Echo (2nd Generation) - Smart speaker with Alexa and Dolby processing - Limited Edition Walnut Finish

Sorry if this is a bit lengthy, but I think Alexa deserves the time.First, a little background to give some perspective.I am 86 years old. My residence is in a 50 + community, in an extremely private location surrounded by trees with a pond on one side. No one can see whether or not my car is present. Secondly, I know no one in the community since I am new, and in addition, no one knows that I have even moved in, this was my first night here, so as far as anyone here knows, my residence is till empty.I have a sunroom adjoining the family room, separated by sliding glass doors. I had set up an enclosed section of the family room for my cats with a General, steel, cat cage in one end, next to the sliding doors so my cats could come in and out of the sunroom at their leisure. It was a very cold night, 32 degrees, and the sunroom was not heated.A little after midnight, I decided to go into the sunroom to get something, and I opened the sliders just a little to enter so that the cold would not come into the family room. While I was out there, I closed the slider leaving only about 8 inches or so open to keep the cold out. After completing my task, I decided to re-enter the family room and grasped the slider to open it wider only to find that it would not open any farther than it already was. I began to push as hard as I could, again and again, thinking it was just a little stuck, but to no avail. It simply would not budge even a tiny bit, the 8 or so inches was all I was going to be able to get it open! Well, I was getting quite cold without even a sweater in the 32 degree temps. It was well after midnight, and I estimated that it was well over a mile 1/2 back to the main gatehouse in the freezing temp, without even a sweater, even if I could muster up the energy for the walk after a tiring day of moving.The house was locked up tight as a drum, and no one else had a key, NOR DID I have my own house key, nor car key, since they were inside on the kitchen counter in my purse with my cell phone, If I had left the sunroom, I couldn't have gotten into the rest of the house, NOR even into the car. I would still be out in the cold without shelter.My son told me later that the gatekeeper had told him no one had pass keys, and there was no security person on duty at night, so no one making rounds to check on things who might have found me, even if I had yelled, and certainly no one else would be roaming around at that hour in the cold, and my immediate neighbors did not reside there any longer. So no, yelling would not be any help. If I had been in my previous neighborhood, I could have withstood the cold and knocked on a nearby neighbor's door, even at that hour in an emergency, but here I knew no one at all. Failing any other solution, and having no cell phone with me, I decided that I simply MUST squeeze my body through the small opening; I am rather slender and I believed I surely could do it. So with confidence, I began squeezing. After about a half hour, trying all sorts of positions and pushing with all my might, I managed to get the lower portion of my body through the small opening into the family room. I had decided that I should lie down on the floor and that in that position, I might relax my body enough to better squeeze through, so there I was, lying on the floor with my lower half in the family room, the metal track under my waist, which was quite painful, and my upper half 1/2 step lower down on the hard floor of the 32 degree sunroom. But I was confident and I felt I was halfway successful already!So then I began the attempt to squeeze my rib cage through the opening. Well, after several attempts, it simply would not fit at all. I twisted and turned into every conceivable position I could think of, but NO, it would not squeeze through the small opening, and my ribs were getting quite sore from all the pressing and pushing against the hard metal of the slider door.By this time it was well after 2:30 a.m., approaching 3 a.m. and I was tired, and cold, and sore, so I decided, OK, I would remove my bottom half from the family room, go out in the cold, knock on doors even at that hour, and try to find some help or shelter, or at least a phone, from total strangers, (if I could wake someone) or try to walk the mile 1/2 back to the gatehouse in the freezing cold. So reluctantly, I began pulling my bottom end out, (you would think that what went in, would surely come back out) but NO, it would not come out. Again, I tried and tried, but I could not remove my bottom half from the family room. So there I was, half way in and half way out and I was getting colder and colder and sorer and sorer.At this point I began to realize the seriousness of the situation. No one knew I was going to move in at this time, no one was expecting me anywhere, my son would probably not try to contact me till the following weekend and if he called and I didn't answer he would simply think I was off busy doing something, and he would think nothing of it. I am a hospital volunteer, but not an employee, so if I did not show up, I assumed that they would think I was merely inconsiderate to not call out when I had something else I needed to do that day. I doubted that anyone would come looking for me. Why would they! And they also did not know I had moved into the new residence.So actually, I could simply