To not see the point of Alexa?

[crunchymint]

All the TV adverts showing you what Alexa can do, don't show anything more than a laptop can do, with the exception of turning your lights off and on - and I can do that myself. I just don't see the point of spending money to but something that really doesn't do anything extra.

NCP81 it's fantastic that all of this technology is going to help, my DGM was blind and she'd have absolutely loved it.

I live in an area with poor radio reception. I can listen to any radio station I want with perfect clarity, get hourly news summaries, the traffic report for my route to work, weather information and homework help for the kids all by voice command.

It's bloody brilliant.

I use a smart plug for the kettle. It just needs filling before bedtime and leaving it turned on at the kettle and off at the smart plug. Then when the alarm goes I say "Hey Google, switch the kettle on". Smart plugs are pretty easy to set up. It's all linked via my phone.

Ours controls our Sonos speaker so i switch on the radio every morning with it which saves me from finding my phone and switching it on - it probably saves me 15 seconds most mornings but its dead easy.

Also, we use it to change music when eating at the table - helps to maintain the "no.phones at the table" rule.

And you can ask her to tell you dirty jokes...

Mine ignore me when I speak to her, then randomly tells me she's adding something to 'my to do list' - don't have one, suddenly start talking about unrelated things or tries to put music on in the middle of watching a film.

DH say's it's because I don't use her enough.

I, for one, embrace our robot overlords.

Seriously. They can't make a worse job of the world than humans

Anyway, asking Alexa the time without removing my eyemask in the morning is basically the best thing ever.

Ours controls our lights and we have a 'bedtime' setting where the landing is dimmed and it switches the rest of the lights off. I use it for the radio, reminders and my husband uses it for timers when cooking. My three year old likes to chat to her too.

The shopping list is The Best Thing Ever.

Just say 'add coffee', 'add milk', 'add deodorant' as things run out...then when I'm next at the supermarket, it's all there on my list.

You just can't match that...there's no way you'd add to a list otherwise when you're in the middle of chopping onions and just used the last one, or just finished the handwash and you have wet hands etc.

I use mine as a music player and kitchen timer. Like you can say play me one hit wonders haha I like that

We have a Google Home. We also have an inquisitive 3-year-old and a new baby. It’s invaluable when there’s a poonami to deal with and the eldest one really needs a detailed explanation of Why Are Worms.

Although previously when she asked me questions I didn’t know the answer to I’d say “You know, I’m not sure let’s look it up together”. Now when I say that she says “It’s ok, I’ll just ask the Google”.

Could live without ours - but it's a handy thing to have. I use it a lot for music, oven timers, timers for sitting on the time out step and the like, and our lounge lights are voice activated by it now (the timers are set for them coming on and off as well via the alexa app).

Use it as a baby monitor with the dot upstairs as well if I'm wanting to keep an ear on the kids playing upstairs.

I use mine to tell the kids teas ready (they have a dot each), timers for random things, kids ask her daft questions, and she plays never ending music.
And I can control the firestick to an extent with her, which means that 4yo ds can put paw patrol on any time he likes

I have one upstairs, one down. Kids use it for reading timers, reminders, turning bedroom lights/devices on and off, and 1001 questions. I use it for music, alarms, scheduling, calls to other dots, light control, brown noise to sleep to, and I've got it set up to IFTTT so that if mum/anyone says "Alexa, I need help", I get an email telling me that someone at the house needs assistance, and I can fire up the 360 degree cameras and see what's up. I'm disabled, she's 71 and infirm.

They also make excellent intercoms or hands free communication devices, Especially as my kids live part with me, part with their mum. Matters not where they are, I'm at the end of the echo..😊

I don't see the point overall although think it useful clearly if there's a disability involved from what people are saying here. There's no advantage to me to telling Alexa to turn the kettle on compared with just switching it on myself when in the kitchen as by the time I've got the cups out and put the teabags and milk in it's boiled anyway. I just see it as one more thing in the house that wouldn't get used. Clutter.

Who is Alexa?

We have one but to be honest I don’t really see the point either. We get her to tell jokes and tell us the weather forecast but that’s about it.

We got one at Christmas, it hardly got used and its been put away again now.

I use mine to tell me the time in the middle of the night when I can't be arsed to turn over and look at the clock.

Also to play ocean sounds to fall asleep to.

In the winter I turn my electric blanket on from my office 45 minutes away when I work late so it's warm when I get in.

Also useful for changing the music that DP's listening too as I walk past

She is also invaluable for my DS, who can write, to be able to add things to the shopping list (although not everything he adds is going to be bought! He uses it basically as a wish list!). People who don't see the point of various forms of tech for them should think about how they might be so important for people with various disabilities.

That should have said "my DS, who can't write, sorry

I have it connected to my lights with the Phillips hue bulbs so I don't have to get out of bed to turn the light off :)

I have Google Home (tested it for MN) and I use it mostly to pay music and tell DS that dinner is ready (he has a home mini).

I probably need to use it to do more! The sound quality is really good though.

I just use it for internet radio. I guess that it will keep improving but yes, I don't really need it for switching lights on and off. That said, these advances in technology must be a boon for people with disabilities.

They must be really fucking annoying though if your name is Alexa. I'd hate it!

I don't think its pointless, obviously it is hugely useful for many, its just that for us it didn't bring any real benefit and was irritating.