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Finally…someone put Alexa into a light switch

NEWS – I admit it I’m a sucker for smart speakers and home products. I like having the ability to control things like my lights and locks, using my voice. I own four Alexa enabled devices, and I use them all the time. Now, iDevices has taken Alexa and put her into the Instinct Smart Light Switch. 

With Instinct, you get all the Alexa goodness without the clutter of cords or hubs. Instinct’s sophisticated design completely hides the technology.  Alexa remains completely hidden until she’s needed. When you say the wake word (Alexa), the familiar Echo-style blue light ring will light up from behind the switches paddle switch. From there, you can ask Alexa to do things like set a timer, add to your shopping list, or get the latest news and weather updates. You can even configure the ring in the Alexa app and use it as a night light.

Instinct features a seamless modern finish and installs just like any other light switch. And it connects to your homes WiFi network.

You can even use Instinct to listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks. Instinct features premium SOEN Audio technology that delivers big sound from inside the small light switch.  Small openings on the Instinct’s paddle switch disperse the sound. The speaker is orientated to amplify sound by taking advantage of the space within your walls, giving you a fuller, rich sound. 

If you like Alexa like I like Alexa, then this is a product and solution worth checking out.

The iDevice Instinct Smart Light Switch is $99 and is available now from iDevices or Amazon.

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Finally…someone put Alexa into a light switch originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 28, 2019 at 10:00 am.

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iOttie Easy One Touch Connect car mount with Alexa review

REVIEW – Andy reviewed the iOttie Easy One Touch Connect car mount almost 2 yrs ago and now iOttie has updated the Easy One Touch with Alexa. Let’s take a look.

What is it?

The iOttie Easy One Touch Connect is a car mount for your mobile phone that can be attached to your windshield or your dashboard and has built-in Alexa functionality.

What’s in the box?

  • iOttie Easy One Touch Connect
  • Adjustable dash/window mount
  • Dash pad
  • 12V power adapter with USB port
  • Instructions

Design and features

The phone holder features a one-handed mechanism that has two gripper arms that hug the sides of your phone, a “foot” rest for the bottom of your phone, and a rubber-covered backrest that doubles as the eject button. There are also two more arms on the sides that you squeeze to open the main gripper arms. See the video clip below that demonstrates how the mechanism works.

A view of the back of the iOttie shows the adjustable footrest at the bottom, the micro USB charging port above it, the adjustable windshield/dashboard mount arm connector in the center, and the microphone mute toggle button at the top.

Attaching the iOttie phone holder to the adjustable mounting arm is as easy as loosening the collar around the connector, snapping the mount in place and tightening the collar again.

The mounting arm has two adjustment points that allow you to customize the length and angle of the arm. In the image above, the arm is at its smallest length.

Now we see the arm fully extended. A thumbscrew on the center of the arm allows you to customize the arm to the desired length.

Another thumbscrew near the base allows for adjustment of the angle of the arm.

I tested the iOttie Easy One Touch mount with my Huawei P30 Pro. The gripper arms had no issues accommodating it or my Pixel 2XL shown in the image above (I was using the Huawei P30 Pro to take the pics). In the image, you’ll also notice that there are LEDs built into the gripper arms. These LEDs provide a visual cue when interacting with Alexa.

Installation

I drive a 2013 MINI Cooper S and didn’t think that I’d have an issue attaching the iOttie mount in my car when I agreed to review it. I knew I wasn’t going to be attaching the plastic mounting pad on my dashboard because the thoughts of sticking something with adhesive to my dash makes me a little queasy. I figured attaching it to my windshield would be no issue because I review dashcams all the time.

Unfortunately, my car is so small that there really wasn’t a good place to put the mount where it wouldn’t interfere with my view of the road. I ended up just stuffing it in one of my cup holders during the testing phase.

Alexa, can you hear me? Alexa? Yoooooo hoooo, Alexa?

After you attach the mount to your windshield or your dash, the next step is to install the iOttie Connect app on your phone. The sole purpose of this app is to connect the mount to the Amazon Alexa app that you also need to install on your phone in order to take advantage of the built-in Alexa functionality.

