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Pre-Order - Amazon Alexa Echo - 2 for $199 Delivered (Introductory Offer) @ Amazon AU

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Pre-Order - Amazon Alexa Echo - 2 for $199 Delivered (Introductory Offer) @ Amazon AUAffiliate
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joey005 on 18/01/2018 - 07:50 amazon.com.au (2612 clicks)
Last edited 24/03/2018 - 23:57 by 2 other users
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Amazon Echo connects to Alexa, a cloud-based voice service, to play music, make calls, set alarms and timers, ask questions, check your calendar, weather, traffic and sports scores, manage to-do and shopping lists, control compatible smart home devices, and more.
Just ask for a song, artist or genre from Amazon Music Unlimited, Spotify, iHeartRadio, TuneIn and more. With multi-room music, you can play music on Echo devices in different rooms. Echo can play radio stations, news briefings and read kindle ebooks. Services may require subscriptions or other fees; Bluetooth not supported for multi-room music.
Call or message anyone hands-free who also has an Echo device or the Alexa App. Also, quickly connect to other Echo devices in your home using just your voice.
Dolby processing speakers that fills the room with immersive, 360 degree omnidirectional audio, and delivers crisp vocals, deep bass, and clear highs at louder volumes.
With seven microphones, beam-forming technology and noise cancellation, Echo hears you from any direction-even while music is playing.
Just ask Alexa to control your compatible smart lights, switches and smart plugs.
Alexa is always getting smarter and adding new features and skills. Just ask Alexa to control compatible smart devices, request an Uber, find a recipe, and more.

This item will be released on February 1, 2018.
Pre-order now.

Echo Dot is also on special
Echo dot - 2 for $79 - Echo Dot

Price History at C CamelCamelCamel.
Electrical & Electronics Amazon Speakers Voice Assistant

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closed Comments

  • voldemort on 18/01/2018 - 07:56
    +1

    Finally launched in Australia!!!
    I’m with GH ecosystem atm and very happy with it, does anyone know the main difference between these two besides just the appearance?

    • fratzhaus on 18/01/2018 - 08:07
      +1

      The only thing I can remember that was nice on the Alexa, was that you could add speakers to it using Bluetooth and ask it to play media on those.

      I haven't bothered to look into whether they have multi-room support or other features, considering the home has been doing quite nice at my place.

    • Ryanek on 18/01/2018 - 08:25

      You mean the difference between Echo and the Dot? The only difference is the speaker. They both have the same functionality and mic technology.

    • kowcop on 18/01/2018 - 08:37
      +2

      The echo and echo dot have 3.5mm jack so you can connect to external speakers, also connects to bluetooth speakers for better sound. I am not sure if the Google Home does it (or if it only works with the Google music service), but Alexa also works with Spotify

      • onlinepred on 18/01/2018 - 08:42
        +1

        The Google home has better speakers than both the echos in their respective sizes so not connecting to external speakers isn't a big deal. Google Home also can connect to BT devices.

        • bigguyoz on 18/01/2018 - 08:53
          +2

          The echos have a far superior mic array to the gh

        • readeral on 18/01/2018 - 08:58
          +2

          @bigguyoz: I've found my GH to be well sensitive enough, can't imagine how troublesome it would be to have two echos in my apartment if they're even more effective!

        • onlinepred on 18/01/2018 - 10:04
          +1

          @bigguyoz: That's cool, I was talking about speakers though…

          If you want to talk about other pros/cons, the GH supports multiroom setup and if you use android it offers better integration. And Chromecast right?

        • bdl on 18/01/2018 - 10:27

          @readeral: If both/multiple Echos hear you, they are actually programmed so only one responds :)

        • Major Mess on 18/01/2018 - 11:15

          There are a lot of other manufactures of speakers with GH built in.

        • CountParadox on 18/01/2018 - 11:34

          @readeral: My gh has trouble hearing me when theres other noises or music playing in the room, (not playing through the gh)

          It also frequently keeps listening after I have finished talking

          my one US Echo Dot never misses a queue even when I call for it from another room with music playing !

