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Announce that Dinner is Ready – IHome iAVS16 Product Review

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Alexa just rolled out the ability to use all the Amazon Devices as a one-way intercom. Simply Say Alex Announce that dinner is ready and she will announce it on any Amazon Device.

iHome iAVS16 SMart Alarm Clock with Alexa Enabled

Today I'm reviewing the iHome Smart Alarm Clock the iAVS16

I found the iHome Smart Alarm clock (with Alexa) at Best Buy (FYI it's $25 cheaper at Amazon) and it sounded pretty darn good. Then I found out it was Alexa Enabled and it had my attention, throw in that is has a built-in phone charger and I was sold. And as they say, “But wait there is more” the iHome app really takes advantage of your Spotify and other services integration. I can finally do what I've been trying to do and that is wake up to a Spotify playlist. For me, this was super cool.

Other features as this unit is more than likely going to end up in a Bedroom is there is a light bar that you can set up. There are even smart buttons you can program. That's right you can press one button on the alarm clock and it will play your best Barry White playlist and set the mood with the proper lighting. Oh yea.

Setup Is Easy

You download a free app, connect the app to your wifi. Then you fire up the clock and the app connects the clock to your wi-fi and you're ready to roll. Likewise, you connect your music services to the iHome app and now you can program your music services to buttons on the top of the unit.

Not So Great Surprises

You can also program it to control smart devices*, but there is an asterisk there. Those devices have to be using Smart Outlets from iHome.

There was one other pet peeve. On their website, it states the display is dimmable. It took me a while, but I figured out that the Snooze button is

What Does it Sound Like?

If you use to have a dot it's 8 million times better. You can adjust the bass and treble from the app, and I didn't know just how much bass I had until I went downstairs and heard all the bass pumping upstairs. If you're worried it won' t wake you?  Then you would have to be deaf. It will blast you out of the room. Want a warning shot? There is even an option to having soft soothing sounds play before the actual alarm.

There is a Difference Between an Amazon Device and an Alexa Enabled Device

While the iHome iAVS16 Smart Alarm Clock does everything I want it to do, when I went to try the “Announce” feature it stated that this feature was not available on this unit yet. I've never heard of this, but apparently, there is a difference between an actual Amazon Dot/echo/show and something that is Alexa enabled.

Conclusion

I've been wanting to wake to a Spotify playlist since music came to Alexa. While you can set music on an alarm in the Alex app, it wouldn't connect to a Spotify playlist and this does. The sound is great, and I have the bonus of a phone charger all in one. I don't have to ask Alexa what the temperature is outside or what alarm is set as they are both on the front of the display.

You can buy it at Amazon.com (currently $125)

 

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Stream Sports on TuneIn for $2.99 a Month

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Alex is Getting Brief Mode is Coming

This is an experimental feature not available everywhere. Settings > Alexa Voice Response (at the very bottom)

Alexa Can Fart On Command

Just say, “Alexa Fart.” Yep, this should be a big hit with the kids.

Taking Another Look At Alexa Routines

  1. Launch the Amazon Alexa app on your phone, tap the hamburger and select Routines.
  2. Routines can be triggered by a phrase, or set to turn on at a specific time (repeat options for multiple days are available). 
  3. Then you put in what you want her to do (so it's a big if this then that statement

For me I say, “Alexa, kill the lights,” and all of my smart lights go out and she tells me the weather (as I plan on using this when I get ready to leave). I did find I couldn't use it with things that she already had built in. For example, “Alexa, I'm outa here” already had a built-in response.

There are other ways I could do this. I could assign the lights to a room and ask her to turn of a room or scene. You can also have her tell you the traffic and news.

Alexa Owners Get a Discount on TuneIn Live

Alexa customers in the U.S. TuneIn Live, as the premium live audio subscription is called, will offer play-by-play calls from thousands of live sporting events, plus access to premium news stations, talk shows and other content. The subscription content comes from TuneIn partners like MLB, NBA, NHL, and the NFL, as well as news stations like CNBC, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, Newsy, and others. he broader TuneIn service also pulls in content from over 120,000 owned and operated as well as partner radio stations, and 5.7 million on-demand programs

The skill can be enabled on Alexa device with the command, “Alexa, open TuneIn Live.”

TuneIn Live is available as of today, Major League Baseball’s 2018 Opening Day.

This isn't the first time there has been a discount applied to Alexa users. The Amazon Music Unlimited Echo Plan lets Amazon Echo owners access all the benefits from Amazon’s on-demand music service on a single Echo device for $3.99 per month, instead of $7.99 per month for Prime members, or $9.99 per month for non-Prime members.

When you open the skill, try asking Alexa:
– Play the Yankees game
– What games are on?
– Listen to the Golden State Warriors
– Turn on MSNBC

Speaking of Discounts, there is a discounted version of Prime

Amazon announced this morning it will offer a low-cost version of its Prime membership program to qualifying recipients of Medicaid. The program will bring the cost of Prime down from the usual $10.99 per month to about half that, at $5.99 per month, while still offering the full range of Prime perks, including free, two-day shipping on millions of products, Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Photos, Prime Reading, Prime Now, Audible Channels, and more.

The new program is an expansion on Amazon’s discounted Prime service for customers on government assistance, launched in June 2017. For the same price of $5.99 per month, Amazon offers Prime memberships to any U.S. customer with a valid EBT card – the card that’s used to disburse funds for assistance programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program (WIC).

Dave on Alexa in Canada

http://alexaincanada.ca/15

 

iHome AVS16 Super Smart Alarm Clock With Alexa

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I would love to get my hands on these. It's like having an echo (the speaker seems pretty robust) with a built-in USB charger, and a clock. The app that comes with it enables more customization and since it is tied to Alexa, you can customize by adding Spotify, Pandora, etc. It's Alexa on steroids. I saw this at Best Buy for $149, but it's $20 cheaper on Amazon.


Check it out on Amazon.com