Triby - Connected Speaker for the Kitchen

Product Description

Features

• Triby features voice control with Amazon Alexa and is a smart portable speaker, Internet radio, hands-free speakerphone, and connected message board all rolled into one!
• Use the Alexa Voice Service to play music, provide information, get the news, set alarms,control smart home devices, and more using just your voice. Just say the wake word "Alexa" and Triby responds instantly.
• Preset Internet radio stations and Spotify playlists for one-button access
• Make calls over VoIP or with a paired smartphone from 15 feet away
• Draw and share doodles and texts from your smartphone to Triby's alway-on display
• Stick Triby to the fridge with its magnetized back
• Enjoy up to 2 days of battery life. Charge with micro USB.
• Required free Triby companion app available on iOS (iOS8 and above) & Android
• We want you to know: Not all Alexa features are available on this device.

Top Reviews

Triby is still in beta state with poor Alexa integration (as of May 2016)
by Electronics Fan (3 out of 5 stars)
May 16, 2016

Triby on paper offers lot of functionality and looks attractive but as of May 2016, it is still in beta stage.

Let me list out pros and cons for this device. I was looking for a portable and small device through which I would be able to play my news briefing each morning and check my calendar using Alexa service. My choice was between Triby and Amazon Dot. I went with Triby, although in hindsight I should have ordered Amazon Dot despite the long wait to get one. I read the reviews before ordering and realized number of them were Vine program or prior to Alexa integration, so thought sharing first hand experience may be useful.

Pros:
1. Triby besides having Alexa service, also has internet radio functionality (although limited stations. With Amazon Dot, I would have only Alexa functionality only.
2. Triby was available immediately, compared to waiting period for Amazon Dot.
3. Using the Triby, I noticed the speaker can get quite loud, so can hear over water running in a kitchen.
4. Magnetic back is quite strong. It attaches firmly, although pressing the volume control buttons sometimes moves the device a little.
5. Ability to play internet radio.
6. Built in battery with ability to keep Alexa always on, so truly portable device.
7. Ability to call from app to Triby , so acts like an intercom and also send message from app to Triby screen.

Cons:

Triby is great concept, poorly executed. The Android keeps crashing. Alexa on Triby is voice activated, but 6 out of 10 times it does not recognize it. Out of sheer frustration, finally you are forced, to manually click the right side button for Alexa to hear you. This does not happen with Amazon Echo that I have, which 9.5 out of 10 times immediately recognizes my wake works. This on same wifi, so it is not a internet issue. I have corresponded with company and they mentioned they are aware of Triby's Alexa integration issue and working on a software update. Till then use of Amazon alexa service (which is the main attraction of this device), is iffy. Other issue I noticed, is when I play my news briefing, it would play the NPR news source and then randomly stop without playing rest of the news sources. [ Company fixed this issue with software update on May 24, 2016. Happy that the company is listening].

Alexa service on third party devices like Triby, lack ability to play Pandora or Amazon Prime music, compared to Amazon Echo.

The main issue is poor Alexa integration by Triby. I tested the other third party Alexa service which is available - which is Roger Android and IOS app. It works way better, although does not have always listening ability. I understand there are number of other device manufacturers which are planning to bring Alexa service in their devices - garage door openers, hi-end speakers, kids toys etc (Orange Chef, Garageio, TrackR, Mojio, Dragon Innovation, Rachio, Petnet, Musaic). Once other like Musaic come out with their Alexa enable internet radio / speaker, Triby may have stiff competition, unless they improve their integration of the Alexa service.

Triby App:

The Triby app keeps crashing, one cannot delete internet radio stations added, or intercom phone number added. There is no way to change temperature displayed on screen from F to C (it displays indoor temperature and humidity). Also, there is no way to delete message received on the Triby screen. On Android app, their is no notification that goes back to message sender, once you have read the message (IOS apps apparently supports it).

Voice Quality

I test the voice on Triby and compared it to Amazon Echo. Triby speaker do get very loud, but voice quality is not good. It sounds slightly muffled. Amazon Echo sounds much better compared to Triby.

Battery:

Lasts one day with Alexa service on.

Overall Impression:

Triby holds lot of promise as a portable device with always on Alexa service, but there are lot of bugs which company needs to fix, before it become a useful device.

Update May 23, 2016:

TI am still waiting for a software update to fix Alexa service on Triby. The voice recognition is still very poor and still unable to play news briefing on Triby. At this stage difficult for me to recommend this device to anyone. I have changed rating from three to two stars.

