How to Invite a Household Member to Share Your Amazon Echo | Dramel Notes

The Amazon Echo is a fantastic tool for using your voice to manage everything from shopping lists to music play lists, but what if you have other people in your household? Read on as we show you how to link multiple Amazon accounts to the Echo for shared music, lists, and more.

Why Do I Want To Do This?

If you’re the only one in your household and/or the only person who does any purchasing through Amazon, then this tutorial probably isn’t for you (but you may still find that multiple profiles are useful for your family or roommates, so we’d encourage you to keep reading).

For people with multi-person households, especially where members of that household all have purchased various content on Amazon like music and audio books, it makes sense to enable shared profiles so that you can, for example, play songs and albums through the Echo system that your spouse or roommate have purchased.

In addition to sharing music you also can share shopping lists, to-dos, calendar entries, and other useful features available on the Echo/Alexa system, perfect for ensuring that whoever does the shopping has full access to everything added to the collective shopping list and other shared household tasks.

Note: There is one minor caveat worth noting: giving someone access via shared profiles also gives them access to the purchasing capacity of your Amazon Echo. You may with to turn off voice-based purchasing (or enable a PIN code) in the Settings section of the Amazon Alexa app.

Adding A Profile To Your Amazon Echo

Let’s take a look at how to add a profile to your Amazon Echo. You can perform all these actions either by using the Amazon Alexa app on your smart device or by visiting echo.amazon.com while logged into the Amazon account of the primary Echo user. For easier to read and larger screenshots we opted to use echo.amazon.com for the tutorial but the menu layout and function is identical.

To get started navigate to the menu by tapping the menu button on the Amazon Alexa app or simply loading the echo.amazon.com portal. Select “Settings” from the side menu and then select “Household Profile”.

You’ll be prompted with a summary of the Amazon Household system and asked if you want to continue. Select “Continue” once you’ve read over the summary.

Next you’ll be prompted to pass the device or computer to the other person, as seen above. Once you click “OK” they’ll need to input their Amazon login credentials to authorize their addition to your Amazon Echo.

After their credentials are verified they’ll be presented with a summary of the Amazon Echo/Alexa sharing experience that runs through everything that will be shared (music, audio books, calendars as well as joint-managed to-do and shopping lists). After reading over the summary and the information about Alexa voice processing and data collection, select “Join Household” to complete the process. You’ll see a confirmation process welcoming you to the household of the primary account holder.

Although it looks like you’re all done here, there’s one final step before the process is officially over. The user you just added to your Echo needs to either download and install the Amazon Alexa app on their smart device (a recommended step, regardless) or visit echo.amazon.com while logged into their Amazon account so that they may accept the terms and agreements of the Alexa voice assistant program. Until they agree to the user agreement their profile will not be accessible on the Echo and all profile-related commands will be met with a prompt for the user to go accept the terms of service.

Now that we’ve invited the user, set up the profile sharing, and accepted the terms of service, it’s time to take a look at how to actually use multiple profiles on the Echo.

Switching Between Profiles

Once you’ve completed all the steps in the previous section it’s easy to jump between profiles. When using commands related to the profile system you can use the word “account” or “profile” interchangeable as Alexa responds to both terms. We prefer using “profile” as it most naturally fits with the function of the profile system on the Echo.

First, if you’re not sure which profile you’re currently on you can say:

Alexa, whose profile is this?

In turn, you’ll get a response like “In Jason’s profile”. You can then switch between profiles one of two ways by saying:

Alexa, switch profiles.

Alexa, switch to [Name]’s profile.

If there are only two Amazon accounts links to the Echo then you can stick to “switch profiles”. If you have more than one account linked to the Echo then it is much faster to switch profiles by name like “switch to Steve’s profile”.

Once you’ve switched profiles you can use all the commands you would normally use when speaking with Alexa but the commands will have access to the content of the currently active profile. (Thus, if your spouse or roommate is the huge music fan who does all the music purchasing, you’d want to switch to their profile when using the Echo as a jukebox).