        • readeral on 18/01/2018 - 12:09
          +1

          @CountParadox: I was having that problem (with keeping on listening) and discovered that my internet upload speeds had taken a dive (just needed to restart my router). Once I resolved that, the continued listening issue stopped. My assumption is that in order to speed up the turn-around for responses, Google Home streams your command to their servers and begins parsing your query before you've even finished it. When there is a connectivity problem, it receives no 'stop listening' command, because it hasn't received your whole command yet.

          Check your connection, and give your GH a better chance to upload the command by moving closer to router etc. It may not be this, but it could be.

        • bdl on 18/01/2018 - 13:27

          @readeral: Your Internet speed slowdown - could be this bug (which is due to be patched any time now) https://www.xda-developers.com/google-home-chromecast-connec…

        • readeral on 19/01/2018 - 09:10

          @bdl: Nah, my issue was definitely just my router. I was aware of this issue, but mine was unrelated.

        • thegoon on 20/01/2018 - 02:21

          While GH can play music from your phone via bluetooth it can't connect to another speaker via bluetooth. Also, the GH is not particularly impressive as a speaker but is OK for the odd song or reading the news. So I think the Echo's ability to connect to another speaker is a good option to have. I'll probably get one.

        • onlinepred on 20/01/2018 - 09:27

          @Kelsey Flynn: if you get an audio Chromecast, the Google home can send music to any device though. So connecting to another speaker etc is almost a mute feature.

      • fozzie on 18/01/2018 - 09:18
        +1

        Yes Gh connects to spotify

      • hollykryten on 18/01/2018 - 10:45

        Google Home works with Spotify.

        • Lukian on 18/01/2018 - 12:30

          Alexa works with Spotify (premium).

        • sane on 18/01/2018 - 14:35
          +1

          @Lukian:

          Doesn't do the free version though, which GH does.

    • stinkychicken on 18/01/2018 - 09:50
      +1

      This article has all the info you should need - https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/12/guidemaster-everythi…

      Some of the 3rd party apps look quite useful.

    • Major Mess on 18/01/2018 - 11:16

      With a controller you can run both systems together.

    • asa79 on 18/01/2018 - 11:47

      Echo can handle multi speaker spotify where Google pulls music from one speaker to the next speaker

      • zfa on 18/01/2018 - 12:32

        I've never heard this before, can you explain the possible impact? My GHs seem to play together just fine?

        • asa79 on 18/01/2018 - 13:38

          My Google home seems to steal the spotify connection from the other when you request it to play

        • zfa on 18/01/2018 - 16:27

          @asa79:

          Think that's the fact spotify only allows one concurrent stream per account. Be interesting to see if Alexa has a deal for multiple independent playback streams. Simultaneous playback is covered on Google Homes via grouping them.

    • bamzero on 18/01/2018 - 12:13
      +1

      Thanks for the heads up, my dot no longer has to live in London.

      As far as differences, I have a mini and a dot and while GH gives better results to searches and questions (obviously) Alexa still takes top spot because of audio out (I bluetooth to in-ceiling speakers) and the fact that the google home can't even connect to my calendar because I use Google Apps for my domain, yet Alexa can.

      • asa79 on 18/01/2018 - 13:37

        What ceiling speakers do you use

    • netpenthe on 18/01/2018 - 12:57

      i have both

      the Amazon one didn't work very well in Australia as you had to say you lived in the US to register - so things like weather etc didn't work - had to say "weather in adelaide australia"

      the Amazon one i have is portable with a battery and goodish - ue-boom style speaker - this is a REAL winner.. makes it easy to carry around with you..

      the google one worked with spotify ootb
      the amazon one worked with amazon prime (but maybe could get spotify working)

      audible didn't work properly on the amazon one cos i think the stores (USA/AU) were mixed up

      on the whole, if the amazon one is built for AU and can get spotify going, i'd get amazon over google

      • bjinco on 18/01/2018 - 20:54
        +1

        now you can set AU address if you bought echo from US. using amazon app or login to alexa web app
        i'm using spotify on amazon, no problem.

