a happy compromise.

DCFC79

OP

Maybe this thread will be of some use

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php

Lisbon

DCFC79 wrote: »

OP

Maybe this thread will be of some use

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php

Link leads nowhere...

imho

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5577024
DCFC79 link was working a few days ago.