Removing A Profile From Your Amazon Echo

If a member leaves your household or you simply decide to remove them from the device for other reasons, doing so is easy. To remove a household member from your Amazon Echo simply open up the Amazon Alexa app or visit echo.amazon.com as we did in the first step.

There is one element to this process we want to emphasize: once you remove someone from your Amazon Household you cannot re-add them for 180 days. If you remove someone in error you’ll need to contact Amazon’s support center to get them put back onto the account as you will no longer be able to manually add them in.

With that in mind let’s take a look at removing someone (if you’re certain you wish to remove them).

When you return to the Settings section and scroll down to the location where we originally found “Household Profile” you’ll now find an entry that reads “In an Amazon household with [Name]”. Select that entry.

You’ll be prompted to reauthorize your Amazon credentials and then you’ll be presented with the screen above that allows you to select and then remove the other user.

In addition to removing users yourself the users you’ve added can also remove themselves by repeating the above steps. (So if you found this tutorial because you’re trying to remove yourself from your roommate’s Alexa-enabled device you can repeat the above steps an instead select “Leave” beside your name to initiate the removal process yourself.)

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Have a pressing question about the Amazon Echo or the Alexa voice-assistant? Shoot us an email at ask@howtogeek.com and we’ll do our best to answer it.

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8+ Great Gift Ideas for PlayStation 4 Owners | Dramel Notes

The PlayStation 4 is one of three current-gen games consoles topping the gift lists of people of all ages. The others being the Xbox One and Wii U. However, it’s not good enough just to own a PlayStation 4; you need games galore, awesome accessories, and an online subscription to go with the console itself.

Which is why we here at MakeUseOf have put together this short gift guide for PlayStation 4 owners everywhere. Whether you’re looking to buy something for yourself, a friend, or a family member, the gifts on this list should elicit a smile.

A PlayStation Plus Membership

A PlayStation Plus membership is pretty much essential for all PS4 owners. Without it, they cannot play multiplayer games online, which is a huge part of the appeal of most titles released nowadays. A 12-month subscription will set you back around $50, which may seem a lot, but is actually remarkable value for money.

As well as enabling access to the online multiplayer elements of games, a PlayStation Plus membership also buys the right to download free games every month. Sony offers at least two PS4 games for free to all PS Plus subscribers each month, and taken together their value far exceeds the price paid for an annual subscription.

An Extra PS4 Controller

While online multiplayer is definitely where it’s at these days, there’s still a place for offline multiplayer gaming. After all, the feeling of trouncing someone sitting next to you on a sofa is difficult to beat, and impossible to replicate over the Internet.

It’s for this reason that an extra controller is a great gift idea for all PlayStation 4 owners, especially if you know they only own one controller at the moment. Even better would be buying them an extra controller AND inviting yourself over for a weekend of nonstop gaming.

A Good PS4 Headset

At one time headsets were only really used by PC gamers intent on blocking out the outside world as they fragged their frenemies in online shooters. However, gamers of all persuasions now use headsets to talk to their teammates while, well, fragging their frenemies in online shooters.

The PlayStation 4 headset we have linked to here is far from the only one available. However, as it’s an official Sony product with extremely good reviews, it’s the one we would recommend people buy as a gift. There are cheaper alternatives, and more expensive options, but this one achieves wonders at a mid-range price point.

The PS4 Universal Media Remote

The PlayStation 4 Universal Media Remote by PDP allows PS4 owners to navigate and control their console without having to use the controller. This makes it a worthy purchase for any PlayStation 4 owner who watches a lot of Blu-rays or who uses their games console to watch Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Instant Video.

It should be noted that while the PlayStation 4 Universal Media Remote is an officially licensed product, it isn’t actually made by Sony. This has led to some complaints that its not fully compatible with all of the receivers and apps it should be compatible with. Still, it sure beats using a controller.

