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Amazon Echo Auto $59 (Usually $79) Delivered @ Amazon AU

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Amazon Echo Auto $59 (Usually $79) Delivered @ Amazon AUAffiliate
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Ptryingtohelp on 25/08/2020 - 10:04 amazon.com.au (1084 clicks)
Last edited 25/08/2020 - 13:08 by 2 other users
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Amazon Echo Auto - Add Alexa to your car.
This has been $79 for most times, and found the price to be $59 this morning.
Those who are locked in Alexa echo system, which imho is the smartest of the lot.

The expiry date of the deal isn't clear so grab it if you want. Amazon prime day is imminent, however they may or may not offer the same price.
All the best!!

Some more deals on Amazon Echo Devices:

Echo Show 2nd Gen $249 (usually $349)

Echo Dot (3rd Gen) - Smart speaker with clock + Alexa $69 (usually $99)

Echo Dot (3rd Gen) – Smart speaker with Alexa $49 (usually $79)

Echo Link - Stream hi-fi music to your stereo system $199 (usually $299)

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

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closed Comments

  • jv on 25/08/2020 - 10:06
    +3

    What's wrong with just using your phone?

    • bio on 25/08/2020 - 10:07
      +10

      designed for the road with eight microphones and far-field technology so that Alexa can hear your voice commands over music and surrounding noise.

      • jv on 25/08/2020 - 10:07
        -1

        So it's just an extra microphone for your phone?

        • tessel on 25/08/2020 - 10:09
          +15

          No, not "an" extra microphone but 8.

          • jv on 25/08/2020 - 10:11

            @tessel:

            No, not "an" extra microphone but 8.

            I've never had an issue just using voice commands on my phone. Not sure how this would make things better…
            Seems like a waste of money if it doesn't offer anything else other than extra microphones.

            • bio on 25/08/2020 - 10:19
              +3

              @jv: Not that I would buy it either; but it's a self contained Alexa device, not just a microphone. It also has 3.5mm audio output, so you can always leave it connected to your stereo via AUX (or Bluetooth).

              • auMouth on 25/08/2020 - 11:04
                +4

                @bio: It's not a "a self contained Alexa device" as it still requires a mobile phone with the Alexa app and for internet connectivity. It really is just the microphones!

                • bio on 25/08/2020 - 11:27

                  @auMouth: I stand corrected. This is just a Bluetooth microphone then.

            • conan2000 on 25/08/2020 - 10:21
              +1

              @jv: I was also trying to work out the point of this device when Alexa seems to work fine in the car anyway… Maybe if I turn the volume up full on the speakers it can't hear any more?

            • langthang on 25/08/2020 - 10:30

              @jv: Alexa can tell you jokes.

              • jv on 25/08/2020 - 10:32
                -1

                @langthang:

                Alexa can tell you jokes.

                That could be dangerous whilst driving.

                Can you turn that feature off ?

    • isthisreallife22 on 25/08/2020 - 16:21

      How exactly do I activate my phone (via voice) when driving? I didnt know this was possible…

      • jv on 25/08/2020 - 16:26

        Depends on your phone…

        • isthisreallife22 on 26/08/2020 - 00:44

          Samsung Galaxy. Certainly doesn't listen for the Alexa command, and the googling I did today suggests that it's not actually possible?

          • sjp770 on 26/08/2020 - 09:58

            @isthisreallife22: Install Alexa app, add the widget to your dash and it should prompt to change your voice assistant to alexa.

  • bio on 25/08/2020 - 10:06
    +1

    Also the same price at The Good Guys: https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/amazon-echo-auto-b078ynkdzs

  • tryingtohelp on 25/08/2020 - 10:18
    +1

    Those who purchased this, can now ask the echo auto to open the garage :-)

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/558266

    • keejoonc on 25/08/2020 - 11:35

      nothing that your phone can't do.
      this is a pointless junk.

      • isthisreallife22 on 25/08/2020 - 16:22

        How exactly do I activate my phone (via voice) when driving? I didnt know this was possible…

        • keejoonc on 25/08/2020 - 16:58

          google assistant?

        • Magpye on 25/08/2020 - 22:10

          Depends on your phone, and whether you are wanting to use the big three: Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri, as each has a key phrase to activate.
          Tends to reduce your phones battery life, as the phone is constantly monitoring for the key phase, but can be very useful if you can get it to work.

