To ask for Alexa tips?

[Chipsahoy82]

Got an Amazon Echo for Christmas. What do you guys mainly use it for? I only really use it for listening to Spotify at the moment and am struggling to find other practical uses! I’m sure Alexa can make my life easier but I’m not quite sure how, so I’m looking for some good tips!

I'm in two minds about getting one. Are you all still as excited about it or should I not bother?

I've got an Echo in the sitting room, a Dot in the kitchen/dining room (and a wall holder for when the tiles are done), and another Dot in the bedroom. I'm waiting for the new connection to the phone to come out as I have an old house and reconditioned old dial phones which don't do the 'press 1 for' pain.

I’m contemplating getting an Alexa and also some kind of smart lighting. There’s been a surge of burglaries in our area and I’d like to control the lights remotely as well as setting them to come on at certain times.

What’s everyone using with Alexa? Smart plugs, smart bulbs, some kind of hub? I don’t need heating controls. Being able to switch off DS’s XBox remotely would be handy though.

Still really love mine!

I use mine to listen to music and listen to audio books. Also to wake me up with the news and weather. The children like playing would you rather and the magic door. It was good for asking where father Christmas was too.

Music and lights for us.
Kids have discovered she burps and farts. She can also play 20 questions

Here it's music, multiple timers and reminders and the shopping list. If I have my hands in pastry I can add butter to the shopping list without having to wash my hands, When my son leaves for uni I will have a Dot upstairs so I can ask the time in the night (I am very shortsighted) and get her to turn the kettle on as I get out of bed. I really, really want an in car Alexa.

My mother (85) has hers linked to a Google calendar, Alexa will add events and then answer questions such as "what's in my diary today?"

My dad has a google home and it can give you times of buses and trains and where the bus stop is or train connections.

My DD not Dad

I really want one, but we have an Alex in the house and I think it would cause a lot of confusion!

Can Alexa be assigned an alternative name?

Oh brilliant! Thanks Freudian.

Interested you g to set mine up too.

Amazon have been sending me emails with Alexa tips and I haven't had time to test them out! So I feel like I haven't scratched the surface yet, but the basic stuff like music and shopping list has been great.

I'm wondering how I lived without her now...thinking of swapping one of the kids for another for upstairs

I bought my sister one for Christmas because it was cheap through sonos deal, now the rest of the family all want one and it's full price