The PlayStation 4 Camera

The PlayStation 4 Camera isn’t an essential purchase, but it’s a nice accessory to buy the PS4 owner who has everything. Once installed it sits quietly under your TV watching and listening (if and when you want it to). However, this isn’t so the NSA (National Security Agency) can spy on you. Thankfully.

Not only does the PlayStation 4 Camera allow you to play games which make use of the hardware, such as Just Dance 2015, it also allows you to interact with on-screen aliens through The Playroom. It also provides a simple way of streaming games via Twitch or YouTube Gaming.

Some PlayStation 4 Thumb Grips

Buying a PS4-related gift for someone doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. One of the cheapest ideas is a set of thumb grips designed to sit on top of the analog sticks on the controller. These should cost less than $5, but could make a huge difference to a dedicated gamer.

While the DualShock 4 controller that ships as standard with the PlayStation 4 is excellent, some people find the analog sticks a little slippy. These thumb grips remedy that problem, potentially turning an average player into a great player, especially in games such as Call of Duty where moving quickly and aiming accurately are all-important.

PSN Vouchers

If none of the above has quite taken your fancy then vouchers to spend on PlayStation Network (PSN) are the obvious solution. These work in the same way as any other gift card, needing to be activated before they can be used to buy PS4 games, downloadable content (DLC), and themes.

You can also buy individual game vouchers which entitle the recipient to download a particular title. These are ideal for people who know exactly which games they want but who would rather just download a digital copy rather than have a disc taking up precious shelf space.

Games Galore

There are a host of fantastic PlayStation 4 games available, with more being released all the time. Some are exclusive to the PS4, while others are available on other platforms too. Regardless, if you pick well, these games can provide hours of entertainment.

While it’s always a good idea to buy the specific titles requested by the recipient, some games are absolute must-haves. With that in mind, we have hand-picked a small selection of both multi-platform and PlayStation-only games guaranteed to appeal across the board.

The best multi-platform games available for the PlayStation 4 include Grand Theft Auto V, Fallout 4, Tomb Raider, Project CARS, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Grand Theft Auto V in particular is a must-have game for anyone with a PS4, as long as they’re aged over 18.

The best PlayStation exclusives include Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, The Last of Us Remastered, Bloodborne, Tearaway Unfolded, and Journey. Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection is especially good value, including three full-sized games in one epic compilation.

What PS4 Gift Are You Buying?

That concludes our list of great gifts for PlayStation 4 owners. We think it offers a nice mix of accessories and games that will appeal to PS4 owners of all ages. However, the comments section is down below just waiting for your input, so please leave us some feedback.

If you own a PS4 yourself then feel free to add your own gift ideas to the list. Or, if you found this article useful in helping you decide what to buy the PlayStation 4 owner in your life then please let us know which gift idea you chose in the end. Your comment could help future readers.

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8 Online Habits to Kick Because They’re Costing You Money | Dramel Notes

Online shopping is really convenient — but it can also be really dangerous. It’s easy to get caught up in browsing lists of things you don’t really need, and it’s far too simple to order them with a single click.

You’re not making it any easier on yourself by keeping up the bad habits listed below. Check them out and be honest with yourself — which ones are you guilty of? Share in the comments below and we’ll talk about good ways to turn them into better habits.

“Window Shopping” on Pinterest

This is the first thing that has to go. Browsing products on Pinterest is like walking through the mall looking at stores and saying you’re not going to buy anything.

It could happen, but it requires a huge amount of willpower to stick to your shopping prohibition. The same goes when you’re browsing any website that contains images and details on a lot of products that you’ll probably like (which is especially true on Pinterest, as they’re really good at learning your preferences).

Instead, start filling your Pinterest feed with things that will inspire you to save money. Search for things like ‘combine clothes in new ways’, ‘thrifty outfits’, or ‘DIY organization ideas’. These are the kinds of things that will help you stop spending impulsively, but still be fun to look at.