      • R4 on 05/02/2018 - 00:20

        No problem with getting Spotify on 1st gen (US) Echo in Australia

  • pw2002au on 18/01/2018 - 07:58
    +9

    Not negging this deal - but surely amazon could release the full series of echos here, not just unload the older ones without screens in Aus - we dont even get the old echo show let alone the spot. I bought into the echo market long ago and love them but suspect google may end up with a good hold on the market here with Amazons delayed rollout.

    • Kontiki on 18/01/2018 - 09:25
      +3

      Yeah it's not nice to be considered a retail dumping ground for the US' end-of-life stuff.

      • StevieRay on 18/01/2018 - 11:04
        +11

        If its good enough for our military. …

    • Jakal on 18/01/2018 - 09:42
      +5

      The echos they're release here are the current US models, not old stock. The screen models don't replace the one's they're releasing here, in fact the echo and the plus are newer than the echo show.

      • Kontiki on 18/01/2018 - 09:48

        OK cool, yay Amazon then.

      • pw2002au on 18/01/2018 - 12:29
        +1

        We still end up with the limited variety compared to other parts of the world. I agree the screen models dont replace the ones they have released but its a much better interface for things like plex streaming rather than yelling at the existing echos.

    • Anthrox on 18/01/2018 - 09:42
      +1

      Google & Lenovo are making smart display they look pretty good over the spot https://9to5google.com/2018/01/12/hands-on-google-assistant-…

    • hen dawg on 18/01/2018 - 10:02
      +1

      These are new products going on sale. The Show doesn't replace the Regular Echo. Just another version.
      The Fire Stick is crappy old stock

  • [Deactivated] on 18/01/2018 - 08:03
    +2

    Hopefully I can try Alexa on Sonos one soon

    • philhawthorne on 18/01/2018 - 10:01
      +1

      Why wait? I have a Sonos One working with Alexa right now. Tells me weather in Australia and everything.

      Just need to change your Sonos country to US (doesn't change anything else)

      • mzuppit on 18/01/2018 - 10:35

        Really? I thought you had a get a VPN, change your amazon country to US as well as change your Sonos country to US. If it's that simple, I will try this when I get home!

  • Bippz01 on 18/01/2018 - 08:06
    +10

    Too Little……Too Late….

    • bchliu on 18/01/2018 - 08:17
      +37

      Yup. Google home has won Australian market with aggressive pricing and marketing.. Amazon generally has been losing badly in Australia with the time to market problems..

      • Bippz01 on 18/01/2018 - 08:27
        +5

        Google marketed the Minis very aggresively around Christmas and New year.
        So far the much anticipated Amazon launch has been a failure….
        Remains to see how much ground they can cover!!

        • hammo on 18/01/2018 - 09:04
          +7

          Not sure I agree. It was the press that hyped up their launch, not them. If you didn't watch the news or read press websites, there would have been almost no mention at all of them arriving or opening. I didn't even get an email from them telling me that they were open.

          I think that we will all be pleasantly surprised over time by their force here, it just didn't match the explosive and immediate expectations created by the press.

        • Kontiki on 18/01/2018 - 09:28
          +2

          @hammo:

          Agreed, give them time. I think Amazon still considers their current presence here as a soft launch.

          I have lived and worked in several countries with an Amazon presence - they are absolutely huge. Cannot be compared to what we have here yet.

        • Bippz01 on 18/01/2018 - 09:36

          @hammo:
          I see what u r saying. But that has been a couple of months now. We havent seen any groundbreaking deals(a.k.a US style) so far.
          I somehow cant understand this Slow release.
          Only time will tell!!!!

        • Major Mess on 18/01/2018 - 11:18

          @hammo: There has been an affect on local pricing without a big opening.

