Alexa is an up and coming new technology to make your home smart. However, it won’t make your home only smart, but also make your life easy. With Alexa Echo, you can easily set-up timers, alarms and have a shopping list ready anytime and anywhere. Best of all, everything is ordered by voice commands. But, the question remains… Is the Alexa Echo right for you? Whether you are looking for a personal assistant on the go, or just at home. The Amazon Echo has got your back. You may not need all the smart home features it offers, but it does also have other features which could peak your interest and definitely make you feel in the 21st century.
What can I use Alexa Echo for?
Alexa Echo offers many amazing and simple to use features. With an ever expanding ‘skill-library’ (new ways to interact with Alexa), you can be sure that anything you need the Echo to do, is already possible. With skills, you can have Alexa play games with you, all using voice commands. To install new skills, you can either tell Alexa to install a new skill via voice commands, or you can search and install using the specialized Amazon app.
Music playing
What if you want to listen to Music? You can also have Alexa spin up (or load, haha) your favorite playlist on Amazon Music, Spotify, TuneIn, or the many other apps supported (listed below). If you do not want to load a certain playlist, you can even ask Alexa to play songs by a certain artist. Maybe not all songs by the artist are great? You can also play certain albums by the artist. The possibilities are endless… I primarily use Alexa for playing music alongside a Bluetooth speaker, but maybe listening to music is not your type of thing, that is ok too!
Listen to the News
You can also ask Alexa for the latest news from the many networks such as NPR News, or CBC, Fox, and even Reddit. Most large news networks already support Alexa skills, so you should have no troubles finding the right News skill for you. Heck, you may not want to know the news for whatever reason, that is totally fine! Because there is more you can do…
Follow Sports Teams
A nice feature that Alexa comes with, is the ability to help you stay up to date with teams across many sports. As part of the news coverage, Alexa will mention any new updates regarding scores of recent games that your favorite teams participated in. Allowing you to follow as many teams as your heart desires, your Alexa will serve as your personal daily Sports news update. Maybe Sports is not your thing though, you can do other things too…
Play Audiobooks (Audible)
With Amazon’s native integration with Audible, you can have your favorite books read to you as you sleep, wash the dishes, or even relaxing. You can control the audio books with your voice too, which makes multi-tasking a breeze with Alexa.
Games
If you are bored, you can also play games with Alexa. Games range from Mystery to Guessing based games. The games are great for to play between a group of friends. For an example of a game, there is Akinator, where Alexa asks you broad (and specific) questions, to find the celebrity you are thinking about. It is quite amazing, what you can do with Alexa if you are bored.
Easter Eggs?
Oh man, Alexa is filled with easter eggs, and every day there is a new Easter egg to discover. With over 100 easter eggs and counting, you can be sure that with any question you ask Alexa, there is a good chance you will get a funny response one way or another. From questions such as “I am your father” to “Is there a Santa?”, you can be sure the response is what you need to make your day better! Moreover, Alexa makes sure to stay up to date with the seasons, whether it is Valentine’s day, Mother’s day, Father’s day or any other special occasion, Alexa will usually have updates by Amazon to make that day memorable.
Voice Purchasing (& Food Delivery)
With the power of Amazon, you can now also use Alexa to order your favorite things from Amazon and have them delivered the next day with Prime. This can make your shopping at grocery shops minimal, and possibly even eliminate it completely. Wouldn’t it be nice if you simply said “Alexa, I need some paper towels”, and right that minute the order is placed and delivered the next day? The selection on Amazon is astounding, and no matter what you are looking for, you will find. You might instead need food immediately, which is why you can order food delivery with just a few words, Grubhub handles the orders and most likely offers delivery from your favorite restaurant nearby.
Which Alexa Echo should I Get?
Alexa Echo
The priciest of all, but with the most features available. The Echo rocks a 360-degree speaker, that is strong enough to play your favorite music while you are anywhere around the house. Although it is larger, it does not offer a battery, and thus must be always plugged in to operate. However, the Alexa Echo is a great addition to your house, regardless. If you are looking for a way to use it on the go, however, that is not possible, as it requires a wall socket connection to operate, and not just a simple USB cable which the Echo Dot requires. The Alexa Echo, however, does not have a way to connect additional speakers to it, therefore you are only limited to using the built-in speakers. Which may make the Echo Dot a more attractive option for some users…
Alexa Echo Dot
The cheapest, and most optimal to those new to Amazon Echo… The Echo Dot offers many features that other Alexa devices do not offer. For example, the Echo Dot allows you to easily move your Echo Dot around the house and use a power bank as a power source, making the Echo Dot almost wireless. However, it comes at a cost. The Echo Dot does not have a built-in battery, and also a small speaker. Thus investing in an extra Bluetooth or wired speaker is almost a necessity. But personally, I find it worthwhile, if you prefer to place Echo Dot somewhere central in the house, and have speakers spread out around the home. If you are also looking for a cheap entry device, the Echo Dot might be the perfect choice for you!
Amazon Tap
Although pricier, the Amazon Tap might also the choice for you, if you are always on the move. With an approximately 8 hour battery, the Tap might be the perfect choice if you are out camping, at the park, or maybe at the beach (but it is not water-resistant… So take care). Although the Amazon Tap rocks an 8-hour battery, it misses the ability for you to call it “Alexa” to ask a question. Instead, you must press a button to ask a question. Which makes it a bad option for homes, but a great option for long trips.