Pinterest can be really useful if you know how to use it effectively, but you need to be a very disciplined when following boards and liking posts.

(Quick note: this goes for other social networks, too, especially Instgram. The outfit of the day tag, #OOTD, can lead to an urge to shop.)

Following Too Many Brands

Following brands on social media can be really useful; you can get exclusive coupons, for example, or find out when big sales are coming up. But you’ll also get exposed to an awful lot of marketing. It’s easy to fill up a good portion of your Facebook and Twitter feeds with ads and product recommendations from retailers, and that’s going to make it hard to stay disciplined and resist impulse shopping.

Not following any brands on social media is a good goal, but if you absolutely need to know what this week’s fashions are, just follow the companies that you buy from regularly. Don’t follow the companies you buy from once a year. It’s not nearly as entertaining or exciting, but it could save you a lot of money and lower the temptation you have to deal with every day.

Getting Caught Up in Sales

Ah, online sales. How much extra money do you think you spend when your favorite retailer is having a sale? It always feels like you’re saving money, but usually what you’re doing is getting more for spending the same amount, or just spending more.

Obviously, if you can maintain your self-control, you can save quite a bit. However, it’s very difficult to resist temptation when you see that something you previously couldn’t afford is now on sale.

Some financial bloggers advise not shopping sales at all. Instead, they say to make a list of the things that you want and to go online and buy them, regardless of whether they’re on sale or not. This is certainly a viable strategy, but that’s not going to be everyone’s preferred choice.

If you do decide to keep shopping sales, make a budget first. Tell yourself how much you can spend before you start, and then only spend up to that limit.

Keeping Your Credit Card on File

One of the reasons why it’s so easy to spend a lot of money online is because retailers make it so very easy. Amazon has it down to where you just need to click once — no entering credit information, no entering shipping details, no confirming the purchase, nothing. Just one click and it’s on the way. And that’s really dangerous (not only when you’re being tempted, either: my mother-in-law once accidentally used one-click purchasing to buy a $1,000 chair).

Even if you don’t use one-click ordering, keeping your credit on file at your favorite stores is not a good idea. Humans are lazy, and we try to minimize the effort that we need to use to accomplish things. Even little things — like entering your credit card information — can be a deterrent.

If nothing else, it gives you one more chance to reconsider your decision. Don’t let companies save your credit card information, and you’ll be more likely to make better decisions.

Subscribing to Retail Newsletters

Just like following brands on social media, getting newsletters in your inbox with offers will expose you to a lot of marketing. And online marketers are really good at what they do — they know all the tricks. Which means you’re making yourself a lot more susceptible to making poorly planned purchases. And you’re cluttering your inbox, which is another thing you don’t want to deal with.

Just like with social media, if you can’t unsubscribe from all of the newsletters, stick with the ones from the brands that you buy from all the time. You’ll be more likely to actually save money with these. And if you can’t bear the thought of unsubscribing from them, use Unroll.me or another strategy to keep them from distracting you when you’re in your inbox.

Again, putting another step between you and a purchase is a good thing.

Getting Distracted by Recommendations

Related to both “window” shopping and browsing sales, allowing yourself to be distracted by the items that Amazon, Target, or any other online retailer presents to you when you’re buying something is bad. If you buy an Arduino starter kit, for example, Amazon will recommend a bunch of other Arduino-related things, and you’ll probably be tempted to buy them.

But if you didn’t set out to buy them in the first place, you almost certainly don’t need them. Sure, some would be nice, but if you didn’t think to put them on your list in the first place, and you’re thinking about buying those items, it’s probably due to advertising. And that’s not a good way to shop.

Remember that online retailers know a lot about you, and they know exactly what to put in front of you to make you spend more.

