Amazon Echo Dot Sale

So tempted to pick up an Amazon Echo Dot at the sale price of $39.99.

Amazon Echo Dot

I resisted buying an iPad for a long time, because I wasn't sure how much we would use it. I'm quite certain we've gotten our moneys worth and more out of the iPad 2 over the years.

Likewise, I'm wondering if the Amazon Alexa voice activated personal assistant service would prove to be a good value over time. I really didn't want to pony up $180 for the Amazon Echo to try it out.

With the Amazon Echo Dot, I can dip my toes for only $50, so that makes it a little more tempting.

(If you wanted to really commit, you can buy 5 get 1 free or buy 10 and get 2 free with codes DOT6PACK or DOT12PACK.)

There are the ham things you are looking for...

So Amazon sent me an e-mail saying that you, my true and faithful readers, would need the things below. I'm posting them 1) as a blatant capitalist ploy to get rich and 2) to see if the Amazon algorithms are any good at all (meaning someone actually does click a link and makes a purchase). So don't click if you want to prove that life is not predestined and that a computer doesn't know everything about you.




Oh, ham stuff and one book. Go figure.

Baofeng Tech Amazon Prime Day Deal: BF-F8HP - Second Try

This Baofeng Tech Amazon Prime Day Deal is now live - hopefully for real this time:

BaoFeng BF-F8HP (UV-5R 3rd Gen) 8-Watt Dual Band Two-Way Radio (136-174MHz VHF, 400-520MHz UHF) Includes Full Kit with Large Battery

If you don't have Amazon Prime, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial if want to take advantage of the deals from Baofeng Tech.

Baofeng Tech Amazon Prime Day Deal: UV-82HP

This Baofeng Tech Amazon Prime Day Deal is now live:

BaoFeng UV-82HP (RED) High Power Dual Band Radio: 136-174mhz (VHF) 400-520mhz (UHF) Amateur (Ham) Portable Two-Way - this link is to the red one, but other colors are available.

If you don't have Amazon Prime, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial if want to take advantage of the deals from Baofeng Tech.

Baofeng Tech Amazon Prime Day Deal: Programming Cable

This Baofeng Tech Amazon Prime Day Deal is now live:

PC03 FTDI USB Programming Cable for BaoFeng, Kenwood, Wouxun, AnyTone

If you don't have Amazon Prime, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial if want to take advantage of the deals from Baofeng Tech.

Baofeng Tech Amazon Prime Day Deal: Antennas

These Baofeng Tech Amazon Prime Day Deals are now live*:

Nagoya NA-771 15.6-Inch Whip VHF/UHF (144/430Mhz) Antenna SMA-Female

Nagoya NA-24J 16.2-Inch Ultra Whip VHF/UHF (144/430Mhz) Antenna SMA-Female 

Nagoya RB-35 5/8 NMO Mount Magnet

If you don't have Amazon Prime, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial if want to take advantage of the deals from Baofeng Tech.

* Hopefully, these are live now. This post was scheduled based on the original times Amazon had given for the listing. I'll update if I learn otherwise.

Baofeng Tech Amazon Prime Deals: The Schedule Part 2

Amazon has changed the schedule - apparently their algorithms want to keep things exciting.

Here is the latest information I have:

2:34 PM EDT

PC03 FTDI USB Programming Cable for BaoFeng, Kenwood, Wouxun, AnyTone

4:09 PM EDT

BaoFeng UV-82HP (RED) High Power Dual Band Radio: 136-174mhz (VHF) 400-520mhz (UHF) Amateur (Ham) Portable Two-Way - this link is to the red one, but other colors are available.

If you don't have Amazon Prime, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial if want to take advantage of the deals from Baofeng Tech.

Baofeng Tech Amazon Prime Day Deal: BF-F8HP

--- Update --- so Amazon changed the times. I scheduled this post based on the original times. I'll update as I get better info on the actual time of the deals. Sorry for any confusion. --- Update ---

--- Update 2 --- Looks like this will go live at 8:00 PM EDT --- Update 2 ---

This Baofeng Tech Amazon Prime Day Deal is now live:

BaoFeng BF-F8HP (UV-5R 3rd Gen) 8-Watt Dual Band Two-Way Radio (136-174MHz VHF, 400-520MHz UHF) Includes Full Kit with Large Battery

If you don't have Amazon Prime, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial if want to take advantage of the deals from Baofeng Tech.

Baofeng Tech Amazon Prime Deals - The Schedule

Tomorrow is Amazon Prime Day - it is a little bit like a Black Friday sale, but only for Amazon Prime subscribers. If you aren't an Amazon Prime subscriber, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial if want to take advantage of the deals from Baofeng Tech.

