AFAIK Amazon only sells the Echo in the US, and a lot of the functionality is locked to the US, this makes it unusable for certain tasks (like dealing with time, dates, calendars and alarms).
The Echo won't let you change it's timezone to an Australian one (hacks like setting a timezone to one of the US military bases around the world no longer work).
So with the Echo assuming I'm living somewhere in the US, what do I use it for?
- Telling the time. Having said all the above, I do use it for telling the time, but I need to say "Alexa, what's the time in Sydney Australia?"
- Finding out the weather "Alexa, What's the weather like in Sydney Australia?"
- Controlling the Lights. "Alexa turn on the lights?"
- Reporting Revenue from Shopify (I've built a custom app) "Alexa, ask Shopify what were the sales?"
I'd love to hear more from others outside the US as to how they use their Echo!