Subscribing to Groupon

Groupon, LivingSocial, and other “social couponing” sites can save you a lot of money if you grab the right coupons. If you grab the wrong coupons, you could end up spending a lot on things that you don’t need — or, worse, forgetting about them and losing the value of the coupon.

The key is knowing when to see if there’s a Groupon that you’re interested in. If you want to buy something, and you think that you might be able to save on it with a Groupon, check out the site and search for what you need. If you want to go out to eat, take an affordable vacation, or go on a weekend outing, you’ll almost certainly be able to find what you want.

When you get emails from Groupon, however, you see what they want you to see. Groupons for specific stores, classes, and items that you never thought about before can look awfully appealing when you’re saving 50% or more (or if you think you’re saving that much).

But don’t get drawn into the black hole of buying Groupons; it feels like saving money, but it’s still spending. Unsubscribe, and hit the site when you think it would be useful.

Paying for Shipping

There are tons of ways to get free shipping online — so many, in fact, that paying for shipping is almost always a waste of money. On Amazon, you get free shipping if you spend over $35, which isn’t hard (even if you don’t get caught up in a sale).

Free shipping is also one of the awesome Amazon prime benefits (sign up for Prime here) that you should be taking advantage of. Other sites often have similar deals, where if you spend over a certain amount you don’t have to pay to have it delivered.

Where shipping really hits your finances is if you make a lot of small purchases — you often won’t reach the threshold, and you’ll pay a couple bucks for each item. It doesn’t seem like much at the time, so you don’t think about it, but it adds up over months and years.

Those little, one-off purchases are often impulse buys too, making them doubly bad for your budget (you do have a budget, don’t you?). Consolidate your purchases to save on shipping costs.

Start Small and Build Up

Being financially responsible isn’t always easy, and maintaining bad online habits can make it even harder. You don’t have to become a model of resisting temptation overnight– start with one or two of the above tips, and work your way from there. Or take on one each week over the course of a couple months. Just make sure you start somewhere.

And why not start reading some personal finance blogs while you’re at it? It will help keep your motivation and resistance to temptation up.

What bad habits cost you money online? Do you find yourself making impulse purchases or browsing sales? Do you get caught up in email newsletters? What have you done to help yourself resist the temptations online? Share your thoughts and tips below!

Image Credits:legs and shopping bags by haveseen via Shutterstock

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How Long Does That Book Take to Read? This Site Tells You | Dramel Notes

Daunted by the size of that book you have been meaning to read? It might take you less time than you think. If you want an accurate calculation of the time you’ll need to finish that book, head over to How Long to Read.

The site lists more than 12 million books in its database. Use the site search to look up the name of any book on your reading list and select it from the search results. A dedicated page for that book should pop up. Look to the sample text on the side, click on the Start Speed Reading Timer button, then read it.

Once you finish, click on the button again to stop the timer. This displays an estimate of the time you’ll need to read the entire book.

The site calculates the approximate reading time based on the time you took to read the book’s sample, so do not speed read.

Do you know of any other websites like How Long to Read? How accurate are they? Tell us about them in the comments!

Image Credit: Hipster girl reading at sunset by Rasstock via Shutterstock

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The Best Self-Improvement and Productivity Gifts for Christmas | Dramel Notes

Personal development and productivity are on a lot of people’s minds around this time of year.

Whether it’s because they’re reviewing the year behind or looking forward to the one ahead, your friends and loved ones very well may be thinking of how they could do a little better in 2016.

And if you want to help them out, these nine gifts are great ways to be supportive!

Listography: Your Life in Lists ($14)

Journaling is a great exercise, but not everyone has the patience to write out reflections long-hand, or even in short form. Listography is like a journal, but it’s made completely of lists, and aimed at helping you write down important things and moments from your life (it’s pitched as a sort of highly compact autobiography).

The highlight of the lists are the hilarious illustrations which should help to motivate your moods as well. In fact, the pages are so pretty, they will compel you to write your lists more thoughtfully.

