Echo Buttons (2 buttons per pack) - A fun companion for your Echo

Update 3/4/18:Great fun, better than expected, but some quirks I didn’t expect!PROS:- Great for game nights, sleep overs, etc- no setup, no cleanup (after initial setup)- Fun for two, couples or teams (supports 4 buttons)- Alexa acts as facilitator - keeps score, manages tempo and when possible enforces rules (can lock buttons out, etc)- Expect lots of new games as developers get access to Gadget skill development toolsCONS:- Initial setup: problems with Bluetooth pairing (see SETUP ADVICE below)- It’s not perfect - she will misinterpret and/or use someone talking in the background for an answer- Buttons don’t register the ‘quick push’ consistently. This leads answering a question meant for another team and skews the score (pay attention to the answer prompts - both voice and visual)- No easy way to clean up a scoring error. Trivial pursuit can close a category, offer bonus question, all tied to someone yelling an answer out of turn etc.Things we stress:- Before answering, make sure your team’s button ‘Active’ and the one to receive credit with a correct answer.- Press the button firmly. Sometimes a quick tap doesn’t register and you may end up answering for another team- Allow one player to speak when Alexa prompts for the answer. It can be hard, but try and be quiet - (Alexa will pick up anyone’s voice who yells)- Keep it light hearted, no wagering :) It’s not perfect and Alexa will occasionally misinterpret an answer (just like when I ask her to ‘turn the heat up’).The one thing we found frustrating was when one of the above items occurred, and they will, there is no easy way to correct the scoring (hint - Amazon, allow developers to build real time game interface to Alexa app, and allow scoring adjustments to games currently in play).These are a lot of fun, but manage expectations. Great platform to work with for the App/skill developers - I can’t wait to see what they come up with========================TROUBLE SHOOTING, SETUP ADVICE (save time and frustration):- Each button has a unique ID viewable in the Alexa App (after pairing): Settings>your Echo device name>(either Bluetooth or Echo Buttons)- LABEL BUTTONS as each one pairs with last 2 characters of Bluetooth connect name. ***This is critical for troubleshooting (a must do if you have 4 buttons)>>>TROUBLESHOOTING:Like all Bluetooth devices, these will have disconnects. Problem is they don’t always recover and reconnect. The GOOD NEWS is with the BUTTONS LABELED you won’t have to unpair, forget and re-pair all buttons. Without the labels it’s impossible to know which button to remove from Bluetooth/Echo Button and re-pair.- SYMPTOM: Button disconnects from Bluetooth and will not re-pair (will not light ‘orange’ indicating ‘ready to pair’). Most likely the Button is still partially connected to last device.- PROBLEM: Under settings a paired BUTTON’s unique name appears in TWO places. When a Button is disconnected (manual or dropped Bluetooth), it often fails to disconnect from both places (‘Bluetooth’ or ‘Echo Buttons’). To verify see: Settings>your Echo device name>(either Bluetooth and/}or Echo Buttons)- FIX: To complete the removal, and allow re-pairing, do the following: Under ‘Echo Buttons’ select ‘UNPAIR’ and under ‘Bluetooth’ select ‘FORGET DEVICE- SYMPTOM: followed steps above but still won’t pair/re-pair- FIX: When you have a button that’s still giving you problems, it can usually be resolved using the steps below. They all aren’t needed everytime, but you’ll save a lot of time in the long run. Using the Alexa App do the following:FORGET DEVICE under ‘Bluetooth’ and UNPAIR under ‘Echo Button’>Shut down Alexa App on all mobile devices (a second device trying to pair could issue)>Reboot Echo device by unplugging for 10 seconds>Remove batteries from problem button for 10 seconds, then reinstall>NOW ATTEMPT TO RE-PAIR***With multiple problem buttons, consider repeating steps after each successful pairing.I paired, unpaired, and forgot Devices (Bluetooth) many, many times trying to recreate and debug the issues identified by myself and others. I then tested various solutions in an attempt to resolve as many issues as possible. The fix’s above resolved every issue I encountered, and the labeling really helped save time by making it easy to identify the failing button in the Alexa app. Of course this won’t fix a dead button, but you might find your button isn’t actually dead.Hopefully this helps you get your Echo Buttons up and RUNNING! HAPPY HOLIDAY’S**This is an in process review. I really like the buttons and I’ll share more later :)Update 2/5/18Product seems to be stabilizing. I have not had a dropped connection since December that required intervention.***ADDITIONAL/TIP: Verify and ensure Alexa/echo device is on latest software. (See comments at bottom of review for latest echo device software as of 2/6/18)