lie there for the next week or even longer, on the floor, half in and half out with no food or water or help of any kind. How long could I last like that at my age. Slowly the seriousness of my situation became evident to me. This was actually life threatening! I could simply starve! and at some time in the future someone would just find my body! I would have panicked, but the situation was so bizarre, I couldn't really grasp the reality of it all. So there I lay for a little while numbly accepting the predicament I was in, tho still partially unwilling to believe that there was no solution. BUT WHAT! It was well after 3 a.m.Suddenly, as I looked longlingly into the family room, and about 25 feet or so down at the other end of the room on the kitchen counter, I noticed something gray and cylindrical standing on the counter, next to my purse. OMG!, it was my Amazon Echo, (named Alexa) I had brought it with me and plugged it in without trying to re-program it for the new residence. Did it remember its programming from the other home after having been disconnected from a power source?? Not at all sure about that, but it was worth a try, so I yelled at the top of my lungs, ALEXA, CALL CHRISTOPHER!!Suddenly, unbelieveably, I heard her say, CALLING CHRISTOPHER! ding a ling, ding a ling, ding a ling!! And then he answered, awake at 3 a.m. in the morning watching tv! Mother are you ok, its after 3 a.m.?? NO, I replied, I 'm on the floor half in and half out of the family room and sunroom, trapped!!. He replied that he was putting on his shoes.Well, the gateman didn't want to let him in, but finally he did, My son also did not have a key, and he came and had to break into the sunroom smashing in the door and breaking the lock. He is a very large fellow, and once in he threw his weight against the slider and was able to open it about 3 or 4 more inches, just enough to let me squeeze the rest of myself inside.The General cat cage door, had wedged itself in between the two sliding doors preventing them from opening any farther, so each time I had tried to force it further open, it had just wedged the cage door in even more. Once inside, I was able to pull out the cage door releasing the sliding doors again. By that time it was approaching 4:30 a.m.Yes, I now have extra keys, even a lock box, and the cage has been removed, and I now have a medic alert pendant to wear around my neck.Sooooo, Amazon and Alexa saved me, I really believe she saved my life. So glad I noticed that little gray cylinder sitting on the counter so far away, 25 feet, at the other end of the room!!! AND thankful that after being moved to a new home, it remembered its previous program settings!! Thank you Amazon and Alexa!! Thank you, all of you who created and maintain dear Alexa.

---------------------------UPDATE 11/4/2017---------------------------After all the negative reviews and feedback on the poor sound quality of the 2nd generation Echo it appears that Amazon has taken quick steps to help remedy the issue. I spoke with an Amazon representative on the phone who confirmed that there has been a software update which is rolling out to Echo devices. After getting the update my Echo does indeed sound better! I still wouldn't call it audiophile-quality by any means, but the bass is fuller and the sound is less "tinny" overall.To check which software version you have, select "Settings" on your Alexa phone app, choose your Echo device, then scroll down the page to where it says "Device software version." The updated version (as of 11/4/17) is 592452420 (previously it was 592452320).You don't have to do anything to get the update; it will be sent automatically by Amazon. You may see the indicator light on your Echo will pulse blue as the update is installed. The representative I spoke with said you may get it more quickly by not using your Echo for several hours. I hit the mute button on mine and received the update within a few hours. I'm very impressed by Amazon's quick response to this issue!-----------------------------ORIGINAL REVIEW-----------------------------As a very happy owner of three Echo Dots (2nd generation) I was glad to see Amazon release a 2nd generation of the Echo as well. After using it for several days I can say I'm quite pleased with it, and even though it doesn't have any radical new features compared with the 1st Generation Echo or the Echo Dot, there are some notable improvements. I'll summarize these differences first and then describe the new Echo in a bit more detail.Improvements over the Echo 1st Generation:- More color and texture choices- A swappable outer shell- Ability to output audio to another device or stereo system via Bluetooth or an auxiliary cable- Dolby-powered speakers- Significantly lower price!Differences from the Echo Dot (2nd gen):- Larger size and swappable outer shell (these are probably obvious)- 2 speakers (tweeter and woofer) vs. 1- Power adapter sits flatter against the wall---------------------------Overall appearance---------------------------I purchased the "Heather Gray Fabric" version. The cloth is a polyester woven fabric made up of lighter and darker shades of gray which certainly gives it more visual interest than if it were just a solid, uniform gray. The neutral color blends in with nearly any decor, and the cloth gives it a softer look which is great for areas of your house where you don't want something that screams "I'm a device!"In terms of size, the