        • hammo on 18/01/2018 - 11:30
          +1

          @Bippz01:

          I think of it like this. Amazon sells in two ways:
          1) Their own stock, sold themselves, through their own warehouse
          2) Another company's stock, sold via Amazon, through Amazon's warehouse

          Most of what I've seen to date has been aligned to #2 above, which is a very sensible way of entering a market. Get people paying for the floorspace in your warehouse (by holding their stock), launch your back end systems, launch your logistics relationships, etc. Work out all of your bugs and find the 'different things' in the local market before making any significant comittment.

          We must remember that Amazon US and UK did not launch with a bang, however their dominance is absolutely felt now. They started doing books, cd, videos, etc and slowly grew into other items over time.

          In my opinion one of the biggest problems holding Amazon back right now is the chicken and egg of freight. We are 1000 years behind in our logistics capabilities in this country. Having lived in the US and the UK, the level of service (most likely derived through competition) is amazing compared to our rather embarassing national carrier - Australia Post. They can't be amazing without decent freight partners, who won't offer them much of a deal until the volumes are up.

        • netpenthe on 18/01/2018 - 12:58
          +1

          @hammo:

          yer i don't agree either - its very easy change between them, almost zero lock in really.

        • bargainshooter on 18/01/2018 - 21:38

          In my opinion the only people who were disappointed by the amazon au "launch" were people on ozbargain wanting big bargains. Amazon isn't here to lose money, they're here to build presence, fix logistics and dominate retail. I don't understand all these posts about Amazon's launch being a failure.

      • ocoolio on 18/01/2018 - 08:28
        +5

        Yeah, they better watch out! We are a big, proud, and strong nation with huge market and buying power. oi oi oi!
        Oh, wait a sec…

        • Bippz01 on 18/01/2018 - 08:32

          The truth is they were stuffed from the launch itself, which was delayed by many many days and they turned out to be a spoiler.
          Google Home, Ebay deals, Xiaomi may all just add up to be too much on the electronucs front from them..

      • Gandalf the Thrifty on 18/01/2018 - 08:30
        +1

        Their focus is probably enterprise cloud infrastructure which would make a lot more ongoing income then these consumer devices

        • bchliu on 18/01/2018 - 09:30
          +1

          Even that part of the business is up to shit at the moment. Basically the entire Retail sector has excluded AWS as being a platform they will use - many other sectors are also concerned as well. Microsoft has launched some really aggressive bundling of Azure / O365 enough to make Amazon look expensive. Their retail division didn't make the thanksgiving date of opening and really on a backfoot.

          So yes, the launch of Amazon products have been nothing more than disasterous really. They do have money though, so only time will tell if they will continue to chuck money into a market as small as Australia to gain leadership in their portfolio sectors.

        • whiffyfuzzball on 18/01/2018 - 11:59

          @bchliu:

          lol. AWS is larger than all other cloud providers added together.

          "Basically the entire Retail sector has excluded AWS" also not true - a couple of US retailers have, that's all.

        • bchliu on 18/01/2018 - 12:24

          @whiffyfuzzball: lol.. All Australian retailers that I know about has pulled from AWS because its contradicting to store their data on their competitor's hardware. Even the likes of Woolies who were early adopters have pulled out to Azure since they became competitors.

          AWS is larger than all other cloud providers added together.

          True. Except the others (Azure/Google/Alibaba) are growing at twice the rate of AWS. Will only be a matter of time before they catch up and overtake with this level of projection. I daresay it will hit equilibrium within 2-3 years time.

        • [Deactivated] on 18/01/2018 - 20:26

          @bchliu: I know for certain one of Australia’s top 10 retailers makes extensive use of AWS. I don’t know how many others do but it’s pretty easy to tell if they’re using cloudfront by inspecting the headers.

          And yes potentially Amazon could mine that data to get which products sell, and for how much….

          Things like Shipster seem to be a fairly effective counter to Amazon Prime. Amazon will have more trouble here because we have fewer bigger retailers who have steadily been getting their acts together. I know some that two years ago took WEEKS to fulfill online orders and they’re now doing click and collect in less than an hour or same day delivery in some areas. Amazon’s biggest advantage is they have buckets of cash to burn and a proven model.

