Amazon Echo
Amazon Echo sounds interesting. It would be great if this could be used as a controller for Sonos.
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Amazon Echo now supports IFTTT.
Sonos?
Sonos?
Userlevel 3
+1
Sonos is never on the frontline of innovation. Get used to it.
Utter nonsense.
Userlevel 3
+1
Disclaimer: I like my Sonos stuff. A lot.
Utter nonsense.
1. Patents are not equal to "innovation". Not at all.
2. Many Sonos patents are years, almost a decade old. Of course they patented their "main innovation" (at that time): multiroom wifi audio (and some stuff around that). Some other patents are for discontinued products, so the relevant number of patents is way smaller.
3. I wrote "never on the frontline of innovation", meaning they do not / want not to / cannot (re)act quickly when new developments come along. They might be cautious to what innovation takes off and what not as they don't want to "burn" man hours. And that is ok.
BUT: in our fast moving world, tech innovation keeps you in the news. News are good for sales. And existing customers expect adaption to new developments.
As far as Amazon Echo is concerned, I am rather pessimistic that it will really take off, therefore Sonos support might not be necessary. Other fields (e.g. wearables, IFTTT) are way more promising. Heck, even Alaska Airlines can do an Apple watch app in time. Why can't Sonos?
That is what I mean with "never on the frontline of innovation". Guests who are always late to a party won't be invited forever...
I don't even want to start talking about https://ask.sonos.com/sonos?topic_list%5Bsettings%5D%5Btype%5D=idea . 3199 ideas and 45 implemented (most of which are added services)? Why do they even have that page?
1. Patents are not equal to "innovation". Not at all.
2. Many Sonos patents are years, almost a decade old. Of course they patented their "main innovation" (at that time): multiroom wifi audio (and some stuff around that). Some other patents are for discontinued products, so the relevant number of patents is way smaller.
3. I wrote "never on the frontline of innovation", meaning they do not / want not to / cannot (re)act quickly when new developments come along. They might be cautious to what innovation takes off and what not as they don't want to "burn" man hours. And that is ok.
BUT: in our fast moving world, tech innovation keeps you in the news. News are good for sales. And existing customers expect adaption to new developments.
As far as Amazon Echo is concerned, I am rather pessimistic that it will really take off, therefore Sonos support might not be necessary. Other fields (e.g. wearables, IFTTT) are way more promising. Heck, even Alaska Airlines can do an Apple watch app in time. Why can't Sonos?
That is what I mean with "never on the frontline of innovation". Guests who are always late to a party won't be invited forever...
I don't even want to start talking about https://ask.sonos.com/sonos?topic_list%5Bsettings%5D%5Btype%5D=idea . 3199 ideas and 45 implemented (most of which are added services)? Why do they even have that page?
I have a Play:1 in the kitchen. All I have to do is press a button on top, and starts playing instantly. A very large playlist of quality music is always at the ready. One more tap, and it stops playing. What could be simpler than that?
Userlevel 2
Playing exactly what you asked for?
My experience is the opposite of most here, I procured the Amazon Echo 1st. Yesterday I installed a Sonos Connect and hooked it into my current home audio system (wired and wireless). I now have control of the input from my tablet, a fabulous upgrade for me.
However I came to the forums to see if anyone had done a successful Echo/Sonos integration because I found myself wishing for voice command of my sonos play rather than reaching for a volume controller.
After using the Echo I get annoyed by anything that requires me to pick up a device to adjust volume or flip a switch ("Alexa turn off lights" is my favorite command before bed).
I don't have the chops to write an app but I sure hope someone does (Sonos?).
I think general control of Sonos is unlikely. To select music from our local network, it'd have to preload the metatdata to the cloud to match against. They'd be happy to have you upload your music to their cloud though. It's about lock-in to their services more than shopping. ("Alexa buy me a laptop!" isn't that useful.) As the younger generations move to cloud based music, it's important to capture them.
