Amazon Echo is a hands-free speaker you control with your voice. A truly smart and helpful home assistant the whole family can use and enjoy.
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How To Use Amazon Echo In Your Home
We wanted to share the good news! We have a new addition to our family. She’s adorable, very well mannered and doesn’t even make a fuss. Welcome Amazon Echo – One of Oprah’s Favorite Things!
We call her Alexa and she’s a Bluetooth internet-connected wireless speaker and digital personal assistant you control with your voice. Just what our busy family of 6 needed! We’ve enjoyed her numerous benefits ever since she arrived Christmas morning.
Why Get An Amazon Echo
As parents we think our Echo is both fun and functional for everybody in the family. With the Alexa App, you can enable “skills” or what we would call “mini apps.” Currently there are 45 pages (and counting) of skills ranging from games to calendars to news channels and more.
How To Use Alexa
For kids – Our kids love asking Alexa to tell them a joke. “Who poops at a party?? …A party pooper” got lots of laughs from the kiddos and a good chuckle from us parents! For games, the kids enjoy playing the animal guessing game and a new skill called Akinator, which is a character guessing game. For young children, the animal sounds skill would certainly illicit some good laughs. If you are looking for something a bit more educational, there are several math puzzles that would challenge your youngsters’ minds.
For sports oriented family members (hello, dads), the Baseball Archive skill can recite dozens of baseball facts and stories. You can also program in your favorite teams and ask Alexa for regular score updates or find out when your team is playing next. Or just ask Alexa to read off sports scores from around the country, she’s happy to do it.
For us parents, Alexa helps keep shopping lists current, sets timers, tells you the traffic to our preset locations like work or to little Timmy’s basketball practice. Our cleaver kids figured out that telling Alexa to put Oreo’s on the list, shows up when we’re at the store…hummm, Alexa may be a little too accommodating!
What else can she do? Well, do you have a Kindle book you are hoping to get to? Great, Alexa can now read Kindle books for you as you are making dinner! So the kids are in bed and you are having some friends over? Alexa can play your music stations from Pandora or iHeart Radio or from your Amazon Music library. Since Echo is Bluetooth-enabled, you can stream other popular music services like iTunes from your phone or tablet.
If you need some help making some tasty adult beverages, the bartender skill can assist. And what if the conversation stalls at your next get-together? No problem. The Conversation Starter skill can provide a primer to a night full of engaged discussion! Oh, and if your guests need a ride home, Alexa can now order an Uber.
For tech-savvy parents, Alexa can connect and control your smart home devices like turning on lights or adjusting thermostats.
Here’s a list of simple voice commands you can use with your Amazon Echo.
You can watch a review of Amazon Echo by TechFreshness below.
Our Amazon Echo {Alexa} has proved herself a helpful addition to the family (she gets along with everyone, no arguing) and a worthy home assistant, and guess what, she keeps getting smarter with new skills and functions everyday!
Every home needs one of these!
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Interesting, I had never heard of this. If it’s sitting around in your house, will it speak up and remind you to do things? I’m bad about putting reminders on my phone but then my phone is either left on vibrate or it’s in my purse or something and I don’t see/hear them.
Hmm, good question, Kim. We set timers for things all the time, but have never asked Alexa for reminders for specific task. I should look into that. It would be convenient to get a verbal reminder instead of a phone reminder.
Erin, I’ve been really curious about Echo so I really enjoyed reading your first hand account of her benefits. So, she’s kinda like having Siri on your countertop? Does she synch with all your devicwes (apple and droid)? I’m sure I could look this up myself, but my mind is just whirring right now.
Thanks for the review.
Hugs, Lynn
Yes, Alexa is like having Siri on your countertop, but if you ask her, she says she doesn’t know Siri 🙂 We are an Apple family, but I would imagine it would sync with droid devices too. Hugs!
Great post. I have been interested in this! I will save this for refrance!
Thanks for popping by to check it out, Suzie! We are enjoying using ours! I think there’s probably a lot more we could do to.
Thanks for sharing your real life experiences with your echo. I’ve seen commercials for it but didn’t really get what it does!Sounds like your whole family is using it.
PS) found you through the Merry Monday Link party!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Dawn. Yes, the whole family is using it, but my techie husband is the most into it! I have to say it’s nice to turn on music while making dinner without having to use my dirty hands 🙂
The one time we saw this in action was at a friend’s house. My kids would not stop talking to Alexa. 🙂 They loved it! I’m sure it would be a big hit if we purchased it. Thanks for the great and creative review!
Lol! Too funny. Yes, kids do seem to get a kick out of asking Alexa questions! Mine still like asking her jokes!
I’ve been totally clueless about this. Thanks for introducing me to it. It looks like something our adult kids would really love to have. Maybe next year for Christmas gifts for them.
Yes, they would think you’re pretty cool if you got it for them 🙂 It was a gift from my MIL this year.
I’ve seen the commercials for this and have been wondering if people are finding it useful around the house! Thanks for linking up with Merry Monday this week!
Yep! She’s been useful and fun. I like the fact she keeps getting smarter all the time!