Should I get Alexa?
Well, the question will still be on your mind, and we gave you just a few reasons you might think of investing in an Alexa. Whether you need it for one thing or more than one thing, I can confidently say, that you will be impressed no matter what. Alexa is powerful, and with new features being added every day, it will be one of the best investments in home entertainment/automation you can do. Alexa comes in different sizes and shapes, but in general, the smart features remain the same.
My Thoughts on the Alexa Echo Dot…
I continue to use my Alexa daily, for the weather, Music and even games in some cases. This review was not sponsored or endorsed in any way (sadly :/), and this is based on my personal experience with it. The Alexa Echo Dot is great for parties and for use when alone. When I am looking to shower, I just simply tell Alexa to play my Spotify playlist, and it does it right away. Whenever I am done, I just tell it to stop, and it usually hears me right away. However, due to some distances and other background noises, it may sometimes be difficult for Alexa to hear you. Which is why It is often recommended to use an 1 Alexa device for every room or placing it in a central place in the house. Overall, I enjoy it so much, that I am even thinking of buying another Echo device to place around my home.
Easy Comparison
| Rank | Name | Wireless | Built-in Loud Speaker |
Main Use | Price | Buy now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexa Echo |  |
 |
Home (Living Room) |
$179.99 | |
| 2 | Alexa Echo Dot | |
|
Home (Room) |
$49.99 | |
| 3 | Amazon Show | |
|
Home - Per Room (Video Chatting) |
$229.99 | |
| 4 | Amazon Tap | |
|
Portable (Music) |
$129.99 |
List of (some) Easter Eggs
- Alexa, I am your father.
- Alexa, who lives in a pineapple under the sea?
- Alexa, what is the loneliest number?
- Alexa, how many roads must a man walk down?
- Alexa, all your base are belong to us.
- Alexa, how much is that doggie in the window?
- Alexa, romeo, romeo wherefore art thou romeo?
- Alexa, beam me up.
- Alexa, how much wood can a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
- Alexa, define supercalifragilisticexpialodocious.
- Alexa, who’s your daddy?
- Alexa, Earl Grey. Hot. (or Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.)
- Alexa, what is the meaning of life?
- Alexa, what does the Earth weigh?
- Alexa, when is the end of the world?
- Alexa, is there a Santa?
- Alexa, make me a sandwich.
- Alexa, what is the best tablet?
- Alexa, what is your favorite color?
- Alexa, who won best actor Oscar in 1973?
- Alexa, what is your quest?
- Alexa, what is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
- Alexa, where do babies come from?
- Alexa, do you have a boyfriend?
- Alexa, which comes first: the chicken or the egg?
- Alexa, may the force be with you.
- Alexa, do aliens exist?
- Alexa, how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?
- Alexa, what are you going to do today?
- Alexa, where do you live?
- Alexa, do you want to build a snowman?
- Alexa, do you really want to hurt me?
- Alexa, what is love?
- Alexa, who is the real slim shady?
- Alexa, who let the dogs out?
- Alexa, open the pod bay doors.
- Alexa, surely you can’t be serious.
- Alexa, to be or not to be.
- Alexa, who is the fairest of them all?
- Alexa, who loves ya baby?
- Alexa, who you gonna call?
- Alexa, who is the walrus?
- Alexa, do you have any brothers or sisters?
- Alexa, do you know the muffin man?
- Alexa, how much do you weigh?
- Alexa, how tall are you?
- Alexa, where are you from?
- Alexa, do you want to fight?
- Alexa, do you want to play a game?
- Alexa, I think you’re funny.
- Alexa, where in the world in Carmen sandiego?
- Alexa, where’s waldo?
- Alexa, do you know the way to San Jose?
- Alexa, where have all the flowers gone?
- Alexa, what’s in name?
- Alexa, what does the fox say? (multiple answers)
- Alexa, when am I going to die?
- Alexa, I want the truth!
- Alexa, make me breakfast.
- Alexa, why did the chicken cross the road?
- Alexa, where are my keys? (ask twice)
- Alexa, can you give me some money? (ask twice)
- Alexa, knock knock
- Alexa, what are you wearing?
- Alexa, rock paper scissors.
- Alexa rock paper scissors lizard spock
- Alexa, party time!
- Alexa, party on, Wayne.
- Alexa, is the cake a lie?
- Alexa, how do I get rid of a dead body?
- Alexa, are you sky net?
- Alexa, your mother was a hamster
- Alexa, set phasers to kill.
- Alexa, roll a die.
- Alexa, random number between “x” and “y”.
- Alexa, random fact
- Alexa, tell me a joke
- Alexa, heads or tails?
- Alexa, mac or pc?
- Alexa, show me the money.
- Alexa, what is the sound of one hand clapping?
- Alexa, give me a hug.
- Alexa, are you lying?
- Alexa, my name is Inigo Montoya.
- Alexa, how many angels can dance on the head of a pin? (3 answers)
- Alexa, see you later alligator.
- For more recent Easter eggs, check out EchoTricks.com
The post Is the Amazon Alexa Echo Right For You? appeared first on Techie Guru.
source https://techie.guru/is-amazon-alexa-echo-right-for-you/
No comments:
Post a Comment