5 ms·

What do people use digital voice assistants for besides to turn on/off music or other media? Genuinely curious.

nextaccountic 5y ago
Never used it, but I think that interacting with a computer while washing dishes would be cool
tekchip 5y ago
Turning lights on and off. "turn on basement" as I move towards the basement door. "Turn off basement" as I come up the stairs with my hands full of stuff preventing me from reaching the light switch.
- pmontra 5y ago
  I should replace every single switch with a smart one to do that. Which kind of switches do you have? If they are Wi-Fi how do you avoid hitting the max number of devices your home router is able to handle?
  - KnobbleMcKnees 5y ago
    ZigBee is the contemporary standard du jour for this stuff. Wifi is fine for some things but doesn't offer the same benefits (e.g. implicit mesh network of devices)
  - Semaphor 5y ago
    Either the switches, or, usually easier, the bulbs. As sibling said, Zigbee, but there is also Z-Wave (z-Wave is bigger in the USA, stricter. Zigbee, bigger in Europe, is more open, but you can get devices that suck in some way if you do no research). There is some new thing that’s related, Thread/Matter something, but I didn’t look into that yet.
  - sigio 5y ago
    There is no 'max limit' of devices your router can handle... especially if they are idle 99.9% of the time.
- sigio 5y ago
  For stuff like the lights in basement/hallway/bathroom/storage, and other locations where you always need lights (no windows, not bed/livingrooms), I just have lights with PIR-sensors... Completely dumb, but turn on when you're there, turn off automatically a minute later. No privacy-implications, no need to yell to your assistant, and cheap/simple/effective.
lallysingh 5y ago
Random factual questions, also unit conversions
acosmism 5y ago
voice controlled personal robots
Mountain_Skies 5y ago
I have one in my kitchen that I use exclusively for setting timers when cooking. It's the only one in the house and is always set to microphone off if not in active use.
- michaelmior 5y ago
  If that's your only use, I'm curious why you don't just get a simple timer? I'm assuming because of the ability to set timers hands free when your hands might be dirty or otherwise occupied.
  - lolinder 5y ago
    Not OP, but a few things: * It's way faster to say "hey Google, set a 10 minute timer" than to use any timer I've ever owned. * I can have multiple timers running side-by-side that remember what they were for. "Set a timer for 30 minutes for the potatoes." And, yes, as you mention, I can set a timer while my hands are still dirty or while moving on to the next step.
    - michaelmior 5y ago
      Long delay, but as for your first point I was thinking of a simple mechanical timer such as the one below. I think that could be set in around the same amount of time if not faster as long as it is kept within reasonable distance of where you stand while in the kitchen. Of course it doesn't solve the other problems. https://www.amazon.com/Lux-Minute-Minder-Mechanical-Markings/dp/B016TQKYW2/ https://www.amazon.com/Lux-Minute-Minder-Mechanical-Markings...
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
DavidKarlas 5y ago
Hey Siri set timer 10 minutes in kitchen when cooking stuff
- sigio 5y ago
  My cooking-hob has a timer per place (so 4) ... and then the oven/microwave has it's own timer as well. No need for some timer that doesn't automatically turn off the device it's timing.
hunter2_ 5y ago
It's nice to do basic computing (other comments already list the possibilities) with voice+ears instead of hands+eyes not only if hands are full/dirty, but also to mitigate fatigue/injury (if one uses conventional HCI quite a lot already and doesn't want more exposure), or to achieve some quick goal while in the middle of some longer phone/laptop activity without losing focus of the latter.
senectus1 5y ago
Hands free Navigation (google maps) Kitchen Timer Set Alarm Play Music Check Weather Open or close Garage door Turn off everything in the loungeroom (theater) Broadcast to the house when i want some ones attention Send text messages (not very often though, this interface is very clumsy and i detest having to speak. like. a. robot. to. be. understood.)
dangrossman 5y ago
- To lock up at night (locks all the doors and closes the garage door if I left it open) - To adjust lighting throughout the house, and to shut off all the lights across the entire house when we go to sleep - To turn on the oven or air fryer, so it's preheated when we need it... can even be done from the car on the way home - To turn off the oven when you have that thought "did I forget to turn off the oven?" 30 seconds after driving away from the house - To adjust the thermostat without walking upstairs to adjust the physical thermostat - To get an announcement when the clothes washer is done so I don't forget to move the clothes to the dryer - To send a quick voice message to my wife somewhere else in the house using the "make an announcement" command - To adjust the volume on the TV when I don't have the remote nearby - To start pre-heating or pre-cooling my electric car in the driveway while I'm still getting dressed - To reorder common household things like pet food or toilet paper, and it shows up at the door the next day - To check the weather before leaving the house, to decide if I need a jacket or not
- diffeomorphism 5y ago
  Those are nice smart home features, but why do you need specifically voice for that? For example, displaying a rain cloud symbol and temperature seems just as effective and quicker than asking alexa.
  - razemio 5y ago
    He specifically mentioned that he controls a lot from the car. How would you do this without support for voice commands? The little speakers can be put into every room, almost invisible, and for a fraction of the cost of a smart display. Also, at night, smart displays suck. They always turn on, when you do not need them. Waking you up on the way to the toilet.
    - diffeomorphism 5y ago
      Not while I am driving and then by using my phone obviously. Lots of these tasks are completely automatic (e.g. locking doors, announcements, turn things off when I am gone, motion sensors....) or simple inputs, e.g. volume buttons or a slider for oven temp. > The little speakers can be put into every room, almost invisible, and for a fraction of the cost of a smart display. My phone is in my pocket and thus in every room I am in. So let me rephrase the question: If I use my phone, for which things is voice input so much better than just clicking on widgets? Thus far I think hands-free while cooking and the UX for music/video are the standard examples. The question above was: Besides this, what are great use cases?
horsawlarway 5y ago
They're genuinely pretty great when your hands are busy, or you want to do something relatively far away. 95% of my usage is in the kitchen, and I think both amazon and google are hugely under-valuing that space. My ideal voice assistant would be something like the Fire TV cube (streaming shows along with voice control) where the thing is able to show timers/recipes/unit-conversions picture-in-picture while the show is playing, as I ask. Frankly - Amazon acted like a chicken with its head cut off with the Fire TV cube, it should be exactly what I wanted, but the device is almost laughably bad at basically everything it should excel at, and I still hate them a little for it.
Semaphor 5y ago
Media, lights, weather, unit conversion, timers, reminders when I forgot to close a window ;)
newusertoday 5y ago
collapsing hn comments after i read them. Closing tabs of my browser while drinking coffee.
artificialLimbs 5y ago
"Hey Siri, add $thing to the shopping list."
bedast 5y ago
I'm an Apple device user (iphone, homepod, carplay, etc, but no mac computers) so I use Siri. I will admit that Google Assistant is superior in a lot of ways, but I am no longer in that ecosystem. - Reminders (managing, etc) - Navigation (mostly in the car, but Siri kinda sucks at this) - Music - Lists (grocery, etc) - Speech to text entry/messaging if typing is inconvenient (walking dogs, etc) - Quick math/unit conversion - Quick searches - Seeing what entertaining things it can do - Managing apple health stuff I do have some home automation stuff (lights, thermostat, etc, but no locks), but Siri is not configured to manage any of it as of now.