And here we come to the biggest issue (besides the fact the mount can’t charge my phone) I have with the iOttie Easy One Touch Connect car mount. The Alexa feature just plain sucks. First of all, you have to have the Alexa app on your phone running in the background whenever you want to use Alexa “in” the mount.

I found that even with the app running, the connection between the mount and the app would rarely work without me fiddling with it for a few minutes. Most times the Alexa app would show that the iOttie was offline until I unplugged the 12V power adapter and plugged it back in. Or if I stopped and restarted the Alexa app.

Then when it finally would start working, I would start my drive only for it to stop working at some point during the trip. At least that was my experience many times during my testing of this product. Frustrating for sure.

When the Alexa feature was working, all I had to do was say “Alexa”, and the LEDs on both gripper arms would glow blue and I would hear the iconic Echo tone letting me know that I could give my command to Alexa.

See that’s the thing, the iOttie mount is really just an extra microphone so that you can leave your phone in your bag or pocket. It’s not like a self-contained Alexa device like an Amazon Echo. You have to have your phone for the internet connection AND for the audio which you should setup to go through your car’s Bluetooth.

In all honesty, it is less of a hassle and expense to just leave my phone on the car seat next to me with it paired to my car’s Bluetooth and run the Alexa app on the phone.

See it in action

What I like

  • Easy to mount and unmount device with just one hand
  • Built-in microphone allows you to leave your phone in your bag while interacting with Alexa

What I’d change

  • Add wireless charging capability

Final thoughts

As a vehicle mount, I like the easy one-handed operation of the iOttie. But the fact that it lacks wireless charging capability when it is priced at $70 and the problems that I had with the built-in Alexa feature has me unable to give my recommendation as a good buy. Even if the Alexa feature was reliable, I’d still think this mount is a bit overpriced. Sorry iOttie.

Price: $69.95
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by iOttie.

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iOttie Easy One Touch Connect car mount with Alexa review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 25, 2019 at 11:00 am.

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Use Alexa to solve a small town murder in the new board game “St.Noire”

NEWS – I loved playing board games when I was a kid, as an adult not so much. The only time I play them now is on occasion with my young nephews. Let’s face it they haven’t changed much over the years, and they’ve just lost their appeal. However, a new type of board game may change all that.  St.Noire, is a new board game created by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell that is powered by Alexa. The game is a voice-controlled Murdermystery board game. Alexa provides the games atmospheric background and cinematic voice performances. There are over 2,500 lines of dialogue that are performed by 12 different characters.

The basic gist of the game is that you have seven days to solve a murder in the small town of St.Noire. As a detective, you have to gather clues and question suspects as you piece together the events on the night of the murder. Using Alexa, you can visit various locations around town and question suspects.

On every turn you can choose to either:

  1. Examine a location for evidence.
  2. Choose to question a townsperson about where they were and who they saw on the night of the murder.
  3. Accuse a suspect.

Winning the game is done by figuring out “who done it” before the end of night seven. But, If you make two incorrect accusations or make a wrong accusation on night seven, the killer skates free. Don’t worry it doesn’t take seven days to complete the game. The game only takes 20-30 minutes to play. Perfect for today’s short attention spans. And you can play by yourself or team up with friends to solve the crime.

The game should have good replay-ability. No two games are the same because storylines, endings, victims, and killers are all randomized.

The game, of course, is an Amazon exclusive and comes with everything you need to play except The Alexa speaker itself. But everyone has at least one of those in their house by now, don’t they?

If you’re a fan of murder mysteries and immersive gameplay you can order St.Noire from Amazon for $40. Although it does appear the game is currently sold out.

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Use Alexa to solve a small town murder in the new board game “St.Noire” originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 21, 2019 at 10:00 am.

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Mute+ adds an extra level of privacy to your smart speaker

Let’s face it, if you use a smart speaker in your home privacy has become a meaningful and valid concern. So, if you own an Amazon smart speaker and are a little paranoid about having the device listen to you 24/7 the Mute+ from Smartē might be the perfect answer to those concerns.