        • whiffyfuzzball on 22/01/2018 - 12:20

          @bchliu:

          " All Australian retailers that I know about has pulled from AWS"

          Name some names so we can verify this, otherwise it's just a baseless claim.

      • Smigit on 18/01/2018 - 09:11
        +2

        It’s still early days for smart speakers, AI in general and many of the technologies that will integrate with them such as smart home appliances. At this time no one has won.

        Also a lot of the devices and services integrating with these assistants are Alexa ready so it’s not like Amazons starting from scratch here.

        Sure there won’t be a lot of echos in Australia’s homes, but it’ll probably slot right in with a bunch of people’s existing gear and in the US Where a lot of techs coming from Alexa’s arguably in the lead, although CRS would indicate a shift with so many companies integrating Google.

      • stinkychicken on 18/01/2018 - 09:55

        Interestingly though the echo has 70+% of the US market as they released first over there.

        • bchliu on 18/01/2018 - 10:33

          Yep. But that's only their domestic market. Outside of US, Amazon is only a very small player realistically.
          Google on the other hand is, well.. truly International (bar a few exceptions such as China)

          Maybe Xiaomi might make a Baidu device for the Mainland China Domestic market? Lol..

        • elektron on 18/01/2018 - 11:12

          @bchliu: I like the value offered by some of Xiaomi's products but I wouldn't be buying a smart speaker from them any time soon… And how much cheaper than $37 (2 x $74) can they get?

        • bchliu on 18/01/2018 - 11:15

          @elektron: Integrated Gateway into their products.. selling a package with Mi IOT products all-in-one starter is value add they can do - much like their 5 in 1 smart home package.

        • regenade on 18/01/2018 - 11:16

          @elektron: Err in which world are you in ? They already launched one 6 months back for around US $45.
          https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/26/xiaomi-mi-ai-speaker/

          Its a competition model to the Echo Dot Plus at 1/3rd the price. We pay very high for these devices (Google Home and Echo).

        • elektron on 18/01/2018 - 11:21

          @bchliu: Google Home also offers home automation without requiring a gateway… I haven't done much with it but it's been fun turning off my TVs with voice.

        • elektron on 18/01/2018 - 11:24
          +1

          @regenade: If $37 for a speaker (GH Mini) with built in wi-fi, bluetooth, Google Assistant and smart home integration is "very high" price for you, than you're a much better OzBargainer than I am…

        • regenade on 18/01/2018 - 11:32

          @elektron: $19 in the US during Black Friday :D, I am sure when there is an outright war between Echo Dot and Home Mini , both will be priced at $19 with free subscriptions bundled !! You shouldn't be paying for these devices now, they are looking to gain market share so should be given out for free !!

        • elektron on 18/01/2018 - 11:37

          @regenade: Too late, I already have 3 GH Minis! Paid the early adopter tax! :-)

        • regenade on 18/01/2018 - 11:39

          @elektron: Mini's can stream to your HT or other Bluetooth enabled speakers. Thats a big NO NO for that at that price. I have a Google Home (bought for AU $99) and a Echo dot for US $20 !!

        • bchliu on 18/01/2018 - 11:46

          @elektron: But Google Home does not have Zigbee or alternative IOT protocols outside of proprietary WIFI connectivity. Just watch this space as IOT standardisation war will happen. Maybe a future version of Google Home / Echo may have this?
          https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/eleven-internet-of-thi…

        • salem on 18/01/2018 - 11:54

          @bchliu: Amazon have an echo with ZigBee already. Or zwave. One of those

        • elektron on 18/01/2018 - 12:00

          @bchliu: As I said, I haven't done much with home automation and don't have much use for it at the moment besides entertainment / streaming. Only have Google Home Minis and I think they're decent value for under $50, especially considering that the capabilities are constantly improving…

        • bchliu on 18/01/2018 - 12:12

          @elektron: Lol.. Not sure why you are fighting hard and tooth about the Google Home Minis for. I'm not saying they are in any way bad at all (I have two Google minis and one full at my house along with one Echo Dot). I've been using Google Home since release (much before it was official in Australia) - so I know how good it is.
          Just saying the Chinese could come up with alternatives as good as the Echo Dots but for their own domestic market since Google and Amazon are actually blocked by their Great Firewall. Pretty sure everyone here agrees with that.

