I nearly strangled my Amazon Echo on Prime Day - CNET

Enlarge Image

Alexa and I had a little quarrel Tuesday night. It wasn't our usual tiff where I ask her to tu off an alarm and she ignores me and then we both laugh about it later. Tuesday's record-breaking Prime Day shopping holiday included an extra bonus for Amazon Echo voice assistant owners. You could get an extra $10 off your first $20 voice purchase made through your Alexa device.

I'm not the kind of person to go nuts for shopping holidays, but I was interested in getting a home security camera that would let me check in on my CNET test cats when I'm out. The Amcrest IP2M-841 1080p dome surveillance camera popped up with a Prime Day discount that brought it in around $78. Take another $10 off that and I felt good about the purchase. Alexa, however, didn't agree.

I don't want to know how much time I wasted trying to get my Echo to find the camera, which is listed as a "#1 best seller" in the camera and photo department. I tried every combination of the product description I could think of, but her results were always for other cameras. Most often, she just said she couldn't order whatever she thought I was saying. She then automatically put it on my Alexa app-shopping list as a consolation prize.

Amazon's kookiest Prime Day deals for 2016...

1 - 5 of 16

Next Prev

Here's a partial glimpse at what my shopping list looks like Wednesday moing:

Wifi security camera black
Amcrest i. p. to m. security camera
wifi dome surveillance
Amcrest indoor don't surveillance camera
Amcrest dumb surveillance camera
Amcrest ip to him surveillance camera
Echo crest eight four one security camera
Amcrest ten eighty p wi fi security camera
milk