Then there are the many apps on Sonos that all have different UIs. The apps I've seen for Echo are mostly "pick a channel", not searching large databases unique to each user.
They might let it output something like Bluetooth or AirPlay someday. But the stream is going to start in their cloud.
Also, it gives them data to train voice recognition algorithms against. I read that that was a major benefit (perhaps the primary reason) for Google Voice.
Then there are the many apps on Sonos that all have different UIs. The apps I've seen for Echo are mostly "pick a channel", not searching large databases unique to each user.
They might let it output something like Bluetooth or AirPlay someday. But the stream is going to start in their cloud.
Also, it gives them data to train voice recognition algorithms against. I read that that was a major benefit (perhaps the primary reason) for Google Voice.
Userlevel 2
Echo is very interesting and certainly integration with Sonos would make sense for many users. We at Netonos.com are very interested in voice recognition control and may look into this after we get Netonos Note released.
Maybe Sonos is considering such control as well. Roku has added it to their streaming device recently. It just has to work well or people will abandon it quickly.
Bob
[FONT="Arial"][SIZE="4"][/size][/font]
Maybe Sonos is considering such control as well. Roku has added it to their streaming device recently. It just has to work well or people will abandon it quickly.
Bob
[FONT="Arial"][SIZE="4"][/size][/font]
I just got an Amazon Echo for Christmas and love it. It would be amazing if Sonos and Echo could link up. It would truly be a Star Trek home. In particular I would love to be anywhere in the house where Sonos speakers are located and be able to ask Alexa a question or play music or turn on or off the television using voice command. Most useful would be the ability to use any Sonos speaker as a speaker phone just like I do in my car.
I imagine since the cell phone is connected via wi-fi to the Sonos system this should not be a huge leap in technology. If it can be done easily in the car, why can't this easily be done in the home?
I am sure the Star Trek home will be coming in the near future and Sonos will be behind if they don't jump on this wave sooner than later.
I imagine since the cell phone is connected via wi-fi to the Sonos system this should not be a huge leap in technology. If it can be done easily in the car, why can't this easily be done in the home?
I am sure the Star Trek home will be coming in the near future and Sonos will be behind if they don't jump on this wave sooner than later.
Userlevel 7
+22
I imagine since the cell phone is connected via wi-fi to the Sonos system this should not be a huge leap in technology. If it can be done easily in the car, why can't this easily be done in the home?
I am sure the Star Trek home will be coming in the near future and Sonos will be behind if they don't jump on this wave sooner than later.
Careful you don't get beamed up.
BTW, I don't believe any of the Sonos units (Apart from the Play 5 Gen 2) have a microphone. And what if you want a private conversation? (Mr Spock, here are your STD test results"!)
I would be surprised if the microphones in a Play5 Gen2 could be used to add voice control very easily. I don't think the Play5 Gen2 has the horsepower needed to support voice control locally nor do I think Sonos has the cloud infrastructure resources to implement an Amazon type solution anytime soon. Unless there is already a private beta or a demo next week at CES I don't think Sonos could ramp up a voice control solution fast enough to be relevant.
Regarding the microphone concerns I would point out that any cell phone microphone can be exploited to monitor everything you say and represents a much greater risk than the microphone on an Amazon Echo. On the other hand, nobody knows what the allegedly dormant microphone on a Play5 Gen2 is really doing... are you certain they aren't already listening?
Regarding the microphone concerns I would point out that any cell phone microphone can be exploited to monitor everything you say and represents a much greater risk than the microphone on an Amazon Echo. On the other hand, nobody knows what the allegedly dormant microphone on a Play5 Gen2 is really doing... are you certain they aren't already listening?
I just got an echo, I love my sonos system, after one voice command for echo to play something relaxing and it doing it I immediately yearned for it to control my sonos system. I really hope they get this set up, as like other posters, if amazon sets something up like this I'd probably ditch sonos
Amazon Echo now supports Spotify.