      • Magpye on 25/08/2020 - 22:07
        +1

        Wrong.

        Touching your phone whilst driving can get you an easy $1000 fine, and not all phones have decent microphones that can hear voice commands over road noise, an open window or music.
        I use this system daily, and it's far superior to any phone I've used, and the voice recognition is far better than the Google engine, which often gets it wrong, at least with my accent.
        On top of that, being able to listen and reply to SMS messages (with a link of the audible to the recipient), dial your contacts or even just spell out the phone number, get my daily schedule reviewed, read my recent emails and listen several different news broadcasts makes it invaluable, whilst I'm driving to work.
        The fact I can also tell it to open the garage door and switch on the lounge light when I get home at night is just a pleasant bonus.

        I don't need to touch my phone, in fact, it's often still in my pocket whilst I'm driving, and yet I can use it fully using the Echo Auto.

        • keejoonc on 26/08/2020 - 00:20

          google assistant has no problem listening to my voice commands and I don't need to touch the phone. it opens my garage fine and I can also control my lights. tell me again why anyone needs this?

          • Magpye on 26/08/2020 - 07:58

            @keejoonc: No one disputed that you could do those things, or even that you needed it.
            The point of dispute was that it was a piece of junk, in which several real life scenarios were provided, showing it's usefulness.

            I don't have the same user experience as you in using just the phone, which has consistently shown to be unreliable more often than not, and so the Echo has been great in that respect.

        • jv on 26/08/2020 - 00:55

          I don't need to touch my phone, in fact, it's often still in my pocket whilst I'm driving

          Is that legal in NSW? because in VIC, you can only use your phone if it is in a commercially designed holder fixed to the vehicle. It is against the law to use your phone when it resting on any part of the driver's body.

          • Magpye on 26/08/2020 - 07:53

            @jv: Is it legal ? Dunno, I'm not a lawyer, but it was an interesting question so I had a look at TMRs website to see what their definition was.

            To keep yourself and other road users safe your full attention is needed when driving. Driving while using a mobile phone held in your hand is illegal—even if you're stopped in traffic. This means you can't:

            • hold the phone next to or near your ear with your hand
            • write, send or read a text message
            • turn your phone on or off
            • operate any other function on your phone

            In that context, I believe that pinning the phone to the seat with my arse is still legal, but I'll leave it to the internet lawyers to discuss the legalities of it all.

    • LowRange on 25/08/2020 - 11:58

      I have been able to ask Alexa to open the garage for years with my phone. I love my Alexa stuff and would love to get this but i dont see the point.

      If it could take a sim card, had built in gps and didnt rely on phone i'd be all over a device like that.

      • sjp770 on 26/08/2020 - 10:10

        I have one in each of my cars. Works great for turning on lights as you enter the driveway coming home from the shops. I do have full home automation though.

        You can also ask for any music and it will play via your Prime sub - the microphones work much better than your phone.

        • LowRange on 26/08/2020 - 10:27

          Yes i have Ring floodlight cameras around the house, so the lights come on automatically when you approach. And i'm running a SmartThings hub and have my phone as a presence sensor so the garage door will open automatically.

          I just dont like having bluetooth enabled on the phone, but would love an echo auto device if it had a sim and it's own connection.

  • pacificstorm on 25/08/2020 - 10:32

    Mmm… This could prove very useful indeed. I had to turn my Mettalica volume right down when I'm trying to say OK Google when the damn phone can't hear me.

    So with 8 microphones, this should hear my voice over my ear splitting (bleeding) volume music?

    Any real world experienced users out there? Please chime in.

    • BaryGusey on 25/08/2020 - 10:41
      +6

      No problems to report with Kenny G cranked up to 11.

    • g1 on 25/08/2020 - 13:18

      "So with 8 microphones, this should hear my voice over my ear splitting (bleeding) volume music?"

      Only in never never land

    • Magpye on 25/08/2020 - 22:17
      +1

      Usually it has no problem in picking up my voice over music, but I have a fairly low voice, so on louder music I have to raise my voice to get it to activate.
      Haven't had a occasion yet where it has not picked up my voice, even with the music on, windows down and going through a tunnel.

      I've tried to use voice activated devices for years, including the Drive app which uses the Google voice to text engine, and none have been reliable enough to use on a regular basis.
      Except this device.
      It is far better than anything on the market, bar none, and that includes the expensive German auto systems.

