Amazon Echo arrives in France

Problems/advice relating to your PC/Mac/Phone/Television/ Satellite TV/DVD/Blu ray......

Moderator: Moderators

martyn94
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 2086
Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013 14:37

Re: Amazon Echo arrives in France

Post by martyn94 »

Thanks. I should have checked.

If I was rewiring the place from scratch, I’d have smart wall switches (almost) everywhere. As it is, it’s probably easier and cheaper for me to talk to Alexa at the level of the bulb, or in a few places through in-line switches down-circuit from the wall switches (they also come up on your Google search).

As it is, I have already bought a couple of the in-line switches, though I didn’t yet know what to do with them, mostly because I hadn’t realised that you can make them switch even when Alexa is dead (or at least in a coma). I should have guessed that you could do it, and how, but thanks again for reminding me.

All I have to do now is find where a few cables run in the ceiling void. Or probably get the electrician to do it (among a few other things): he might remember.

I still can’t help feeling that it’s a bit decadent to switch things on and off from my settee, or my bed, via Amazon’s server a few hundreds or thousands of kms away, rather than budging a metre or two to do it myself. But I’m getting used to it. And it is a bit green: I switch my bedroom lights off now when I might previously have left them on because my hands were full (“after all, they are only 7W each”).
martyn94
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 2086
Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013 14:37

Re: Amazon Echo arrives in France

Post by martyn94 »

Does anyone have any idea how to change the language on an Echo device?

I had to reconnect my echo when I got a new WiFi network, and it has taken the opportunity to switch to French. I wouldn’t mind much, except that I have other ones that speak English, and it will be a bit wearing to remember which ones do which. They seem to have “simplified” the menus on the Alexa app, so that I can now (after much groping around) change, eg, its preferences between Fahrenheit and Centigrade, or the 12/24 hour clock, but not the language.

Any help gratefully received. Googling has got me nowhere, since all advice was directed to the previous version of the Alexa app.
martyn94
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 2086
Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013 14:37

Re: Amazon Echo arrives in France

Post by martyn94 »

Please forget this: I hadn’t scrolled down far enough on the settings page to find the choice of language. But I do find the Alexa app a fairly extreme example of the sort of app where you basically just have to prod around until you find what you need, or not.
martyn94
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 2086
Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013 14:37

Re: Amazon Echo arrives in France

Post by martyn94 »

They currently have the second-generation Echo Dot (ie the one they superseded a couple of months ago) for €24.99. The latest ones may have slightly better sound, for €35 more, but not to a degree that I would bother about, given the use that I am going to make of it (or indeed them).
Colliourette
Rank 0
Rank 0
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat 13 Jan 2018 09:43

Re: Amazon Echo arrives in France

Post by Colliourette »

Apologies if this has already been addressed but my mother wants to buy me an Amazon echo for Christmas. She is in the UK and doesn't know whether to order from the UK or French site. Does it make a difference? I would want the device to speak English to me. Thanks for any info.
Colliourette
Rank 0
Rank 0
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat 13 Jan 2018 09:43

Re: Amazon Echo arrives in France

Post by Colliourette »

Sorry to bang on about this but I need an answer asap! Can I order an amazon echo from Amazon.fr and change the language to English?
martyn94
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 2086
Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013 14:37

Re: Amazon Echo arrives in France

Post by martyn94 »

The French site. You can select your language (and other things) in software. But you want one with a power supply that fits a French socket.
Allan
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 1384
Joined: Tue 01 Sep 2009 21:21
Contact:

Re: Amazon Echo arrives in France

Post by Allan »

The product is international, if you download the English Alexa App then a french bought product works perfectly.

Martyn is correct that if you buy in France you get a French transformer/plug, add to that the price is lower in France and Amazon UK will not deliver to France then the decision is pretty obvious.
martyn94
Rank 5
Rank 5
Posts: 2086
Joined: Sun 14 Apr 2013 14:37

Re: Amazon Echo arrives in France

Post by martyn94 »

And some of the ones your mother might want to buy are currently half price, or were last time I looked. If your mother only buys you one, sneak behind her back and buy another two or three (or four). You will find uses for them. I still don’t have one in my downstairs lavatory, but mostly because the WiFi connection is a bit sketchy there.
Post Reply