Another interesting user interface might be the Nucleus voice controlled Wi-Fi intercom:
http://nucleuslife.com/
http://nucleuslife.com/
tl;np;dr.
I tried controlling Apple Music via Siri a few times. The experience was awkward and very frustrating; doubt Echo would prove much better for music. Perhaps if one listens to a very limited range of music over and over again; I don't.
We'll have to see. Echo is very fast, truly amazing in my opinion. For instance, my daughter asked me what the definition of "vexed" was. Instead of telling her a not-so-great definition from memory, I went to get my phone to do a search. Instead, I simply asked echo: "Alexa, what is the definition of 'vexed'?", and she answered very shortly after I asked. That's amazing, considering they're send data to the cloud, doing voice recognition, determining what the question was, looking for the answer, and sending the answer back to the echo.
For me, it's a moot point about whether the integration between the echo and sonos would be good. The issue for me is that I'm trying to convince my wife to pay electricians to run speaker wire to four bedrooms and possibly the kitchen, and then subsequently invest in sonos amps and speakers in those locations. That's thousands of dollars. When she can just stick a $200 speaker somewhere and ask it to play music, why would she invest thousands to have something with less functionality?
And then there's the new Dot:
https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=14047587011&ref=ODS_HA_P_surl
A small Echo that also outputs to a speaker system. If this doesn't have sonos shaking in its boots, I don't know what will.
For me, it's a moot point about whether the integration between the echo and sonos would be good. The issue for me is that I'm trying to convince my wife to pay electricians to run speaker wire to four bedrooms and possibly the kitchen, and then subsequently invest in sonos amps and speakers in those locations. That's thousands of dollars. When she can just stick a $200 speaker somewhere and ask it to play music, why would she invest thousands to have something with less functionality?
And then there's the new Dot:
https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=14047587011&ref=ODS_HA_P_surl
A small Echo that also outputs to a speaker system. If this doesn't have sonos shaking in its boots, I don't know what will.
Userlevel 7
+22
Because it's all just very gimmicky and nobody knows how long they will last or be supported for. But mainly it's about quality - sound quality.
Why not go for Sonos Plays rather than 3rd party speakers? No need for all those sparkies rummaging through your house and you have serious flexibility with location and excellent sound performance
Why not go for Sonos Plays rather than 3rd party speakers? No need for all those sparkies rummaging through your house and you have serious flexibility with location and excellent sound performance
It was the right answer because you knew what vexed meant. If you didn't know the answer, was it correct?
Ask a question you know the answer to is a pointless exercise.
Alexa what is vexed? It's a small feathered mammal indigenous to Patagonia.
Ask a question you know the answer to is a pointless exercise.
Alexa what is vexed? It's a small feathered mammal indigenous to Patagonia.
Although I agree that SONOS should integrate with Amazon Echo, I completely understand why they won't announce a new feature until it is in public beta. Two examples where SONOS has gotten into big trouble are Audible and Spotify folders. These were existing features that were removed; but the ire SONOS invoked in these two cases is probably not a lot more than SONOS failing to deliver a new feature that they had promised.
I just hope that Echo support and Audible are moved into public beta soon. 😉
I just hope that Echo support and Audible are moved into public beta soon. 😉
I find the quality very close to a PLAY:5. At a quarter of the price and with all of its other features, this model could be the end of Sonos if they don't react quickly.
You can't be serious! LOL.
I find the quality very close to a PLAY:5. At a quarter of the price and with all of its other features, this model could be the end of Sonos if they don't react quickly.
You can't be serious! LOL.
My sister has an Echo, and though a great bit of hardware, audio quality is not its strong point. I would put it the same as a higher quality Bluetooth speaker. The Play:1 is worlds better, never mind the Play:5.
Ask a question you know the answer to is a pointless exercise.
