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Here are my use cases: 1. Timers. Super useful when cooking. Also my kids can use it as they are doing remote learning and need to know when to get back to the
by IgorPartola 6y ago
Here are my use cases:
1. Timers. Super useful when cooking. Also my kids can use it as they are doing remote learning and need to know when to get back to their video calls.
2. Playing videos while cooking. Sometimes I enjoy watching a sitcom while cooking on my Echo Show. Or I might want a cooking video though that’s more rare. My roommate uses it all the time for questions like “how long do you bake salmon?” With mixed results.
3. Controlling lights. “Alexa give me a light” as I walk into a room is way easier than turning on three separate switches in separate parts of the room. Turning them off is equally nice.
4. “Alexa tell me a kids joke” is a frequent thing we use.
5. Answers to random questions while at the dinner table. “Alexa who is the prime minister of New Zealand?” That type of stuff. It feels more natural than whipping out our phones.
6. We tried using Echo Show’s drop in feature but it is just too intrusive as compared to something like FaceTime. The other side doesn’t have to pick up the call. You just are in their house, camera on and all.
7. My kids really like when we play Harry Potter quiz. It’s a silly app but it is somewhat entertaining.
8. Really funny “routines” (their word for scripts). “Alexa, set condition two throughout the ship” to turn off all the lights. “Alexa, release the kraken” to set off the Roomba, etc.
9. My kids listen to podcasts all the time.
10. My kids use it to help them spell difficult words.
What I wish I could do a bit more with it is integrate it with things like random status dashboards. I combined a power metering AC plug with my washing machine and Home Assistant to know when it’s done running. Would be nice to be able to say “Alexa notify [roommate’s name] when the washer is done.”
Overall I think something much simpler that does processing locally could replace it for me but so far these things are cheap enough (echo dot) to put in every room.