Explain Alexa (or similar) to me

[Tincabelle]

I live alone and like the idea of having a gadget to remind me of things, answer questions and play me music etc. Not sure what else Alexa et al are capable of. And unclear what the difference between them is.

How do they work? How much do they cost? Would really appreciate an idiots guide to Alex et al to help me decide if I'd like one.

I use me 95% for a shopping list. It's really easy when you get something out the cupboard / fridge to just ask her to add it to the shopping list. And timers when cooking.

That's about it!

I use mine to play music and the news.

I have two echo dots, they are on offer for around £30 at the moment.
I mainly use for music, is useful to be able to turn off with voice especially when working at home.
Also use for the time and asking random things.

I've got an echo dot and ask Alexa to play music, radio 4 in the mornings, ring my phone when I know it's in the house but can't find it.
She (it??) just sent me a message asking if I wanted soothing music played when the dog barked.

Not sure if the music is meant to soothe me or the dog, she must've heard me shouting at him to shut the fuck up!

I have a Google Nest Mini. I used it for adding to the shopping list, playing music, setting timers when I cook, and asking random questions to prove DH wrong while we're in the kitchen. It used to control our lights but I haven't set that up again since we moved house.

Very, very occasionally if DH or I need to get hold of each other and we don't have our phone on/nearby/haven't seen it, we get it to play a message out loud via the Google Home app, which is funny/terrifying if you're the one at home.

I mainly use mine to control my smart lightbulbs, play the radio, set timers and alarms and ask random questions.

ive an Alexa in almost every room. We use it for music (via my Apple Music sun)/questions/reminders/alarms etc as well as to control smart bulbs and plugs. I’ve lots ot routines set up.

I never thought I’d get one, but I get so much use out of it.

Mine plays my audio books for me, and the radio.

I have the Alexa with the digital time display. It's basically a slightly fancier alarm clock.
I like that I can have different alarm routines set for different days and wake up / sleep to specific radio stations.
Don't ask it questions or do shopping lists.

I use mine for timers, reminders, playing the radio, making a shopping list, converting currency and measurements, telling me jokes, reading me the news, looking up answers to questions I'm too lazy to Google, and as a calculator.

I used to love being able to ask Alexa to play a single song, but Amazon recently changed how Alexa responds and you get her shuffling what you want and similar songs. I don't bother with that much any more.

There are games you can play. A favourite is Akinator where Alexa guesses the person or character you're thinking of.

If you have Alexa enabled products you can work them through voice commands. I linked up my robot vacuum so I can say "Alexa, tell Robovac to hoover" and off he goes.

I have 2 original echos, an echo dot and an echo show.
1 original is used for audio books, questions, conversations with my son and timers in my bedroom, the other is used for audio books, questions and timers in my kitchen. The dot is used as a Westminster chimes clock in my bedroom. The show is in my sons bedroom, I've no idea what he uses it for, but it's handy for messaging him or sending announcements. All messages are sent to me because all the echos are in my name.
Each echo has a different wake word, so I only wake up one at a time.

I use my alexa to wake me up, play music, tell me what the weather is, and whether it's going to rain, tell me the time of the sunset, alert me of when my amazon parcels are due to arrive, drop in on my family, send voice notes to my family, make announcements in the house without me shouting up the stairs, remind me of things, as a timer when I'm cooking, and for silly questions like 'what is love?'

I love the fact that I can be elbow deep in dishes and I don't have to stop to dry my hands to click music or the radio on.

All of the above! And play pointless and other quiz games.

watching Netflix whilst cooking on the echo show

It's the only piece of tech that DH haas spontaneously started to use

Originally, bought one for to replace a clock radio. It does all those things find, set alarm to wake up to chime or to music, through voice commands.

DH is older now, hands shake so struggled with setting anything with fiddly buttons.

Now, all lights, fans and anything plugged on or controlled by a switch (table lamp, central heating) can now be controlled by interacting with the dot. Or via my phone. Saves DH vending down to turn things on or off. He tends to leave them on once turned on, I can turn everything off before I go to sleep rather than running downstairs to turn off a light.

We have a few more now, in fancy in all main rooms. Additional benefits are that we can play the radio on more thanx one at once, the same or a different station.

Can also 'drop in' to converse with each other without having to shout.

DH also does things that I use google for on my phone, weather forecast, recipes, shopping list, looking up facts about actors / series.

The only tech fully adopted by both of us.

Alexa is really irritating. I can't get her to open Audible and play anything different to the first thing she ever played - not through the audible app or the Alexa app. Can't choose a podcast from it. Often 'has trouble understanding'.
I use it for spying on my front door (the Show) via Ring; playing the radio, and dropping in on the kids via their echo dots.

Think of it like a voice activated google, with the ability to stream some music or announce headlines and weather.

I use it mainly as a timer and alarm clock.

I think they’re invasive and unnecessary. Get a decent Bluetooth speaker instead!

We listen to the radio, stream music, turn lights on/off, add timers, alarms and reminders, create shopping lists, use it as a 'lazy Google'. When I'm out and about I send messages through alexa. Much more likely to be heard by at least one family member when they're all rubbish at having volume turned up / mobile phones nearby.

Oh and the kids use it for bad jokes, annoying songs and random farting noises.

Use it all the time, really.

I don't live alone as the 2 DC are here but I am the only adult in the house. but I do love my Alexa. As others have said - mainly radio, any song you could possibly want ti listen to through amazon music, timer for cooking, audiobooks (every day) , shopping list, company and not having to use hands to do any of it. --

Also stupid things like I just said to DS earlier that I am going to start rationing the Nutella. He didn't know what rationing was and I explained. He didn't listen until I then asked Alexa what it was and he listened intently.

I've got a couple and I use them for kitchen timers, alarms, listening to radio stations etc. As well as asking random questions that I would otherwise ask Google but she's not quite as good. Certainly you should be aware that it records all conversations within range. I work in defence and intelligence and there are some settings that have to be configured. I'm not allowed to have a company meeting on teams or Skype or zoom within audible range of Alexa. https://www.techradar.com/how-to/every-alexa-privacy-setting-and-how-to-change-them obviously most people don't have anything to hide but you can log in and listen to anything said in the room even months later.

Very interesting - appreciate your replies.

I have a quesiont that I'm sure will domonstrate how cluelessness i am:

What is the difference between echo, dot, nest? Do I need one of those plus alexa?

They are the alexa just different versions of it. Dot is a version of echo i believe.

Nest is Google's device, Echo is Amazon (often known as Alexa as that is the word you use to wake it up and listen to you). There are different types of Echo devices - dot is one, also show (has a screen) and possibly others, I haven't looked into it for a while.

Alexa is the software really, can be accessed on your phone or via a tablet or a dot/echo/show etc