Here is what you should know:

1. These deals will appear throughout the day.
2. You won't see the special price until the deal starts.
3. The deals last for a few hours but could end earlier as quantities are limited.
4. These will be the lowest prices Baofeng Tech has offered on these items.
5. Discounts are at least 25% off the current price.


5:30 AM EDT

BaoFeng BF-F8HP (UV-5R 3rd Gen) 8-Watt Dual Band Two-Way Radio (136-174MHz VHF, 400-520MHz UHF) Includes Full Kit with Large Battery

 7:05 AM EDT

BaoFeng UV-82HP (RED) High Power Dual Band Radio: 136-174mhz (VHF) 400-520mhz (UHF) Amateur (Ham) Portable Two-Way - this link is to the red one, but other colors are available.

9:50 AM EDT

Nagoya NA-771 15.6-Inch Whip VHF/UHF (144/430Mhz) Antenna SMA-Female

Nagoya NA-24J 16.2-Inch Ultra Whip VHF/UHF (144/430Mhz) Antenna SMA-Female 

Nagoya RB-35 5/8 NMO Mount Magnet

9:35 PM EDT

PC03 FTDI USB Programming Cable for BaoFeng, Kenwood, Wouxun, AnyTone

Baofeng Tech Amazon Prime Deals

Tomorrow is Amazon Prime Day - it is a little bit like a Black Friday sale, but only for Amazon Prime subscribers. Baofeng Tech is going to have several deals throughout the day. If you aren't an Amazon Prime subscriber, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial if want to take advantage of the deals from Baofeng Tech.

More soon!!!

Honeywell Thermostat and Amazon Echo

I can adjust my thermostat from the app on my phone - which is nice, but the real advantage is being able to build the schedule without having to wade through the menus on the limited physical interface of the thermostat itself.

So, I'm not sure how much I would use the integration with the Amazon Echo, but it's cool to see it is an option:

"Amazon Echo can now control your Honeywell Total Connect Comfort Thermostat. Use Alexa, the voice service that powers Amazon Echo, to set the perfect temperature in your home by voice command. Simply say "Alexa, set my temperature to 72 degrees" and enjoy your home's comfort without having to lift a finger."

Also, you can get a cheap refurbished Amazon Echo today from Woot.

Gadgets

Gadgets are dead. Long live the (cheap) gadgets.:

"Amazon doesn't need to make money on the Echo itself, as long as it drives more commerce to its retail business. Same with Google: as long as the Chromecast gets more people to watch YouTube videos and download more stuff from Google Play, they don't have to make money from the gadget itself." 

"This trend isn't going to kill off the smartphone, or the PC, or the tablet. But it means lower-cost gadgetry that lasts a lot longer. We're only seeing the early stages of this shift now, but it has a lot of potential to shake up how we think about and how we buy our devices."

Google Home

Privacy issues aside (especially since Google knows everything about me anyway)... I'm happy to see Google Home applying pricing pressure to Amazon and it's Echo product.

Free Ham Radio Kindle Book

I've not read it, but the price is right.


Via AR15.com Ham Radio Forum

Hyperion Cantos Series

I finished Dan Simmon's Hyperion over the week-end. It's the first book in the Hyperion Cantos Series. I really like the stories within a story. I got sucked in early even though the pace indicated that all this book was doing was setting the stage for the others in the series.

AWS IoT Button

Amazon is selling an IoT Dash-like button:

The AWS IoT Button is a programmable button based on the Amazon Dash Button hardware. This simple Wi-Fi device is easy to configure and designed for developers to get started with AWS IoT, AWS Lambda, Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon SNS, and many other Amazon Web Services without writing device-specific code.

A tear-down of the Dash:



Via @kfalconspb

And perhaps a fitting comic to accompany the above:

We are barely scratching the surface of new shopping models 😏
Via @NewYorker pic.twitter.com/8wUY48fNGe

— Subrahmanyam KVJ (@SuB8u) May 15, 2016

The Other Chirp

Google's alternative to the Amazon Echo is code-named Chirp. I'm pretty excited for competition in this space. Tools like these should drive some innovation in the integration of all my IoT devices. And, yes, I'm sure everything will be designed with security at a priority.

Amazon Kindle Book Deals

Highly recommend...



Recommend - especially if want to see or saw the movie...



Tempted...

Get Cable via Amazon

Is there anything you can't get from Amazon?

"Introducing the Amazon Cable Store, where you can shop for XFINITY internet, TV, and home phone services. We took all of XFINITY's best online offers, added Amazon exclusive promotions and a dedicated customer service experience from XFINITY, and let you place your order online in 3 simple steps."

Via Slashdot.org