The Alexa intelligent speakers are definitely one of the technological stars of AI history. But is it really the core of your smart home? Let’s see.
The latest range is the third generation of Amazon Echo products are composed of the models:
- Echo Standard,
- Echo Plus of greater dimensions,
- Echo Spot with the screen,
- The ‘subwoofer’ Echo Sub.
And finally, the smallest model of the range, Echo Dot, of 99 x 43 millimeters. This speaker has a compact design, simple and discreet, and has only four buttons, two for volume, one to silence it and one that activates commands. It also has a ring of light located at the top that is shown blue when it detects a voice command, which in this case should start with the name of the digital assistant – “Alexa”. For example, ‘Alexa, turn on the lights’ or ‘Alexa, how’s the traffic in Miami?’
However, coming back to our quest, let us analyze the various features of the AI gadget to see is it actually the core of our smart home or not.
What is Alexa for?
The best way to understand the usefulness of the Alexa is by describing what can amazon echo setup do to your everyday tasks with which you can make your time more productive and useful. And apart from that what this brilliant gadget offers you for relaxing your mind.
Let’s start with the Alexa – Music.
If you are an Alexa owner, who does not like to come to your room and say: “Alexa, put me ‘Hello’ by Adele” or “Alexa, put me some Elton John” or “Alexa, put me something new” And I am not continuing because surely your imagination is already working …
Music Streaming – This is what this gadget does to make you feel relax and refreshing. Once the Alexa Setup is done, Music management is done through your account. Depending on the type of service- Premium or standard, you will have different options available. However, If you do not want to manage your music through Amazon, you have the option to use Spotify to enjoy all the music. There are other ways to listen to music, such as Pandora.
TIP: Of course, for those who love to have information about the song, years, group members, etc., at all times you can interrupt Alexa to ask about those details.
Not forgetting those who love the radio, for them just with an “Alexa, put me on the radio”, they will have the station tuned through the application Tune in. Apart from that, there are other applications with similar functions such as the iheart radio that are only limited to the USA.
Alexa -Audio Books
For those who like to read books, Alexa will allow you to access those audiobooks that you have in your Amazon account. A good option for those who wish to make their children listen to bed-time stories or to improve their pronunciation.
Easily Manageable
The control of everything that is heard through Echo-like stop, lower or raise the volume, can be done with simple phrases like: “Alexa, pause the song”, “Alexa, turn up the volume to 7”, etc. This same control can be done through its nice remote control that incorporates a microphone and operates by RF (not with IF) that allows you to leave the room while continuing to give orders.
Bluetooth – Compatibility
Another really useful option is that it is paired quickly through Bluetooth. Not just this, with just a simple command of “Alexa, pair a new device”, it allows you to efficiently listen through the excellent Alexa speaker of what your mobile device is transmitting. Also, from Alexa.Amazon.com, you can check and manage the paired devices.
As with Siri and the latest version of Apple TV, Alexa now also integrates with Amazon TV and allows the search, selection, and suggestions of series and movies through voice. But for this, you need to have Amazon Fire TV.
A diligent secretary
In a similar way to what other voice assistants help us on our mobile devices, Alexa will always be attentive to inform you of what interests you. A simple “Alexa, news of the press” will suffice to keep you up to date of the headlines summary of the main international newspapers.
And “Alexa, how is the traffic today?” will tell you what time it will take you to arrive (considering the traffic conditions) from your home to that site that you have previously programmed.
Actions such as: read emails, summarize the routine or appointments based on Google calendars (and others), inform about the quote of a stock market value, will become your daily way of interacting with Alexa. Another interesting option, especially for English speakers, is the possibility that Alexa will translate the words to you, and even spell them for you. In addition to giving you the meaning of them.
Summary:
Overall, seeking the plenty of benefits that Alexa offers to you, these gadget if used wisely, are really the core of your smart home. And in the future, the further enhancements in the Download Alexa app skills will allow more smart home products to become manageable via your Voice-commands.