Never used it, but I think that interacting with a computer while washing dishes would be cool

Turning lights on and off. "turn on basement" as I move towards the basement door. "Turn off basement" as I come up the stairs with my hands full of stuff preventing me from reaching the light switch.

pmontra 5y ago
I should replace every single switch with a smart one to do that. Which kind of switches do you have? If they are Wi-Fi how do you avoid hitting the max number of devices your home router is able to handle?
- KnobbleMcKnees 5y ago
  ZigBee is the contemporary standard du jour for this stuff. Wifi is fine for some things but doesn't offer the same benefits (e.g. implicit mesh network of devices)
- Semaphor 5y ago
  Either the switches, or, usually easier, the bulbs. As sibling said, Zigbee, but there is also Z-Wave (z-Wave is bigger in the USA, stricter. Zigbee, bigger in Europe, is more open, but you can get devices that suck in some way if you do no research). There is some new thing that’s related, Thread/Matter something, but I didn’t look into that yet.
- sigio 5y ago
  There is no 'max limit' of devices your router can handle... especially if they are idle 99.9% of the time.
sigio 5y ago
For stuff like the lights in basement/hallway/bathroom/storage, and other locations where you always need lights (no windows, not bed/livingrooms), I just have lights with PIR-sensors... Completely dumb, but turn on when you're there, turn off automatically a minute later. No privacy-implications, no need to yell to your assistant, and cheap/simple/effective.

lallysingh 5y ago

Random factual questions, also unit conversions

acosmism 5y ago

voice controlled personal robots

Mountain_Skies 5y ago

I have one in my kitchen that I use exclusively for setting timers when cooking. It's the only one in the house and is always set to microphone off if not in active use.

michaelmior 5y ago
If that's your only use, I'm curious why you don't just get a simple timer? I'm assuming because of the ability to set timers hands free when your hands might be dirty or otherwise occupied.
- lolinder 5y ago
  Not OP, but a few things: * It's way faster to say "hey Google, set a 10 minute timer" than to use any timer I've ever owned. * I can have multiple timers running side-by-side that remember what they were for. "Set a timer for 30 minutes for the potatoes." And, yes, as you mention, I can set a timer while my hands are still dirty or while moving on to the next step.
  - michaelmior 5y ago
    Long delay, but as for your first point I was thinking of a simple mechanical timer such as the one below. I think that could be set in around the same amount of time if not faster as long as it is kept within reasonable distance of where you stand while in the kitchen. Of course it doesn't solve the other problems. https://www.amazon.com/Lux-Minute-Minder-Mechanical-Markings/dp/B016TQKYW2/ https://www.amazon.com/Lux-Minute-Minder-Mechanical-Markings...