Echo 2nd Generation is almost the same diameter (3.5") as the 1st Generation Echo (3.3"), but it is several inches shorter. To me the original Echo looked like a tower; this shorter version is much less ostentatious.The top of the device is identical to the 2nd Gen Echo Dot: it has four buttons (volume up, volume down, microphone off, and an "action" button), a multi-colored light ring around the edge that tells you about the Echo's status, and seven tiny holes below which the microphones sit.A new feature of this Echo is its swappable decorative shell. Simply press a button on the underside of the device and the shell slides right off, allowing you to replace it with any of the other shells that Amazon sells. I'm not sure how many people will take advantage of this feature given that additional shells are $20-30, but it could be useful if you want to change your Echo's look to match a different location in your home.A final note on appearance: the power adapter for the Echo sits fairly flat against the wall, protruding maybe 1.5". By contrast, the Dot's adapter sticks out from the wall 2-3 inches. The flatter adapter of the Echo is nice if you want to plug it into an outlet that is behind a piece of furniture.--------------------Audio quality--------------------I did a side-by-side comparison of the 1st and 2nd Generation Echos, and despite the new Dolby-powered speakers I did not notice a significant difference in sound quality with either music or spoken text. I certainly wouldn't call it "room filling sound" in any case. Clarity isn't bad, but bass is nearly non-existent. However, the real potential improvement in sound quality comes not from the speakers themselves but from a new feature for 2nd Generation Echo devices: using Bluetooth or a 3.5mm auxiliary cable (not included), you can play the audio through a nearby speaker or stereo system. Yes, this does means you are using two devices to accomplish one thing, but in a sense it's no different than plugging any other sound source into your stereo system. To be honest, I don't generally think of the Echo primarily as a music playback device anyway other than for very casual listening (but I realize that puts me in a minority... admittedly I'm a bit of an audiophile).Compared with the Echo Dot, however, there IS a noticeable difference in sound. This shouldn't be a surprise given that the Echo has two speakers (a tweeter and a woofer) while the Dot has only one. To my ear the difference isn't so much in clarity but rather in fullness. With two speakers and a bit more acoustic "heft," the Echo's sound has more presence than the Dot's, which to me makes it more tolerable to listen to for a period of time. The difference is even more appreciable with music than with newscasts or other spoken text.-------------------------Voice recognition-------------------------This is one area where I must confess I'm disappointed. Like the 2nd Generation of the Dot, the Echo 2nd Generation uses seven microphones beneath its top surface to recognize voice commands spoken from any direction. My wife and I both found this Echo to be slightly LESS proficient at detecting our voices and recognizing vocal commands than our Dots are. We did side-by-side comparisons of the Echo and the Dot in several locations around our house and the Dot was nearly always better at picking up our voices (and yes, we only had one plugged in at a time!). I'm not sure why this would be since both devices use similar technology, but the difference was pretty consistent. One possible explanation I can think of is this: Both devices have their microphone openings on their top surfaces, effectively pointing upward. Because the Echo is taller than the Dot, if you put both devices side by side and speak to them from several feet away, your voice will hit the Dot's microphones at a slightly more downward (i.e., direct) angle than the Echo's, which may help the Dot pick up your voice better. Obviously I'm only speculating here, but in support of this theory I have noticed that both devices have difficulty detecting my voice if I speak from below them (for example, if I'm sitting on the floor and the device is on a table).-------------------Functionality-------------------The bottom line is that overall functionality -- what the Echo 2nd generation "does" -- is nearly identical to the 1st generation Echo and the Dot. Keep in mind that the Alexa assistant software on which all Echos operate is run on Amazon's cloud, not your individual device. This means that as Amazon adds features to Alexa they automatically become available on all Echo devices. So, you can use any of them to:- Stream music via WiFi from multiple sources- Control smart home devices- Make hands-free calls to other Echo devices or phone numbers in North America- Make purchases from your Amazon Prime account- Listen to news feeds, podcasts, etc.