Eufy Genie (Amazon Echo Dot Clone) - Follow-up

I bought a couple of the Eufy Genie devices - one for $29 and one for $19. They are basically clones of the Amazon Echo Dot. They seemed like a good deal at $29, but then the Dot was reduced to $29. If I had know that was coming, I would have stuck with the official product for the same price.

My decision seemed to be really bad when I got them out of the box and started using them. I felt like I could time the responses from Alexa with a calendar. The good news is that, after some automatic firmware updates, I can say its performance is on par with the Echo Dot. If you can catch one for $19, it's definitely the way to go.

Asus Mesh

Pretty cool... Asus is extending the life of their older wireless routers by letting you turn them into mesh access points.

(You can pick up a refurb Asus 1900 for $48.)

DMR Radio Comparison

A nice chart comparing the various DMR radios from Baofeng, TYT, Anytone, etc.

Ham Licenses

Ham licenses chart.

Up: Extra, General, Tech, and Total
This is a high water mark for all three classes and overall licenses.

Down: Advanced and Novice
Advanced and Novice will only go down since no new licenses are being issued for these classes.

Month	Extra	Advanced	General	Technician	Novice	ARS Total
Nov-17	144,985	42,208	174,162	377,507	9,132	747,994
Oct-17	144,666	42,479	173,694	375,597	9,192	745,628
Sep-17	144,672	42,838	173,601	374,833	9,257	745,201
Aug-17	144,654	43,070	173,471	374,378	9,309	744,882
Jul-17	144,387	43,240	173,170	373,653	9,373	743,823

Anker Echo Dot Clone - $19.99 via Amazon Prime Today Only

I paid $29 for my Anker Echo Dot clone... so I'm in for another one since it is only $19.99 today only for Amazon Prime members.


Edit: This deal may be for everyone, but shipping charges might apply for non-Prime folk.

Anniversary

The blog is 7 years old today. Funny how it gets older despite my lack of posting.

TYT MD-9600: KG4VDZ Video Review

KG4VDZ:

Voice Control Security

I love my Echo, but the attack vectors are scary...

Turns out hackers can take control of Siri and Alexa by "whispering" to them in frequencies humans can’t hear. https://t.co/TMTw1BjGLB

— Fast Company (@FastCompany) September 6, 2017

Via @Jruys

Etymology of Ham Radio

Good info for the next time someone asks about the origin of the term "ham radio" https://t.co/i8O65uEfTr #hamradio

— BobW (@K0NR) September 7, 2017

Zello

Business Insider:

"A walkie-talkie app called Zello is No. 1 in the App Store because of Hurricane Irma"

Definitely better than nothing, but nothing like having some real radio options.