        • bchliu on 18/01/2018 - 12:14
          +1

          @salem: Both. but only with their "Plus" version.. not their cheap Dot version.

        • elektron on 18/01/2018 - 12:16

          @regenade: I think Google Home and Home Max are an overkill, at least for me, as I have a few speakers with wi-fi capability that kill either of these in terms of audio quality. Not to mention the home theatre.
          Therefore, I believe that the Minis offer good value. I don't use the speaker on the Minis for music, but just tell them to stream to a more powerfull wi-fi enabled speaker / HT.

        • elektron on 18/01/2018 - 12:40

          @bchliu: Not sure what your beef is when all I said was that I wouldn't be buying Chinese smart speakers any time soon, especially when the Mini is already so cheap. I barely trust Google as it is, especially with having 'ears' at my home, and I certainly wouldn't trust a Chinese manufacturer, even though I do own a few Xiaomi products.

      • asa79 on 18/01/2018 - 11:52

        With the two for $8 Amazon needs to beat

    • oztite on 18/01/2018 - 10:14
      +2

      Bezos is famous for long term, v v v long term planning. Don't think we can judge the success of Amazon Australia until about 5 yrs later… It's quite different from other retailers…

  • Gbags on 18/01/2018 - 08:07

    I'm not seeing the 2 for $199 offer, is there something you need to do to get that deal? I just see the $119 price but can order up to two

    *edit all good, I just wasn't reading properly further down the page! Too excited to have it here officially supported (I have 4 already…)

    • Grandpipe on 18/01/2018 - 08:11

      scroll down a little and you'll see it. There is a blue square image that says special offer with the details next to it.

    • Ryanek on 18/01/2018 - 08:34

      Did you just choose a quantity of 2 and added to your cart? I can't seem to get the offer.

  • Grandpipe on 18/01/2018 - 08:10
    +1

    2 echo dots for $79
    2 echo's for $199
    1 echo + philips hue lightbulb for $199

    • Smigit on 18/01/2018 - 12:10

      Note the Hue bulbs the White model which go for around $30. Aren't the more expensive ambient bulbs.

  • bchliu on 18/01/2018 - 08:15
    +1

    Wow. Echo working in Australia properly now with all the services? Need to reconfigure Dot echo then

    • bchliu on 18/01/2018 - 20:02

      It's not working. Does not even pick up Australian Addresses properly.. argh..

  • hogwarts on 18/01/2018 - 08:16
    +4

    Hey Alexa, is this deal worth it?

    • [Deactivated] on 18/01/2018 - 08:21
      +47

      Alexa : Let me Google that for you…

  • salem on 18/01/2018 - 08:26
    +1

    I thought this was rubbish. A second gen echo for 199? Then I reparsed the heading. 2 echos for 199. Not bad.

  • cdaddy on 18/01/2018 - 08:39
    -8

    Humans are so lazy they give up privacy and data for voice commands

    • onlinepred on 18/01/2018 - 08:43
      +2

      We gave up privacy long before voice commands lol. Wired telephones pretty much started it.

      • Diji1 on 18/01/2018 - 09:04

        You seem to have a very dim understanding of how it works.

        • xev on 18/01/2018 - 09:21

          Obviously he is not a Rick & Morty fan.

        • onlinepred on 18/01/2018 - 10:03

          @xev: I am but my mind doesn't work in a way that I can recollect things that happened in every episode, infact most of the time I can't remember what I did yesterday…

    • Salmando on 18/01/2018 - 10:32

      Pfft please, nothing I say out loud in my home is important enough to hope no one is listening.

      Honestly, everything you do in the internet is a far bigger privacy risk than Google sitting there listening to me talk shit, all the while just dying for that magic command that will spring it to life.

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