The Mute+ is a device that fits directly on top of your Echo, Echo Plus, or Echo Dot that provides an extra level of privacy. It uses noise-canceling technology similar to that used in headphones to keep Alexa from hearing everything you say. It’s kinda like a set of earplugs for Alexa.

NEWS – Mute+ is powered by 3x AAA batteries and is very easy to use. Just place it on top of your speaker and turn it on when you need a little privacy.

A press of the devices center button sets the six-lighted privacy timer in increments of 10 minutes, for up to an hour at a time.

When the device is turned off your smart speaker works like normal. There’s even a clear ring around the bottom of the Mute+ plus that allows you to see the speaker’s motion light.

The Smartē Mute+ comes in black or white and is available from mysmartlife.com for $24.99.

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Mute+ adds an extra level of privacy to your smart speaker originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 23, 2019 at 10:00 am.

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Cavalier Maverick portable Bluetooth and WiFi speaker system with built-in Alexa review

REVIEW – Operating your smart home got a lot easier once voice control was introduced by various services.  I use Amazon’s Alexa system for voice control of my Hue lights and Nest products.  I bought my Amazon Echo devices before the surge of new-generation Echo devices and before all those new items with built-in Alexa were introduced.  I have a variety of Echo devices, but I mostly have Echo Dots. They work great for talking to Alexa, but they don’t have good speakers.  My iPhone 7 Plus has better speakers for playing back music.  When your Alexa device doesn’t have good speakers, you could buy yourself a set of Bluetooth speakers and pair the Echo Dot with these new Bluetooth speakers for better sound from Alexa.  But now you have two devices you have to have room for on the surge protector and on the tabletop.  Enter Cavalier, whose The Maverick speaker system has both Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity and Alexa built-in – Alexa smart home control and good sound in one device.  Cavalier sent The Gadgeteer a Maverick to try.

Hardware specs

  • CAV1 Speaker: 2.96″ x 2.96″ x 8.79″
  • CAV1 Base: 3.7″ x 3.7″ x .99″
  • Weight: 1.76 lbs
  • USB Auto-switching 100-240 V, AC universal input wall adapter
  • Bluetooth Audio and Speakerphone with Echo-Noise Cancellation
  • Connects to your home Wi-Fi network with any 802.11b/g, 2.4 GHz broadcast-capable router for uninterrupted wireless streaming
  • Start and control music with your voice, with built-in Amazon Alexa and far-field voice activation
  • 20W Stereo Speaker system with 2 active drivers paired with 2 passive radiators
  • World Inspired, Genuine Materials: premium genuine leather, high quality acoustic fabric and aluminum chassis with machined edge
  • Built-in Rechargeable Battery with up to 9 hours playtime
  • Wi-Fi for Alexa support and Streaming with Voice Control for Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Amazon Prime Music streaming services and more
  • Bluetooth Wireless Audio Streaming
  • Speakerphone with Built-in Echo Noise Cancellation
  • Spotify Connect Integration allows direct control of Music playback via Spotify App
  • For Alexa supported services, use your voice to pause a song, turn up the volume and other basic playback controls
  • Complete Privacy with dedicated microphone mute with illuminated status LED’s to ensure you are aware when in privacy mode
  • Analog volume control knob for when you prefer not to use voice
  • Cavalier Multi-Room Audio Support
  • Cavalier Setup and Control App (for iOS and Android)
  • Programmable Capacitive Touch Smart Button (Change default music controls to include playlist shortcuts for Spotify and iHeartRadio via App)

What’s in the box?

  • Cavalier Maverick Speaker (CAV1)
  • USB-C Charging Cable
  • USB Wall Adapter
  • Protective Travel Case
  • Charging Base
  • Quick Start Instruction Book

Design and features

Cavalier describes their Maverick best: “Each Cavalier is crafted using only the most premium aluminum and carefully engineered with machined edge to give a beautiful finish.  Each is crafted with luxurious genuine leather to compliment the rest of the design and add true character to the product.  Our premium knitted fabric adds unique texture and character to our products. The high quality finish is crafted to not only look great, but feel great too. The texture, colors and patterns are chosen to compliment your personal style.”

