4 ms·

> than stand up, walk to the bathroom and turn them off. > No more having to type into Google "20 minute timer" then remembering to keep that tab open and your

• blacksmith_tb 9y ago
  If you're baking or cooking, your hands are often covered with things you don't want to smear all over your phone, and saying "Alexa, how many tablespoons are in a quarter of a cup?" starts to seem pretty practical.
  • dozzie 9y ago
    Erm... I have a cooking timer. It's spring-operated, you turn it left to the max and then turn right to set the time. I specifically bought it so I don't need a battery in the kitchen, because I have a battery timer, too (I still use it sometimes, because of how loud it is). You don't really need a whole unwieldy computer to just call you after 20 minutes.
    • GhostVII 9y ago
      No one is saying that you need an amazon echo to do anything - obviously you could just use a physical timer, or pull out a calculator or a book to do conversions. The point is the echo makes it more convenient.
      • vollmond 9y ago
        I have my hue lights synced so when my echo timer goes off, my living room lights flash. No more missing a timer because I was distracted in another room and didn't hear it.
    • obmelvin 9y ago
      Still requires physical contact and cleaning if your hands are dirty from cooking.
    • ajford 9y ago
      How well does that work when you're working on three different things in the kitchen, and they each need timing? Yes, a mechanical egg timer is still a timer, and still functional. But so were sand timers. A mechanical clock still works, but many people still use digital clocks now a days. I like the hands-free nature of the Echo timers, so I can set a timer while I still have dough or raw meat on my hands. And like I said, I can have an oven timer going while I have a timer for my pasta on the stove, and any variety of things I care to time (my kid's 5 minute timeout for fighting with his brother, for example).