      My partner hates gadgets and IT, but after driving my car once, went and bought herself one of these.
      YMMV

  • tryingtohelp on 25/08/2020 - 10:35
    +1

    I usually discuss the shopping list with my wife while driving towards the shopping centre. Having this, we can simply ask Alexa to add the items in the shopping list.
    Controlling music, changing playlists etc are some added features, knowing that this now works with Apple music as well. Be mindful, using your phone for all these things while driving may attract fine if pulled over by your tax money.

    • RSmith on 25/08/2020 - 10:45

      Be mindful, using your phone for all these things while driving may attract fine if pulled over by your tax money.

      Only if your holding the phone. If the phone is in the phone holder, you won't get fined.

      • Smigit on 25/08/2020 - 11:22

        Depends on the state and if you have an open license or not. In NSW, as an example, L and P platers can not use the phone in any capacity, including hands free or even music via bluetooth audio (https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/stayingsafe/mobileph…). Other states have different restrictions, some which still allow some docked 'hands free' functions.

  • daven1985 on 25/08/2020 - 10:47

    I got one of these last year and love it. My 2012 Kia doesn't have CarPlay or Android Auto.

    Mind is linked via bluetooth to my phone/stereo. SO easy to just drive along and ask it to resume Audible or Apple Music playback.

    • bheart on 25/08/2020 - 10:52

      You have to connect alexa to internet via your phone for it to work right? So i would have to use hotspot?

      Just trying to see how convenience this is or getting a bluetooth fm transmitter with siri support

      • daven1985 on 25/08/2020 - 11:15
        +1

        You pair the Alexa device via the app which then pairs to your phone. So yes anything you do uses your phones 4G data.

        Takes about 20 seconds when you turn on the engine for everything to pair up… at least for me.

        • bheart on 25/08/2020 - 12:22

          Thanks for the info. Does Echo auto connect to your phone via bluetooth? That means eacho auto connects to both phone and car audio cia bluetooth? I didnt know you can connect 2 devices at once unless it has 2 bluetooth chips

          • Magpye on 25/08/2020 - 22:32

            @bheart: It's your phone that connects to both the car audio system and the Echo Auto, so there may be some constraint there, depending on your phone.
            If that's the case, there is an Aux connection that can used instead.

            Also, you don't have to use the onboard audio system, BT earbuds or a BT speaker, such as a Parrot handsfree device will work equally well.
            I wouldn't recommend the earbuds normally,as I believe it contravenes a road law, but can be useful (and legal) if you have just the one earbud in and you're listening to navigation instructions whilst the kids are screaming at each other in the back seat.
            This is not unique to the Echo Auto by any means, but outlines the different possibilities available.

  • HunterBargainHunter on 25/08/2020 - 10:47
    +1

    worst piece of electronics I bought.
    the idea is to avoid distracting the driver but it is more distracting when it doesn't work, which is 80% of the time.
    have to pair every week
    I couldn't send mine back because I bought it from the US.

    • tryingtohelp on 25/08/2020 - 11:00

      I would imagine that it would be a one-time pairing and then it should be able to reconnect by itself.
      I have ordered one, will see how it goes, else I can return it to amazon.

      • HunterBargainHunter on 25/08/2020 - 11:55

        in theory yes one time pairing.
        since I don't use the car much since March, the echo Auto just has amnesia more often and I have to unpair from phone and add new device.

  • shabaka on 25/08/2020 - 10:49
    +1

    err Alexa drive me home? please?

    • you are crossing the border of NSW you're in violation of covid restrictions
    • it wasn't me, it's Alexa, send the fine to USA
  • Gavsta on 25/08/2020 - 11:38

    I just have an Echo dot in the car paired to a 4g usb WiFi hotspot. Takes a bit to power up and connect, but works fine otherwise. Had it for 3+ years.

  • atom1319 on 25/08/2020 - 11:50

    Is there something like this for Google?

    • Indomietable on 25/08/2020 - 15:14

      Google assistant on your phone?

  • strid on 25/08/2020 - 12:07

    I find this quite useful, not having to touch my phone and the microphones work very well. It would be really good for any older cars that don't play music over bluetooth, this essentially becoming a bluetooth transmitter from your phone. I bought mine from the US too before it was released here. I will buy another one for other car but might wait till Prime day to see if they come down lower.