Update May 24, 2016:

New software was sent, which has fixed the Alexa news briefing issue. I am happy company listed to the issues and is trying to respond. I upgraded the rating from 2 to 3. I am hoping with next software update, they can fix the Alexa voice recognition, so I could upgrade it to 4 stars. This device has potential, it is upto Triby manufacturer (Invoxia) to fix the software issues.

Update Jun 12, 2016:

Since the last update on May 24 to fix the news briefing issue, no further update has been sent out by the company (Invoxia). Invoxia should learn from Amazon the importance of periodic updates to make a product a success (Echo example I am referring to).

To recap, following issues still remain -
1. Alexa voice recognizance is iffy.
2. Android app still in beta stage. Cannot delete a radio station from the list of selected stations which are assigned to the quick access button.
3. Voice command are only for Alexa functionality , other Triby functionality (such as accepting phone calls, playing a radio station) is still manual process. It is like Triby has dual personality.
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Fantastic Sound, Great Alexa integration, and really cool one button internet calling to 2 different
by Etechhy (5 out of 5 stars)
August 26, 2016

Wonderful for my daughter who loves Alexa and loves music. I am a huge Echo fan and have one echo and one dot. i liked the idea of alexa for my daughter. One fantastic feature is the programmable call buttons. Simply install the App on your phone and with one button touch your kids can call your cell phone, no matter where you are. You can also call them. My daughter uses it now instead of asking her mom to call me on the cell, she just pushes the button. It's in our kitchen and is now our source of music and alexa. The battery life is not great so we leave it plugged in all the time. I am planning on using it outside at next summers BBQ's. I had a few issues with the first unit, but the customer support was AMAZING, the simply shipped me a new unit and I shipped back the other one... all the way to France. They were very helpful and after a few emails with Nate :) I was up and running again. If your looking for a great way to let your little ones start using Alexa, and believe me they love it, this is the product. Great build quality, simple to use and fantastic customer support gives it 5 stars.
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Nearly good.
by Neoprimal (3 out of 5 stars)
March 9, 2017

I'm somewhat disappointed with the Triby. There's a lot of potential but it sort of fails in too many areas to be worth it.

My expectations were simple, I wanted a device that worked like my Echo that was a bit more portable. Even better that it's magnetized and can stick to my fridge as I wanted the device to be in my kitchen. On some levels, it's ok. You can set internet radio stations and use it as a speakerphone. You do have access to Alexa to be able to manipulate your home automation devices, etc. You cannot however do much else in the way of media playback. Pandora? Amazon Music? Audiobooks? Nope. A big part of the allure of Triby was being able to play music and listen to audiobooks while I'm cleaning my home or messing around in the kitchen. My bad for not doing more research.

Performance wise, it gets worse. It hears "Alexa" all the time from our living room TV - our kitchen is open....but it hears it so much more than my Echo devices. I don't get it. To test my theory I set my Dot up even closer to the TV. I mean, even if the TV is set really low, Triby's there hearing stuff and responding but the Dot is quiet. The Dot was really good about only responding to words sounding like Alexa. So, when the names Alex, Alexander, Alexandra came up, yeah the Dot would go off. Triby hears it at least 5 times as much. Of course, when I call to it? Nada. I have to almost shout at it, even when I'm close to it. I'd say it's got faulty mics but how could I when the TV sets it off so much? I set it to tap to talk mode but the Triby only lasts about a day so I keep it plugged in 24/7 thusly, it's listening all the time.

There is some good. The speaker is nice. It's pretty loud and has a depth to it. It's not cheap sounding by any means. The epaper display is cute and can be potentially useful. Of course, one could argue that you can text a phone directly and get the same result, but as I said, it can be useful. Maybe a romantic gesture, a cute warning to the kids or roommates, etc. The clock/time display and temp/humidity is also a nice if slightly unnecessary touch.

So down to the nitty gritty, I feel like some people will be happy with what they get but others won't. If you expect it to act like the Echo, you'll be sorely disappointed. It'll do some of the things the Echo and Alexa will for sure, but some it can't and won't, not yet anyway. If you want a portable wifi enabled speaker with some smart functionality then it might be up your ally. If you're happy with Internet radio or have Spotify then you're all good. Speakerphone functionality is a nice bonus and if you get several of them, you'll have soft-intercom type situation going on which can be useful. I fear this is all we'll ever get with the Triby, seeing as how it's been around for a while and there have been no further upgrades but hey, maybe we'll be surprised and it'll gain some more functions as time goes by. In the end, it depends on where you find your value and what you're willing to spend for it. At full price, I don't think the Triby is worth it. If you catch it on sale at sometimes less than 1/2 the price, I believe it becomes a much, much better value.

