What can I do with an Echo Dot?

[BrewandBiscuit]

I’m not massively tech savvy but have received a third gen echo dot for my kitchen.

other than playing music, what else can I do with it?

thanks in advance

Set an alarm
ask: the weather
fact Of the day
animal of the day
set timers
play the radio
tell a joke
play a game

It will do various farts (!)
I play books from audible on mine.

it will ring your phone so you can find it

Play the game 'Yes Sire'.

Set up a shopping list. I add to it during the week then get it emailed to me for the Sainsbury's run.

Ours is used for fart sounds.

Timer.
shopping list.

My theory is that the genius of Amazon is that the Alexa devices are mostly v well priced, so they don't need to do a lot to still be worthwhile.

Our kitchen one is used for
Music and radio
Podcasts
Shopping list (most useful)
Random questions while cooking/eating
Timers and reminders

That's pretty much it. But it's plenty for me considering my device cost £30. I am considering getting a small show on the basis I could have recipes up on the screen and it's also cheap.

I bought mine a few years ago in the Black Friday sale. I bought it purely as a radio as it was cheaper than an actual radio.

I use it daily for cooking alarms as I've never figured out how to set my cooker timer.

I have Amazon shopping notification's set up so it will tell me when something is out for delivery, but don't do this if you have ordered a surprise for someone in the house.

Also I ask general questions.

Recipes
Music
Train times
Random questions

You can call people with it

I generally just use mine for music and winning arguments

I largely used mine as a timer (cooking mostly), to play music, to speak to the dc when they are upstairs (they have one each in their bedrooms), set reminders (mostly about packed lunches and PE kits), as an alarm and as a radio.

Thank you! My 4 year old will love the fart sounds!
the shopping list sounds great too!

playing Pointless!

We've got three floors in our house and 4 echo dots, including one each in the dc's rooms. I can use the drop in function to call them down for dinner etc. Without shouting up the stairs.
We use them for music, weather forecast, news, ask random questions, play games allsorts really.
We also have smart bulbs and it's connected to our hive so can turn bulbs and heating on and off even if we're not home.

Did not know this. Thank you.

I have a Google nest, I expect they are very similar.

I set timers and alarms, play music, play news, add to shopping list, ask random questions.

Most lazily, I ask what the time is instead of looking at my watch.

And I ask 'how long will it take me to drive to x' because it checks the travel situation. Then I can decide when I need to leave for stuff or if I have a couple more minutes to spare.

"Alexa,announce that dinner is ready"
And she will ring a bell to other devices and tell them.dinners ready. Or lunch or that it's time to go.

Asking random questions like " can dogs eat....(insert whatever random food my dog has stolen from the counter)?"

She has a puppy function - our crate is in the kitchen and if pup barks in it she says hello doggy and plays classical music 😂.

I mostly use it for multiple timers and playing music

Timer, music, podcasts, alarms. We have them around the house and it means I can let everyone know dinner is ready without shouting , just say “Alexa announce dinner is ready” and she announces on all devices. Routines - “Alexa good morning” and she tells me what the weather forecast is for today and then plays my chosen breakfast radio station, “Alexa goodnight” and the Alexa controlled lamps downstairs are turned off and my morning alarm set. “Alexa boost hot water” if I’ve used a lot of hot water and know DH will be wanting a shower when he comes home from work. So many uses….. she’s linked to plugs that we can’t reach easily like the TV, the Christmas tree, the under cupboard kitchen lights. You can set timers on lights so the house looks occupied and so you can have lights on when you come home from a day out.

To do list
Shopping list
Alarms
Reminders
Timers
Set to tell me my morning star sign
Set to tell me the morning news
Plays music/radio
Jokes
Games
Random questions (how long to cook xyz, how big is xyz, how many cm in xyz.....)
Recipes
Call phone
Podcasts
She used to tell us the value of gold and silver in the morning too (after news and star sign)
There's probably more but I can't think.

I have to keep asking mine what day it is!

It reads news bulletins

I only found out the other day that if you say snooze at the end of a cooking timer it will add five minutes on.

Link it with bbc news, ask it to play bbc news

Podcasts
Shopping lists
Music and quizzes
Timers and alarms/reminders
Drop in to other ones about the house and tell people to come get their dinner/announce things
Weather checks
Call people on phones or the other dots

We have lots of routines so in the morning we say a phrase and she turns smart bulbs on around the house, plays music etc

Or when we get home and house is dark I say Alexa, I'm home and she turns some lights on and heating

Also control Christmas lights and electric blankets/dehumidifier etc around the house just say Alexa turn on the blanket and we have it set to come on for one hour