There are two versions of the Maverick.  Both have the aluminum body with a machined edge.  The Black version has a black leather accent with black knitted fabric cover.  The Indigo, which I received, has a caramel-brown leather accent with indigo-blue fabric.  Both are very elegant, but I especially love the caramel and dark blue combination.

Both have a built-in battery with up to 9 hours of playback time.  The Maverick is charged with a USB-C cable and AC power supply.  You can plug the charging cable directly into the back of the speaker tower, or you can use the charging dock.  The charging stands are also made of aluminum and are wrapped in a piece of matching leather.

With the dock, you can easily grab the speaker to take with you for music on the go without having to fumble with charging cables.  And to protect your speaker on the go, put it in the included protective bag.

The button on the top is a programmable Capacitive Touch Smart Button.  Original setup for this button is as follows:  1 tap to pause/play music; 2 taps to advance to the next track; three taps to go to previous track; or press-and-hold to activate Alexa.  You can also program this inner button to activate a streaming service or other function.  The ring around the smart button is the volume adjustment.

Setup

To set up the Maverick, you’ll need both the Cavalier app and the Alexa app on your mobile device.  You’ll have to set up an account in the Cavalier app.  You’ll need to connect to your home WiFi to use the Alexa services and to directly stream music with Alexa voice commands.  With Alexa, you can stream Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and Sirius XM.

Performance

When using WiFi and the Cavalier app, I was able to select between the Apple Music library on my iPad, Spotify, and iHeartRadio from the home screen.  The other, circular icon opens setup for Alexa. I don’t have iHeartRadio or any of the other services listed above, so I couldn’t try those.  I do have a basic Spotify, but it turns out you need a Premium account to play Spotify through the Cavalier app.  I’m not willing to pay for the Premium account, so I couldn’t it, either.

I was able to play music from my Apple Music library, but it didn’t have access to the music in my iCloud library.  It could only play the small subset of music I had downloaded to my iPad.

When I had the speaker connected to my home WiFi, I was able to use Alexa voice commands.  It worked similarly to the way my Echo Dot worked, but sometimes it didn’t seem to hear me say the wake word.  However, I’ve been having a little trouble lately with Alexa through the Echo Dot not hearing me, too.  I don’t know if I’m suddenly not talking loudly enough or what, but there have been no other changes in my room.

When I connected via Bluetooth, I was able to use the Maverick speakers just as I would any other set of Bluetooth speakers with my iPad Pro.  The 20W stereo speaker system with two active drivers paired with two passive radiators produced great sound whether I was using Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity.  With Bluetooth, I could send the sound from any app on my iPad Pro to the speakers, including my iCloud music library.  I tried a variety of songs in a variety of genres, and they all sounded great.

I did have a bit of trouble switching back and forth between WiFi and Bluetooth with the Maverick.  When I wanted to switch from one to the other, I’d have to put the speaker into pairing mode with the buttons on its back to change connections.  I’d even have to sometimes tell my iPad Pro to forget the Maverick and start the connection from scratch to switch to Bluetooth.

What I like

  • Beautiful and well-constructed
  • Good sound
  • Can have access to Alexa and great sound through a single device

What needs to be improved

  • Couldn’t access my iCloud music library, which is where most of my music lives.  I’m sure that’s a function of the iCloud access and not a shortcoming of the Cavalier app, though.

Final thoughts

I like using the Maverick for music playback, but I must admit I prefer it with Bluetooth so I can access all my iTunes music.  I have days and days worth of iTunes music, and I don’t want to download it to my mobile device just to be able to play it via WiFi with the Maverick.

Price: $299.99
Where to buy: Cavalier online and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided Cavalier

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Cavalier Maverick portable Bluetooth and WiFi speaker system with built-in Alexa review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 19, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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