Personally speaking, I believe that I may have been happier with the Amazon Echo Tap. I considered buying one but when I bought the Triby, the Tap did not have hand-free capability. This was added by Amazon afterwards so the Triby 'won' back then. If I had to choose now knowing what I know, I would likely have gotten the Tap until the Triby matured some more (if it ever does). I don't hate the Triby though. I do use it. I'd just be using it more with more features.
-2 stars for missing so much media functionality vs. the Echo.

Final update (03/31/2019):

The only mention of the Triby on Invoxias website currently is for support and it is DATED, this is never a good thing. The last update for the app was about 3 months ago, which is better. Alexa on the device isn't any better now than it was. Functionality is pretty much the same across the board, nothing new, nothing broken. I would not recommend you buy this right now unless you are specifically looking at using some feature on it that's not available on/from a newer or more current product.
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Great unit and the support of Alexa make it a well round product. Superb customer service.
by WSAN3 (5 out of 5 stars)
August 1, 2016

Great unit and the support of Alexa make it a well round product. I had a problem with my unit after couples of month of purchase. I contacted Invoxia via their website and my request was managed very fast and the response process and unit replacement was superb. The replacement unit was installed and so far is working great. I am satisfied with the product as well as my family. Is keeping us well connected and is very easy to use. Arnaud, thanks a lot for your support and service. Stellar customer service.
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Fine as long as you don't have issues and need to return it. :(
by Dave McLaughlin (5 out of 5 stars)
June 16, 2017

I bought 2 devices and both worked fine to begin with. After the product support ran out, one of the units started acting strange. Radio would pause all the time. Not a wifi issue as the second unit works fine in the same location. Alexa on the faulty unit would drop the volume as if someone had spoken the wake word and it would occasionally activate without the wake word being used. Not impressed that I now have a damaged unit and no warranty on it. Triby won't support me saying I need to return via Amazon but after 60 days I can not longer do so.
[UPDATE]

I contacted Triby and they have been superb in supporting this. They are sending me a replacement. Thumbs up for Triby. So glad I can still use the Triby when it comes as this is a neat little unit. The Radio option just works (on my other unit that is) and the ability to use as an intercom comes in handy to contact the daughter who spends most of her time in her room, as teenagers do these days.
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Why should I need an iphone to pair Triby with my Android...read more
by Amazon Customer (3 out of 5 stars)
October 11, 2016

Issue: major issue here for Android users. Some Triby's have an old version of software. They cannot be paired with an Android phone. You have to get an iPhone, install the Triby app, upgrade the Triby using the iPhone, and then pair it with your Android phone.

Update: The Triby that I received had the current software version. It still would not pair with my Galaxy Note 4 for activation. I had to borrow someone' iPhone to do it. Once the Triby was activated, I actually like the device. The Alexa voice recognition works pretty well as long as you are in front of the device.
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Great device! I hear the radio in the kitchen ...
by Romain (5 out of 5 stars)
November 30, 2015

Great device! I hear the radio in the kitchen and send messages/call my kids when I am out of the house. We also stream music from the phone to Triby (that's cool). The only con is that I have to charge the battery every 2 days but that's mainly because I used it a lot on radio mode.
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Triby.... Invoxia Smart Portable Speaker with Amazon Alexa
by Love My Dogs (3 out of 5 stars)
November 13, 2016

I bought this Triby as a Deal of the Day. It is just okay. It is supposed to be made for the kitchen and can display messages. I don't have any use for the message feature as we are now empty-nesters. And, our dogs can't read. That being said...my microwave and cell phone (bluetooth is off) will disrupt the WiFi signal and my music stops playing. It is nowhere close to being as good as the Echo Dot. The Triby doesn't always "hear" me say, "Alexa". But, the "dot" hears me addressing the Triby, from two rooms away, and responds.
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Triby Rocks!
by Amazon Extreme Buyer (5 out of 5 stars)
January 1, 2017

Love This!! Use it primarily in the Kitchen and Garage/Workshop. The magnet on the back holds it securely to fridge, toolbox, and metal door. It works with Alexa, but have to push the button on the side to wake Alexa Up.. not voice controlled UNTIL you push the button on side. Like the message feature and ability to make phone calls without my phone. Enjoy listening to whatever I want.
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This is a hit and miss item. Not very ...
by Michael D Baney (2 out of 5 stars)
October 31, 2017

This is a hit and miss item. Not very responsive and I had 3 of these. I am left with 1 since I got rid of the other ones. Never updates, and does not follow the same standards as the Alexa. This one will answer regardless of whether there is another Alexa closer. Many times..I have to scream at it to get it to respond.. Looses WIFI connection a lot also.

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