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I'm not sure I understand the appeal of Alexa or Alexa Calling, is there such a market for people taking calls from a speaker phone? When do people not just hav

I'm not sure I understand the appeal of Alexa or Alexa Calling, is there such a market for people taking calls from a speaker phone? When do people not just have their phone on them? Is there proof that people are using Alexa for more than just showing their friends? I know this is an anecdote, but I know 3 people with Alexas and all 3 have them collecting dust. I just think in a way this new tech is largely hype. Microsoft released numbers on Cortana use and it appeared good...but how much of that was actually voice? Same with Siri, and Google Now. The voice tech I see getting the most adoption right now (again an anecdote) is people controlling their TVs with their voices. Beit Cortana on Xbox, FireTV or Comcast's voice remote. I don't see much evidence in my own life of people using assistants like Alexa that only rely on voice. I see people showing them off to their friends and then forgetting they exist. In a way I would argue that Alexa if the digital assistants "Kinect moment."

IshKebab 9y ago
Lying in bed, cooking, or just sitting down when you left your phone elsewhere. It's not that hard to imagine is it?
- untog 9y ago
  It's not hard to imagine. But "easy to imagine" does not equal "success".
conception 9y ago
Alexa wasn't a big sell to me before I looked at the home automation side of things. Alexa + Hue is pretty fantastic. Settled down for a movie "Alex, dim the lights." Or lying in bed. Or setting a program while on vacation. That plus hooking it up to spotify is pretty great. If you're cooking, "Alex next." etc. The classic "Alexa how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon" comes up from time to time as well. It's 100% a thing no one needs, but certainly has a use.
- BatFastard 9y ago
  Or listening to the radio, I just say play NPR in the morning. And the skills are becoming more useful. Plus I like the Flash Briefing.
derefr 9y ago
> When do people not just have their phone on them? Even in modern Western society, not every human being has a mobile phone. Home phone lines have long been a way to reach the young children and the elderly/infirm in your family—that is, the human beings who rarely ever leave home unescorted—when you're out and they're not.
swalsh 9y ago
I'm super psyched. I use my Alexa all the time, I haven't tried calling out yet, but I have a use case in mind. I work from home, every morning I have a meeting. I rarely talk, but I still have to listen. Usually I do it on my phone in the kitchen while I boil some water for my french press. If I could do it on my echo with the better quality speaker. Life would be MUCH better. One step further, only downside is then it would mean that I'd have to stay in the kitchen until the meeting is over. If I could transfer from my phone and back, that would be nice.
vidarh 9y ago
I have an Alexa and use it daily. It doesn't see much use, but the uses I have for it are a minor extra convenience that is sufficient to justify it. E.g. setting reminders, playing music. I'd rank it firmly as a luxury item, though - it's a replacement for spending 10 seconds looking for a remote/phone/laptop one of which is always nearby. But it's nice for that purpose. It's one of those things that lets the technology fade into the background. It's one of things you want to be able to forget exists and use use now and again without thinking about it.

IshKebab 9y ago

Lying in bed, cooking, or just sitting down when you left your phone elsewhere. It's not that hard to imagine is it?

untog 9y ago
It's not hard to imagine. But "easy to imagine" does not equal "success".

conception 9y ago

Alexa wasn't a big sell to me before I looked at the home automation side of things. Alexa + Hue is pretty fantastic. Settled down for a movie "Alex, dim the lights." Or lying in bed. Or setting a program while on vacation. That plus hooking it up to spotify is pretty great. If you're cooking, "Alex next." etc. The classic "Alexa how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon" comes up from time to time as well. It's 100% a thing no one needs, but certainly has a use.

BatFastard 9y ago
Or listening to the radio, I just say play NPR in the morning. And the skills are becoming more useful. Plus I like the Flash Briefing.

derefr 9y ago

> When do people not just have their phone on them? Even in modern Western society, not every human being has a mobile phone. Home phone lines have long been a way to reach the young children and the elderly/infirm in your family—that is, the human beings who rarely ever leave home unescorted—when you're out and they're not.

swalsh 9y ago

I'm super psyched. I use my Alexa all the time, I haven't tried calling out yet, but I have a use case in mind. I work from home, every morning I have a meeting. I rarely talk, but I still have to listen. Usually I do it on my phone in the kitchen while I boil some water for my french press. If I could do it on my echo with the better quality speaker. Life would be MUCH better. One step further, only downside is then it would mean that I'd have to stay in the kitchen until the meeting is over. If I could transfer from my phone and back, that would be nice.

vidarh 9y ago

I have an Alexa and use it daily. It doesn't see much use, but the uses I have for it are a minor extra convenience that is sufficient to justify it. E.g. setting reminders, playing music. I'd rank it firmly as a luxury item, though - it's a replacement for spending 10 seconds looking for a remote/phone/laptop one of which is always nearby. But it's nice for that purpose. It's one of those things that lets the technology fade into the background. It's one of things you want to be able to forget exists and use use now and again without thinking about it.