  • BlitzR on 25/08/2020 - 13:26

    I've been using a echo dot in my car for years. What can this do that the echo dot can't?

    • HunterBargainHunter on 25/08/2020 - 14:50

      it has a Michael Knight KIT LED effect when it starts up, if you're into that sort of thing :)

    • Magpye on 25/08/2020 - 22:33

      Fit on your sun visor ;)

  • mostlygordon on 25/08/2020 - 13:40

    Thank Op. Grabbed one, now how do I get it to turn on the lights in the car;-) At least I can turn on the garage light when I get home LOL.

  • endotherm on 25/08/2020 - 15:47

    I was really excited about these when they were announced. However it is nothing more than a bluetooth connected 8-microphone array, that requires a mobile phone running Alexa and using its internet connection via data or WiFi. A better solution would be the Echo Input, and I think they were cheaper. It is essentially a 4-microphone array Echo Dot without a speaker, and uses a 3.5mm lead or connects via bluetooth to your own speaker or car audio system. It has fully fledged Alexa hardware inside and does all the computing itself, but still requires a connection to WiFi or data for internet access (a phone would only be used as a hotspot). I have a separate Pocket WiFi hotspot for internet connection so my connection wouldn't need a phone at all in the equation. The only advantage I can see for the Echo Auto is the multitude of microphones, and unless your cabin is exceptionally noisy, it is overkill.

    • Magpye on 25/08/2020 - 22:54

      From a consumer attraction point of view, I'm not sure your logic works out.
      Echo Input isn't sold on Amazon AU, is significantly more expensive, has only 4 microphones, requires WiFi (because that's common in cars), and comes with no mounting bracket
      vs
      Echo Auto, available in Australia, comes with local warranty, has double the amount of microphones to normalise the voice from background noise, uses a device that almost everyone has, also has a 3.5mm aux connector and comes with a mounting bracket

      If the additional microphones were the only advantage you could see, you may not have thought this through fully.
      The one advantage of the Echo Input is that it does the processing, not the phone.
      Ironically, this can also be a disadvantage as Alexa advances, and the processing power requirement increases. Mobile phones will match that requirement, thus the Echo Auto remains current, but the Echo Input will become dated.
      In fairness, that scenario probably quite time off, and Amazon will have released new versions of both devices.

      • endotherm on 25/08/2020 - 23:43

        Well, that's interesting. I bought two of them on Amazon Australia. Here is the last one I bought on my Australian Account, captured straight from my account history. $25 isn't significantly more expensive than $79 or even $59. I've pointed out a point of difference is it only has 4 microphones. My Echo Show 8 only has 2 microphones and it handles a noisy environment in my house next to a laptop cooling fan and listening through the ambient sound of TV through hi-fi speakers, and it is able to efficiently separate my voice from the background noise. 8 is probably better than 4, but 256 microphones is better than 8. Where do you stop? How many do you really need? My Inputs come with local warranty too. I can't speak to their availability or if they are to be continued or will continue make an appearance in another form.

        The Auto has to have a phone running Alexa and connected to the internet via wifi or bluetooth. It is a doorstop without this other piece of vital hardware. The Input only needs an internet connection. I could pull up outside my house, have it connect to the house wifi and tell it to open or close the garage door and it would work. I could learn all about the traffic conditions and the weather before I left. Or I could connect it to an access point or a phone and use that on the road for an internet connection, which I explained above. If you really want to mount the input, a small strip of velcro/bluetack would hold it where you want it, or you could buy a third-party mounting plate.

        I'm pretty sure I've thought this through properly. I haven't seen anything in the Auto I'd class as a pro besides the 8 microphones. You might be a Knight Rider geek and think the scanning lights on the front are a pro, or some other insignificant design feature is, but I don't. I'm genuinely open to suggestions if you can identify some useful feature that I have overlooked. There are lots of cons though. The Auto is nothing more than a car-mounted microphone array for your phone.

        Calling the inbuilt processing power of a smart device a con is a pretty long stretch. All devices age. First-gen smart devices still function and aren't about to drop off any time soon. You also assume everyone updates their phones all the time, just to keep up with "horsepower" requirements. They don't.