My experience was NOT like the Echo Button COMMERCIAL.* I asked the mail woman, and first, well it was a man (embarrassing), and when I threw the button at him (like the commercial did) it hit him in the face and he was pretty upset about it and didn’t want to play.* A fish CANNOT press the button, even though Amazon clearly advertises this in their commercial (and mine died during my tests).Let's get the cons/complaints out of the way first:* Will not sync with my Microsoft Zune, doesn’t come with ceiling mount, doesn’t work as a Hockey Puck (tried, broke), CANNOT play underwater, doesn’t play doom, not dishwasher safe, not 4k, not free, can’t start your car, not a hand warmer, doesn’t work with Google Home (but what does? And who cares??), it can’t be used as a pager/beeper, and can’t be used to replace buttons on a jacket EVEN THOUGH it IS a button (design flaw).Other than that, the buttons are fun. Here’s my feedback:* Echo Show. If you own an Echo Show or Spot (aka Alexa with a screen), the experience is much better because it shows info on the SCREEN while you play (scores, hints, recap of what’s going on, etc). I’d rate the experience a 10/10 with a screen, and 7/10 without a screen…. It’s THAT much better.* Ease of setup. Setup was easy. If my wife/mom can set it up easily, that’s a win for any electronic device, so good job Amazon* Opening the back. Amazon did a slightly annoying design on the back and you have to unscrew the cover using an extremely small screwdriver (luckily I have like 1 million screwdrivers so eventually one worked). It’s hard to explain, but think of a traditional remote control, you know how you squeeze the back cover and the cover opens up so you can insert batteries? Echo Button is like that, but there’s also a “screw” in order to put the batteries in. Seems a bit extreme, luckily I’m hoping I only need to replace batteries once a year.* Response. I tested the “response” time to see how good it is if multiple people pressed at the same time, and luckily every time it was accurate which is impressive because I don’t always trust bluetooth or electronics in general.Let me now rate each game:* Party Foul (9/10). This game was a BLAST, I found out my wife of 7 years has ate her buggers before… as gross as that is, well she found out I’ve eaten something from the trash (in my defense, it was only in there for a second). And if you don’t know, Party Foul is just a game where it asks a question like “I’ve never been drunk before” and everyone guesses if you have or not. At the end everyone holds their buttons and reveals what they guessed… the “reveal” is the fun/eye opener part.* Hanagram (10/10). What I love about this game is it’s SIMPLE, and QUICK. Simple is good for when you’re playing with kids or elderly people, quick is good so it doesn’t lose it’s excitement like “When is this going to be over”. And if you don’t know, Hanagram is a game where you try and guess the word (like Wheel of Fortune I guess). It starts by telling you the word is X letters long, then gives you 1 letter each round you don’t guess it. Really simple and fun.* Trivial Pursuit (4/10). I wasn’t a fan of Trivial Pursuit at all. The questions were extremely difficult, your answer has to be precise (like Panda Bear, not Panda), and if Alexa has issues hearing you (accent, slurred speech, etc) it’s more annoying. And if you don’t know, Trivial Pursuit is just a bunch of trivia questions everyone tries to answer (history, technology, etc).Also to answer some common questions while I’m here:* The LED’s change color depending on what you’re doing/what game your playing.* Button doesn’t have sound/speaker (no need either)* There are games for the kids, I’d recommend Party Foul or Hanagram (Trivia Pursuit would be too difficult for kids)* You can play with 2-4 buttons, no more. Although I’m sure with time, Amazon will add an update increasing the limit to 6 or 8 buttons, for those with friends (wish I had them)One last random note... would be great if Amazon expanded the button's functionality beyond games like home Automation:•Using it as a switch for Home Automation. You press it once to turn lights on/off, or you press it to play your favorites, tap it to pause a movie, turn on your projector, send an alert...• Use it as a color LED. You have 2-10 of these signed up on your bedroom window seal... they turn red if someone rings your doorbell, blue if it's snowing, green if you have an email/text notification.Ultimately I'd love to have 100 of these scattered around my bedroom, and as my wife is laying there on her iPad, I walk in and press one of the buttons and BAM, all the buttons cycle colors between red/pink/purple, romantic music queues up, I give her this intense stare and she knows it's time.