There’s also My Reading Life in Lists, Exploring the World in Lists, All I Hope to Do in Lists, and several other fun options.

Give the gift of memory this year with Listography!

Boogie Board Jot LCD Writing Tablet ($30)

Did you know that doodling can be a highly creative and beneficial activity?

Whether your friend or loved one is a doodler, a list maker, a note taker, or just someone who likes to have a pen in their hand, the Boogie Board Jot is a cool, fun way to let them jot as much as they want without using up paper. The writing tablet is great for drawing, leaving reminders, making and tracking lists, and saving notes to your phone with the Jot app.

The included stylus can even be used as a stand for displaying your creations and ideas. Or you can just use the magnets to mount the doodle board for display.

Gratitude and Bucket List Journals ($15–25)

Another great journaling or list-making gift, these handmade, twine-bound journals are great for helping people keep what’s important in mind, whether that’s what they’re hoping to accomplish in their lives or what they’re grateful for already having.

Both can be personalized with the recipient’s name, making it an even more personal gift. The Twine Bindery shop on Etsy also has a lot of other cool paper products that make awesome gifts, too.

Lumie Bodyclock Sunrise Alarm Clock ($139)

A lot of uber productive people in history have taken advantage of the early morning hours to get things done (here are a few examples). If you know someone who has trouble getting up in the morning but would like to be one of those people, the Lumie Bodyclock’s sunrise simulation will be a big help.

A gentle sunrise full-spectrum lamp, FM radio, and six different sleep sound effects that includes white noise to lull you to sleep at night makes this a great sleep-cycle enhancer. (I used a Lumie lamp to fend off seasonal affective disorder while living in England, and I can vouch for how awesome they are.)

If you’re feeling rather crafty, you could actually make your own sunrise alarm and give it as a gift!

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People ($9)

It seems almost cliché to put this on the list, but this book is a a perennial bestseller for a good reason. With useful real-life advice on how to change your perceptions, manage your time, act with initiative, and think positively, this book will help anyone on their quest to become a better person, whether they’re just starting their personal development quest or they’ve been working on it for a long time.

Habit 1: Be Proactive
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Habit 4: Think Win/Win
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
Habit 6: Synergize
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

~ Stephen R. Covey

Agendio Custom Planner ($35– $45)

A custom planner can be a big help to anyone trying to get and stay organized. Agendio’s planners come in three sizes and multiple formats, and each page can be customized with different types of labels, checkboxes, lines, lists, schedules, and other sections you need to make a planner that contains absolutely everything you need.

You probably won’t know what your friend or loved one will want in their planner, so you may want to give them the gift of cash to be used for an Agendio planner (at least until Agendio starts offering gift cards, which I’m told will be soon).

Bend Your Brain ($11)

This book of brain puzzles from Marbles (one of the greatest stores of all time) will keep your friend or loved one’s brain in great shape. Part of personal development is learning to think in new ways and to flex mental muscles that haven’t been used in a while, and Bend Your Brain will do just that.

The puzzles in this book focus on the five key brain categories: visual perception, word skills, critical thinking, coordination, and memory. Give the gift of better brain function this year!

Ebook Subscription (~$120)

You’ve probably noticed that many of the personal development and productivity gifts listed are books — that’s because reading is an absolutely great way to improve oneself! If you don’t know which book to get as a gift, or you want to go beyond just giving a single book, an ebook subscription is a great gift.

There are a number of different services to choose from—check out the article linked above and choose the one that seems best.

Help Friends or Loved Ones with Your Gift

Sometimes the best gifts help their recipients help themselves. In this case, they’ll help your friend or loved one on their quest to be a better person. Whether that means being more educated, more disciplined, more organized, or just more productive, these gifts will help.

What are your favorite personal development gifts this year? Will you be giving any gifts like these? And what’s on your own Christmas list? Share your ideas in the comments below!

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