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Microwave with sound control2/18/2023 ![]() ![]() In the age of fresh, organic everything (hello, Amazon-owned Whole Foods), it’s kind of endearing that the 1970s utopian vision of steaming vegetables and defrosting meat in minutes is BACK. ![]() One of the microwave’s touted features is a dozen preprogrammed “quick-cook presets,” for not just reheating but cooking food like corn on the cob and hot dogs. I yelled at the microwave to stop from across the room, when I realized the kernels quit popping. Voice control was especially useful when making popcorn. (The correct command language is “microwave,” “reheat,” “defrost,” or “add time to the microwave”). But when I said, “Set the microwave for 30 seconds,” Alexa freaked and didn’t know what to do. The voice commands, when uttered correctly, worked well. An Amazon spokesperson said the Echo will record voice data to train Alexa, and if you enroll in the Auto-Popcorn replenishment service (more on this below), the microwave will log when you use the built-in popcorn button. But connected devices, including the Echo, do collect some information. Non-Alexa microwaves can’t be used to spy on you (which White House senior counselor Kellyanne Conway implied last year). The ideal timing - ending your command right as the door is being closed - takes some practice. It won’t start if you finish the voice command before the door’s shut, either. The microwave won’t start while the door is still open. The door has to be “active” - in other words, opened or closed - within a few seconds of a voice command. You can’t opt to get a notification on your phone instead, and you can't adjust the beep volume (when asked about this, a spokesperson said, “That’s an interesting idea”).Ĭontrary to popular Twitter belief, the microwaves can’t be accidentally turned on, like the Alexa devices in San Diego that ordered dollhouses when a news story inadvertently triggered them (BTW, you should add a voice code to Alexa purchases). But like a normal microwave, when your food is done, it will beep for longer than is necessary (five times). You can just say, “two minutes” or “one cup of coffee” and save yourself some obnoxious beeping. There’s also a dedicated button you can press that eliminates the need for an “Alexa” prompt. You can say “Alexa, microwave for two minutes and 30 seconds” as you’re shutting the microwave door, and the gadget will do just that. The manual specifies that the Echo and other wireless devices should be placed at least a foot away from the microwave. It listens and responds to commands via a connected Amazon Echo smart speaker (which range in price from $50 for the Dot to $230 for the Echo Show with display, and are sold separately), and you need to have an Echo “within hearing distance” of the microwave to use voice controls, according to an Amazon spokesperson. The microwave doesn’t actually have Alexa inside. (Please do NOT microwave your jarred sauce.) ![]() It'll fit a big dinner plate just fine but its height will not accommodate, for example, a standard spaghetti sauce jar. Here’s what that experience was like, anyway.Īt about 22 pounds and 0.7 cubic feet - standard compact microwave size - it's best for an apartment or dorm. So it doesn’t really matter that after some real-life testing, I found Amazon’s leftovers revival machine to be marginally better than normal microwaves. But Amazon is going to sell a gazillion of them, despite what those internet people had to say, and here’s why: 1) it costs $60, or about 20 lattes, which is a very reasonable price 2) it is available with free, two-day shipping to Amazon’s over 100 million Prime members 3) it is 0.7 cubic feet, the “most popular size of microwave” on the shopping giant’s site, according to Amazon devices vice president Charlie Tritschler, and, finally, 4) it is already #1 in Amazon’s own search results for “microwave” in the US, and it’s even specially badged with “Electronics Gift Guide” (which, by the way, is something Amazon curates). ![]()
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