- Do anything else in Alexa's ever-growing skill set, such as make shopping lists, set timers/alarms/reminders, play games, tell you your daily schedule, and any other skills Amazon dreams up for Alexa in the future.Personally I have two favorite Alexa skills: the Flash Briefing and the drop-in feature. The flash briefing is fully customizable daily "digest" of news and other information which you can hear any time by asking "What's my flash briefing?" There is a huge list of content you can add to your briefing including news updates, weather forecasts, sports and traffic updates, and educational snippets along with many that are just humorous or entertaining. Using the Alexa phone app or your Echo account page you can select exactly what content you want in your briefing and in what order you want to hear it. For example, I configured mine with NPR news, BBC news, the weather, and a word of the day. I love having an on-demand synopsis of the latest news from my favorite sources.My other favorite feature, "drop in," essentially opens a two-way communication channel between any two Echo devices, sort of like an intercom. Simply ask Alexa to "drop in on [the living room, the kitchen...]" and you are instantly connected. My wife and I use this feature all the time when we need to communicate from opposite ends of the house. You can turn drop-in capability on or off for each of your Echo devices individually, and you can also choose whether each device can drop in with ANY Echo device or only those in your own home.[Note that the drop-in feature is NOT the same thing as Alexa's hands-free calling feature. Hands-free calling allows you to call most phone numbers and Echo devices in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada from your Echo by saying your contact's name or number. Just like with a phone call, the other person must choose to answer your call before you can communicate. By contrast, with the drop-in feature communication is instantly established. For this reason you will probably want to use drop-in only with your closest family and friends, and probably only for certain rooms in your home!] -----------------------------------A few (minor) complaints-----------------------------------Unfortunately the Echo 2nd Gen shares an annoying trait of the Echo Dot: widely varying volume levels within the daily Flash Briefing. As you listen to the briefing, some components (such as One America News) come through quietly while others (like Fox News) are much louder. I don't know whether this variability is due to differences in how each component of the feed is produced or whether it has to do with the device itself, but in any case I hoped the phenomenon would be less pronounced with the 2nd Generation Echo than it is with the Dot. Unfortunately, it is not. Just be prepared to adjust the volume at the beginning of each segment.Another complaint I have is the inability to listen to certain feeds outside of the Flash Briefing. One America News is an example here: you can listen to the channel's live feed any time, but you can only hear the channel's "top stories summary" as part of your Flash Briefing. This issue is probably more software than device related, but still, it bugs me.--------------A few tips--------------1) The Echo seems to pick up voices best when placed at or below eye level (i.e., roughly the level from which your voice emits). Mine has trouble detecting voices coming from below it, so I don't recommend placing this on a high shelf.2) When you select news feeds for your Flash briefing I recommend picking one U.S. source and one international source (I use NPR and BBC - both are excellent). If you add too many feeds you'll get a lot of overlap and hear the same story several times.3) If you have multiple Echo devices in your home, sometimes speaking to one will cause others to respond as well, especially if they are in close proximity (like in adjacent rooms). One way to prevent this is to change the wake word of one of the devices to "Echo" or "Amazon." The only downside is that you then have to remember which wake word you assigned to each device!4) Some speakers have a bit of a "burn-in" period, so in an attempt to improve my Echo's sound I left it playing music for much of the first few days I had it. The sound did seem to improve a LITTLE, (the lower frequencies filled in some), but it's still not stellar. But if you're not happy with the sound at first, let it play frequently for a few days and it may improve a bit.--------------------------Which one to buy?--------------------------If you are trying to decide between the Echo and the Dot, think carefully about how you plan to use the device. The single biggest practical difference between the two is that the Echo has fuller, better quality sound. So if you plan to use the device mostly for listening to music, news, podcasts, or whatever, you will probably appreciate the Echo's better acoustics. On the other hand, if you want to use it mainly for voice control of smart home devices, the Dot is more than sufficient. I have a Dot in our home theater room that I use exclusively to control the lights in that room. For that type of single-purpose application anything more than a Dot would be overkill.==========Bottom line==========Although the Echo 2nd generation may not have any earth-shattering new features compared with the 1st generation, its significantly lower price and ability to send music to another speaker or stereo system make it a winner. If you already own a 1st generation Echo there probably isn't a compelling reason to upgrade because the difference in sound quality isn't significant. But if this is your first Echo device you will probably be very pleased with it. And if you are deciding between the Echo and the Dot, which one you purchase comes down to how you want to use the device. For heavy listening, the Echo may be preferable for its better acoustics; otherwise, the Dot is a great deal -- especially at half the price of the Echo!