Well, Christmas is over and the new year has begun. If you are like me then you like new cool gadgets. This year’s gadget which is getting a lot of buzz is the Amazon Echo. Do you remember watching those future movies and the person could do all kinds of things just by talking to their house? Well, the future is here.
I received the Echo Dot as a present this year and love it. One of the main functions it does is annoy the family. They are already tired of me asking “Alexa what’s in the news?”, “Alexa, play some country music”. I must admit she is the smartest women I have ever met. No offense to the other women in my life but she knows the scores from all of last night’s games. She has been so annoying that she got moved to my office and we have been bonding ever since. After doing a considerable amount of research on her “Skill” set, this device may turn out to be something special. Not only can it provide me the news, play music or read me a bedtime story, but it can turn on/off lights, control thermostat, add items to my shopping list and keep my calendar in order. Most of the “Skills” require an associated apps like Pandora or Spotify for music or smart devices like the Home Control Assistant systems to perform the various functions. Most apps are free and the smart devices are moderately priced. Heck, I can even order a pizza just by saying “Alexa order a large pepperoni pizza from domino’s please”. Now, how great is that!
The main part is the actual Echo device and the associated app that goes on your phone. Once connected to your home WIFI, you are ready to go. The app is used to configure and enable “Skills” and it even keeps track of past commands. If you really want to drive people crazy, get the Amazon fire stick and play “Alexa Simon Say…”. She will repeat whatever is said next.
People are creating skills all the time and if you are a real technonerd, you can create your own skill set by programming on the developer website. But for now, just get one and annoy the family, it’s well worth it.- Dan Sexton
One thing that Alexa can not do is access our local MLS to find available homes.
ENTER CITY, ZIP, OR NEIGHBORHOOD BELOW TO SEARCH FOR HOMES. CUSOMIZE YOUR SEARCH BY CLICKING ON ADVANCED(MOBILE USERS CLICK ON THE “NEW PROPERTY SEARCH” BANNER BELOW):
Published on 2017-01-12 14:45:46
