To want an Amazon Alexa?

[heatingsoup]

Am I? I dream of an organised life where I just shout at someone to add things to my shopping list, they've been out a while now so views welcome.

Will it make my life easier?

I consistently add things to my shopping list on Alexa, but equally consistently forget to ever check it.

However I do use it for timers/reminders, and for playing music. Quite convenient when cooking and hands are dirty etc but my husband already had ours when we met, not sure I'd bother buying one myself.

I really only use mine for timers and for playing music. It's amazing just for those 2 things! I often find myself at work saying "Alexa, timer 20 mins" when there's no Alexa.

Ours controls our lights and tells DS to go to bed.

Following.

Started a thread of my own but only got one reply.

I currently have a fire tablet bought 3 years ago which is starting to die on me so I'm thinking to replace come Black Friday.

I also need to replace dead speaker (just a cheap one from Argos)

But I don't know whether to get another fire tablet or something else and depending what tablet I get will likely affect which speaker is best.

Love the idea of having something I can just "tell" to do certain things for me, there are times for me as a disabled person it would not only be convenient but really helpful!

So I'm really interested in the replies you'll get op as to whether the set up is as useful as it's made out.

I find them very useful for music and audio books, weather forecasts, shopping lists, alarms and radio - I have three dotted around the house now.

There was something in the Christmas bargains thread where you could get an Alexa dot for less than a tenner with some hack- I'll try and find it

I got an echo dot last week, there was an offer if you subscribed to Amazon music you got it for 99p. I just unsubscribed once I had it.
Think it worked out less than £10.

I've had alexa for about a month now and honestly I tell her to f**K off. A lot.

Don't know if it's still on,but amazon had Dots on for 8.95 (free months subscription to Amazon music to be cancelled) got one for my son
even though amazon spy on us with them

My daughter with ASC loves Alexa. Ours is used for timers, light and heating control (hive), music and my daughter to ask lots of questions. She is the main user

@Kolo this is my life

I love Alexa, she plays any radio station, if you subscribe to Amazon music you can play any song, super handy if you get a song in your head that you just have to listen to. It's £3.99 a month for the cheapest plan. Really useful for timers, if you're shoving stuff in the oven and have pans that need stirring and you don't have a spare hand to put a physical timer on, just say "Alexa set a timer for X" and it's done.

One thing to remember is to say 'Alexa' clearly, then wait a second for her to wake up before saying your request. My MIL can't get on with her Alexa because she doesn't wait, she just says "AlexaplayRodStewart" and Alexa doesn't respond because she's not heard her name.

I love my Alexa! I got it for free from BT. She plays me any album I ask for (With Amazon music subscription) and any radio station I want. I haven't tried anything else yet but just that is great! I'm thinking of getting a few Amazon plugs just for the fun of it. If she could only wash up and put the bins out, she'd get 5* from me.

We use ours a lot. She plays several hours of music most days. We also use her to set timers and reminders or to ask the weather forecast. The kids enjoy playing games with her.... Today they used their dots to have an argument without even leaving their rooms!

If you don't mind your private conversations being recorded, stored and analysed by a giant multinational, go right ahead.

I suggest you watch Dispatches on Monday about how Amazon is spying on you.

She's bloody annoying, currently not responding to any requests to play BBC radio stations or keeps playing the wrong ones or Welsh Radio 2

I wouldn’t be without ours, we have three and even just from the point of view of the food shop, they’ve made life so much easier

‘Muuuummm you didn’t get any crisps!!’
’Did you put it on Alexa, no? End of conversation then’

I check Alexa ever time I do the food shop and we’re so much more organised as a result. The kids and DP know not to even bother telling me if we’ve run out of something, just put it on Alexa.
DS1 uses her every time to set timers for gadget time, and listens to his audio book every night on her.
I have the app also, so I can turn DS audio book off from wherever I am when I know he’s asleep.
It’s an easy way of listening to music or the radio.

My only qualm would be, our two 2nd gen Echos are dying, we’ve had them maybe 2 years, which I’m not sold is great value for money.

Use ours everyday.

Not too fussed about the spying. They’ll only be hearing me shout at the kids to get dressed before we’re late for school.

DP won ours so not sure if we would have bought it but we use it daily to play the radio/Apple Music, set timers, weather, reminders for the pet’s flea treatment. We play the guess the song game and ask the question of the day when we remember.

Hate ours.

I love ours so much. We have three and use them all the time. Can use it as an intercom which is so handy. Ours now controls the lights and heating.

I use alexa a lot, she reminds me to take my tablets, asks me later if I've taken them. Wakes me up when I want her to, reminds me to use my cream, helps me go to sleep at night, plays the music I want her to.
If anyone is listening to me, they'll think I'm nuts because I talk to my cat and myself.

I love mine. We have one in every room

I do really like ours. I don’t use the shopping list though I ask Alexa to add it to the Ocado trolley so I don’t have to think about it again.

I switch between R4 and R6 to avoid dull drama and too much DJ talk on latter.

If anyone knows if I can and how to add a song from the radio to a favourite song list that’d be great.

I hate it but it's not entirely Alexas fault

"Alexa play Meatloaf Bat out of hell please" Alexa - now playing Eifful 55 I'm blue da ba dee da ba daa
Da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa,

Alexa set alarm for 7.30 am please Alexa- Is that 7.30 am or 7.30pm.? AM you twerp AM ... next morning I wake naturally at 11am .. cheers Alexa

Talking of cheers Why am I saying please and Thank you to a her?

And then there's the dog everytime I say "Alexa" dog goes woofing around the house, Alexa I'm sorry I don't understand that, "Alexa" woof woof woof "Alexa" woof woof shut up dog "Alexa" woof woof woof "Alexa Learn to speak dog" #gives up