        • sjp770 on 26/08/2020 - 10:41

          Auto will work better most of the time in that situation because a bluetooth connection to an always conncted device makes more sense rather than pulling up in the driveway and connecting to wifi. Usually ive pulled into my carport before the phone has a clue wifi is available, whereas the Auto allows me to durn on carport lights, house lights or a group when im halfway down the street.

          I dont think the Input does the processing onboard unless you have evidence to the contrary. Most will do either voice capture, and send for processing or voice to text and send the text for processing. There isn't really a situation where an Input will do much without internet. Saying that the input is better when it requires an internet connection and you would have to hotspot or be near a wifi connection makes no sense. Lets put a device in your mobile automobile that only works at home. There are a lot more Cons to an Input mounted in your car than an Auto.

          I paid $49 for the auto's and I think they work great. 2 or 8 microphones - its all about how it can ignore other sounds. If 2 works for you great. 8 is imperically better otherwise it wouldn't have been developed.

          In the days where you car can have a sim card and hand out its own wifi I think the Input would work better.

          • endotherm on 26/08/2020 - 15:46

            @sjp770: The "pull up in the driveway" example isn't exceptionally practical, I was just illustrating that it isn't a doorstop unless it was connected to a phone for all its processing and functionality. My devices connect to my house awfully fast whenever I go outside, but your experience may vary.

            Boiled down to its basic elements, the Input is an Echo Dot without an inbuilt speaker. That is what it is sold as. I've experimented with attaching it to an old school hi-fi stereo, and it turns that system into a bluetooth connected Alexa/Echo device. I've also turned dumb bluetooth speakers into smart Amazon speakers, just by adding the speaker. None of them really do anything autonomously without sending the request to a remote server, aside from telling you you have no internet connection. Having the "smarts" in the unit means it can make a direct connection to the internet. It makes fault finding easier too — Is the Auto failing to connect to your phone, or are you having trouble getting internet on the phone, or are you having a sharing problem….

            I don't see evidence for "the Auto will just work better". Sure it has a superior mic array, but often that level of sophistication isn't necessary. I've had a dot running off battery power, rolling around in the footwell of my car, and it functions superbly as-is. I haven't canned the decision to use 8 mics inside a car nor dismissed it as a feature, it's just that it is overkill most of the time. Why do you need 8 mics inside a 2 inch package, where your passengers are within 1-2 meters of it? The array isn't particularly well separated by distance, and will already hear commands originating from close-by quite well.

            There are a lot more Cons to an Input mounted in your car than an Auto.

            I don't get this. Name them. The Input does everything the Auto can do, and more. A Dot has more features than an Input. Logically this doesn't equate to more Cons. The Auto is the least-featured device in the range.

            The Input still requires an internet connection to be as useful, otherwise you aren't comparing apples to apples. However the Input gives you the choice of a wifi or data connection or bluetooth for internet. The auto insists on just one. Some vehicles already contain internet hotspots. Take for example a charter bus. All passengers can connect to communal wifi. The bus driver can connect an Input to this network and supply all his needs for traffic/weather reports etc. It also allows him to get off and make private calls on his private phone, away from the bus, without crippling the onboard internet for passengers or using his data.

            Yes, it will be nice when all cars have this functionality. I personally hate the idea of tying everything to a mobile phone just because it has that feature built in. That is why I have a separate pocket wifi system as a data router for my needs — I can accommodate multiple people having internet access where ever I go, and I can use the phone for making calls or move right away from my access point without interrupting it. I also carry a netbook/laptop and a point and shoot camera because I find it does those things better for me than rely on a phone and juggle multiple functions in one device. But that's me.

            I understand the concept of requiring a connected phone in the Auto may be to integrate cell phone functions and allow hands-free calls. Maybe that is the attraction. I don't think AUS units have that feature yet. But I could argue that sticking the phone to the dash and running the Alexa app will function exactly the same way already, without having to buy an additional device.

            • tryingtohelp on 28/08/2020 - 12:09

              @endotherm: Just received a text from my wife that she loved this in the car. It can play her fav music while she's driving so she doesn't even have to press any buttons in the car. Her comment "Good spend". I guess this is enough for me to justify Auto over dot knowing you would need constant wifi in the car with 4g sim that may cost you a minimum of $5/month.

  • Mahalo on 06/09/2020 - 21:55

    This is a great device. You can also play music from your phone and plays on your stereo. So not locked into Amazon music only.
    $79 is too expensive but $59 should be its normal price.

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