Amazon Echo / Dot and Sonos Integration

Realize that this is also heavily reliant on amazons team and I think they are very busy with a lot of the plans for Alexa. Amazon is supposed to releasing a lot of things for Alexa including notifications which I'm looking forward too. But none of this is overnight work ... although it's a hot competition right now with Amazon and Google trying to become the interface of the connected home. We the consumers will benefit but only if they do it right. Half way done work will sour the public and voice control would lose its current momentum.

Heos doesn't just miss dates they actually don't even perform. They have previously announced several things like google chromecast support to only after a year of waiting tell customers they would not support (after people made purchase decisions and had the speakers for a year waiting).

As Sonos has said they are doing voice control I would far more trust Sonos then a press release from heos a week after Sonos saying "us too"

Hoes doesn't have any kind of public forum to take criticism or allow users to interact.

I don't know HEOS. I just learnt it now from your post. it seems Heos is a brand of Denon which I would trust.
if I knew Heos would support Alexa before I invested on 4 Sonos speakers, I would prefer Heos.
voice controlling is a very important feature for me...
and I really don't care if Heos misses the promissed date. at least they have a target (and commitment ?)
having no target means Sonos may drop the feature at all in any time...

I'm afraid history proves to be quite the opposite. So far, everything Sonos has ever pre-announced (Apple Music, Google Play Music, Spotify Connect, etc) has come to fruition, even though no specific dates were ever announced. On the other hand, numerous timelines/"commitments" have been given for HEOS upgrades, and those dates have come and gone with no sign of the new functions ever making it to release. Early last year HEOS made a "commitment" to bringing a Windows app and Google Chromecast compatibility to HEOS. Nothing but crickets since, and they only have a month to produce Alxea support, or they blow that "commitment" too.

So if you want those types of "commitments" or "timelines" feel free to switch to HEOS. If you want something actually delivered, stick with Sonos.

actually it is still 2017 but the beta would take on 2016...
Sonos doesn't give specific dates but that does not prevent me from saying "where is it ?" because although not specific, they had sort of a statement/promise.

and I would rather prefer them release a beta buggy or incomplete. (that's my own preference, not everybody would prefer) some things may be developed while in beta.

Look at the announcement:

The companies will begin rolling out the experience through an invite-only beta test later this year, with general availability in 2017.

The beta scheduled for 2016 was "invite-only", aka a private beta. General availability will be in 2017. Pedantically, your complaints aren't valid until 2018. Realistically, you should at least wait until July.

actually it is still 2017 but the beta would take on 2016...
Sonos doesn't give specific dates but that does not prevent me from saying "where is it ?" because although not specific, they had sort of a statement/promise.

and I would rather prefer them release a beta buggy or incomplete. (that's my own preference, not everybody would prefer) some things may be developed while in beta.

Look at the announcement:

The companies will begin rolling out the experience through an invite-only beta test later this year, with general availability in 2017.

The beta scheduled for 2016 was "invite-only", aka a private beta. General availability will be in 2017. Pedantically, your complaints aren't valid until 2018. Realistically, you should at least wait until July.

haha that's good. 2018 or july 2017 :)
well then I can use some sort of middleware like smartthings & an amazon skill on raspberry pi.
that's already available. but I had trusted sonos to bring it early this year if not december 2016

Actually not all crickets with HEOs....they actually put out a public statement that while they had announced and promised Google Cast compatibility they WOULD NOT introduce the functionality

haha that's good. 2018 or july 2017 :)
well then I can use some sort of middleware like smartthings & an amazon skill on raspberry pi.
that's already available. but I had trusted sonos to bring it early this year if not december 2016

Why in the world would you "trust" any company to bring something to market before they say they would? That's crazy. And doing it in the same thread in which you state "I really don't care if Heos misses the promissed (sic) date. at least they have a target" is even crazier!

So which is it? Are you upset because Sonos hasn't delivered by a date they never promised they would deliver by, or do you not care that another company misses dates they did promised they would deliver by? It's quite confusing. :8

My personal uninformed opinion on Sonos / Alexa integration would be some betas making there way after we see some major Alexa updates (some of what Amazon working on making its way out to Alexa - like their push notifications). I think watching Alexa improvements will give clues to more Sonos integration coming closer.

Actually not all crickets with HEOs....they actually put out a public statement that while they had announced and promised Google Cast compatibility they WOULD NOT introduce the functionality

True. My mistake.

They'll release it when they think it's good enough and we'll all benefit from them doing their best to get it right. In the interim I shall enjoy the music I know and explore that which I do not.