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

DavidKarlas 5y ago

Hey Siri set timer 10 minutes in kitchen when cooking stuff

sigio 5y ago
My cooking-hob has a timer per place (so 4) ... and then the oven/microwave has it's own timer as well. No need for some timer that doesn't automatically turn off the device it's timing.

hunter2_ 5y ago

It's nice to do basic computing (other comments already list the possibilities) with voice+ears instead of hands+eyes not only if hands are full/dirty, but also to mitigate fatigue/injury (if one uses conventional HCI quite a lot already and doesn't want more exposure), or to achieve some quick goal while in the middle of some longer phone/laptop activity without losing focus of the latter.

senectus1 5y ago

Hands free Navigation (google maps) Kitchen Timer Set Alarm Play Music Check Weather Open or close Garage door Turn off everything in the loungeroom (theater) Broadcast to the house when i want some ones attention Send text messages (not very often though, this interface is very clumsy and i detest having to speak. like. a. robot. to. be. understood.)

dangrossman 5y ago

- To lock up at night (locks all the doors and closes the garage door if I left it open) - To adjust lighting throughout the house, and to shut off all the lights across the entire house when we go to sleep - To turn on the oven or air fryer, so it's preheated when we need it... can even be done from the car on the way home - To turn off the oven when you have that thought "did I forget to turn off the oven?" 30 seconds after driving away from the house - To adjust the thermostat without walking upstairs to adjust the physical thermostat - To get an announcement when the clothes washer is done so I don't forget to move the clothes to the dryer - To send a quick voice message to my wife somewhere else in the house using the "make an announcement" command - To adjust the volume on the TV when I don't have the remote nearby - To start pre-heating or pre-cooling my electric car in the driveway while I'm still getting dressed - To reorder common household things like pet food or toilet paper, and it shows up at the door the next day - To check the weather before leaving the house, to decide if I need a jacket or not

diffeomorphism 5y ago
Those are nice smart home features, but why do you need specifically voice for that? For example, displaying a rain cloud symbol and temperature seems just as effective and quicker than asking alexa.
- razemio 5y ago
  He specifically mentioned that he controls a lot from the car. How would you do this without support for voice commands? The little speakers can be put into every room, almost invisible, and for a fraction of the cost of a smart display. Also, at night, smart displays suck. They always turn on, when you do not need them. Waking you up on the way to the toilet.
  - diffeomorphism 5y ago
    Not while I am driving and then by using my phone obviously. Lots of these tasks are completely automatic (e.g. locking doors, announcements, turn things off when I am gone, motion sensors....) or simple inputs, e.g. volume buttons or a slider for oven temp. > The little speakers can be put into every room, almost invisible, and for a fraction of the cost of a smart display. My phone is in my pocket and thus in every room I am in. So let me rephrase the question: If I use my phone, for which things is voice input so much better than just clicking on widgets? Thus far I think hands-free while cooking and the UX for music/video are the standard examples. The question above was: Besides this, what are great use cases?

horsawlarway 5y ago

They're genuinely pretty great when your hands are busy, or you want to do something relatively far away. 95% of my usage is in the kitchen, and I think both amazon and google are hugely under-valuing that space. My ideal voice assistant would be something like the Fire TV cube (streaming shows along with voice control) where the thing is able to show timers/recipes/unit-conversions picture-in-picture while the show is playing, as I ask. Frankly - Amazon acted like a chicken with its head cut off with the Fire TV cube, it should be exactly what I wanted, but the device is almost laughably bad at basically everything it should excel at, and I still hate them a little for it.

Semaphor 5y ago

Media, lights, weather, unit conversion, timers, reminders when I forgot to close a window ;)

newusertoday 5y ago

collapsing hn comments after i read them. Closing tabs of my browser while drinking coffee.

artificialLimbs 5y ago

"Hey Siri, add $thing to the shopping list."

bedast 5y ago

I'm an Apple device user (iphone, homepod, carplay, etc, but no mac computers) so I use Siri. I will admit that Google Assistant is superior in a lot of ways, but I am no longer in that ecosystem. - Reminders (managing, etc) - Navigation (mostly in the car, but Siri kinda sucks at this) - Music - Lists (grocery, etc) - Speech to text entry/messaging if typing is inconvenient (walking dogs, etc) - Quick math/unit conversion - Quick searches - Seeing what entertaining things it can do - Managing apple health stuff I do have some home automation stuff (lights, thermostat, etc, but no locks), but Siri is not configured to manage any of it as of now.