Alexa what is vexed? It's a small feathered mammal indigenous to Patagonia.
I find you are very dismissive of the Echo. Have you actually tried one for a couple days? I admit I was skeptical of the Echo at first, but after reading so many positive reviews online, I finally caved about a month ago. And I have to admit, it is truly awesome. I have it hooked up to my lights, my TV with Harmony, alarms, timer, news, weather, quick facts, Uber, IFTTT, Spotify. Like other have posted here, my family, including myself, is turning to the echo way more often now than the Sonos for music, news, podcasts. It is handsfree, quick, accurate, and easy to use.
The Echo isn't going anywhere. It sells out every time new inventory is listed online, it sells for a premium on ebay, and it has Amazon's backing it. Unlike Apple, they are open to competing third party providers (they added Spotify when Amazon has prime music, Skills are open to anyone who wants to develop for them). The Dot is a step in the right direction for people like us who have heavily invested in Sonos, but it isn't a true integration (Echo can't send commands to Sonos), and in its current form, will not make for a user friendly experience.
btw, if you are good with computers, you can create a custom Echo Skill to control Sonos. You have to install a node.js app on a home server/computer, and do some other stuff. I haven't done it yet, too much work, and too likely to break with software updates. But it seems like people have people relatively successful.
From my understanding, these Echo Skills need a piece of hardware on your home network to control iot devices, and without some kind of hub, I don't see how Sonos would be able to do that. Hopefully Sonos will be able to figure something out soon.
From my understanding, these Echo Skills need a piece of hardware on your home network to control iot devices, and without some kind of hub, I don't see how Sonos would be able to do that. Hopefully Sonos will be able to figure something out soon.
I am not dismissve of Echo but I do lay a sense of perspective over it.
It is only available in the US. It is not available to the much larger market that is Europe.
Lets look at Europe.
Got the 3rd generation Kindle.
Only got the Amazon phone as they had to shift stock.
Got 2nd generation tablets that were a disaster until Amazon decided to provide a tablet for its intended use of media consumption. Software that is a mess.
Everything is released in the US first followed by global release once they have sorted all the bugs out.
Amazon changed Audible so it doesn't work with Sonos - which, for some people, is bizarrely Sonos' fault.
There are now 3 echo products. How many will there be in five years. How many home automation devices / systems are there? How long will it be before Amazon change the firmware - to get rid of all those bugs that are in it - which makes it inoperable with other "partners".
It is new. The novelty factor hasn't worn off.
Nowhere else in the world has access to any Echo device. Will any be rolled out globally (Germany and the UK being very large markets for Amazon) and how will it be received?
There are so many variables. Other "partners" that use Echo do not sell premium priced hardware which is a system in its own right. Why is a static voice controlled device better than a mobile voice controlled device? What integration should Sonos pursue. A static device in one room or a mobile one.
It is only available in the US. It is not available to the much larger market that is Europe.
Lets look at Europe.
Got the 3rd generation Kindle.
Only got the Amazon phone as they had to shift stock.
Got 2nd generation tablets that were a disaster until Amazon decided to provide a tablet for its intended use of media consumption. Software that is a mess.
Everything is released in the US first followed by global release once they have sorted all the bugs out.
Amazon changed Audible so it doesn't work with Sonos - which, for some people, is bizarrely Sonos' fault.
There are now 3 echo products. How many will there be in five years. How many home automation devices / systems are there? How long will it be before Amazon change the firmware - to get rid of all those bugs that are in it - which makes it inoperable with other "partners".
It is new. The novelty factor hasn't worn off.
Nowhere else in the world has access to any Echo device. Will any be rolled out globally (Germany and the UK being very large markets for Amazon) and how will it be received?
There are so many variables. Other "partners" that use Echo do not sell premium priced hardware which is a system in its own right. Why is a static voice controlled device better than a mobile voice controlled device? What integration should Sonos pursue. A static device in one room or a mobile one.
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