Anyone got Alexa

We only have one Alexa in the kitchen and I find it/her incredibly useful not least for her timer. When cooking, no need to touch a physical timer, just say 'Alexa, timer, one minute thirty seconds' or whatever and I know she will deliver - on time!

We use 'her' mainly for the radio but there are also free music streaming services too (although one can be £4.00 a month for a vast catalogue of every type of music).

I enjoy wishing her 'goodnight' and she will respond with a variety of messages.

Does anyone think that Alexa sounds just like Winifred Robinson, the BBC radio presenter? I am told that Alexa's voice is completely artificial but she really sounds like WR to me!

Thanks but no thanks.Feel free to convince me what I am missing.

I think they are brilliant and actually we had great fun dancing round the kitchen to the Shark song with the grand children…
So useful for information, music, cooking timers, weather, alarms , BBC sounds pod casts and catch up … plus can be linked to audible for audio books … it’s one gadget I’d hate to give up .

Yes, we have several and they are fantastic...most of the time. If anybody is recording what we say, they obviously don't have enough to do and as there are no state secrets being discussed here, we don't care.

I use ours to remind us about the news every night and also if I have a zoom meeting coming up. Very easy to use and it keeps me up to date on Amazon deliveries as well as weather locally and music.

No, I don't even have broadband, I just use the data on my phone. I'm way behind the times.

We have put a reminder for our dog’s teatime on our Alexa, not as if she would let us forget!
What it has done, is that she now waits until the alarm goes off instead of pestering us for an hour before the time. When the alarm sounds she goes nuts!

I have a few Alexas dotted around the house. If you just want it to set a reminder, you could try the Alexa Flex, currently at £9.99 on Amazon, it's just like a large plug, but it does all the Alexa stuff, just doesn't have a great sound output for music. I have one in the kitchen and use it all the time to set reminders for cooking, as I tend to wander off and forget about pans...

We have several, very useful for radio, playing music (ours are linked to Spotify), setting alarms etc. We also bought two for my Mum, who sadly passed away recently, she was blind and used them to ask the time, we bought her a smart TV and linked one up so that she could change the channel just by asking Alexa to do this, she got really used to it and it did help with her lack of sight. Wouldn't be without them now.

FannyCornforth

BlueBelle
what’s all this about ‘little old lonely ladies’, eh?

And ‘it’s a lazy world’?

Those are two very judgemental comments.
And not exactly relevant to what Alexa has to offer.

Quite a sneering post Bluebelle.
We get the message that you don't need an Alexa, you are entitled to your opinion, however, there are more pleasant ways of expressing your views.

Some of us love using technology, I always have done and will continue to do so. I am fascinated by gadgets and what the can achieve.
By the way, I may be restricted in what I can do, but I can assure you, I am neither lazy, nor lonely, which you imply in your post.

There is so much negativity on GN just now. I really can't fathom it out at all.

We’ve got an Alexa show in kitchen and one in bedroom - I watch programmes on it, listen to music and podcasts, get recipes, weather, set alarms and timers - they would be very bored if they want to listen in on my conversations or what happens o my house! Got my ring doorbell hooked up to it to do can see who’s at the door from the kitchen !

Alexa is pre-installed on my Kindle Fire but I found it butts in if it hears words, in conversations, that have a similar sound or letter string e.g. I'll exercise, he drives a lexus etc. That was happening surprisingly often, so I disabled it. If I need an answer to a question, I usually Google it, or I can re-enable Alexa temporarily. Let's get our pronouns sorted out, though. I won't call Alexa 'she'. It's a genderless thing. It's it! Can you choose the voice, I wonder, like a satnav....?

HOWEVER!
I do think a voice command/reminder would be good for people who might forget and need to be reminded to take medication, especially if it repeats until dismissed, perhaps by having to say, "Shut up, Alexa! I've taken it!" in case you're not in the room the first time. My phone reminds me with a push notification to take my daily thyroxine but it doesn't speak to me and so is very easy to ignore.

As Franbern said we could live without them but we find them very useful. So useful that we have 5 in the house. One advantage is that I can leaving reminders for DH when I'm out and indeed reminders for myself

BlueBelle
what’s all this about ‘little old lonely ladies’, eh?

And ‘it’s a lazy world’?

Those are two very judgemental comments.
And not exactly relevant to what Alexa has to offer.

chimes22

Love mine saves me raising my voice

Not having one, I don’t need to say anything at all

I got one for Christmas 2yrs back, its been god send mainly for reminding me to take medication also to check oven, also adding to my shopping list.

Things like timers and alarms should be easy enough to set on your mobile surely. My brother bought me an Alexa for a birthday present a few years ago and I gave it back to him. I didn't like to think that it can listen and record what's going on in your house. However, it seems that smart phones do that anyway. I've sometimes spoken to someone and literally minutes later an ad pops up on my phone to do with something I spoke about. Scary!

We have four in the house. One in the kitchen for music and asking silly questions about food recipes etc. One in the lounge for music and similar. The two in the bedrooms are used for alarms, checking temperature and weather and anything that comes to mind. I wouldnt be without them. All four can manage the 'smart' light. You can set them for privacy if you are really worried about someone listening in. My conversations are nothing of any consequence anyway.

Love mine saves me raising my voice

I love my Alexa; morning alarms set for different people, cooking timer is so useful - my automatic timer on the cooker is a tiny 'peep peep' which I can miss easily - I ask her for piano music, rock songs, when was Napoleon born, will it rain today, and she adds to my shoppng list when I ask . I always thank her - bit bizarre but it feels rude not to, and she responds pleasantly 'You're welcome' or 'Anytime'. The dog is fed on time, and I wouldn't be without this very handy addition to the home. A great idea for the forgetful, I would think. I don't believe the 'listening in' stuff - why would they? However, if anyone wants to hear me singing, the dog barking or OH debating the rugby with DS, then let them. They would nod off with boredom very quickly.

We have an Alexa or Google home divice in every room. I might turn her off if I'm discussing something sensitive like robbing the bank but otherwise they are amazing for reminders about for setting alarms etc, full of info about the weather, notifications about Amazon deliveries, all sorts of things. I rely on the one with a small screen in my kitchen to help with recipes plus cooking timers. I listen to my Spotify music, BBC news and podcasts.... Miss them when I'm away. Potentially, they could be of huge benefit if my memory gets even worse than it already is.

Franbern you couldn’t be more wrong and that’s a pretty judgemental post I enjoy technology and welcome new inventions that are needed I see NO things that these products do that can’t be done perfectly easily by most people (obviously a boon for some disabled and that I totally understand)
Karmalady you couldn’t be without one but I do all the things you quote each day as well ? My phone or iPad on my bedside table can wake me with an alarm they also tell me the weather, the time, the day etc my radio is by my bed oh dear I do have to reach my hand out to turn it on though

I love all the wonderful new things invented especially in the medical field and who knows when I m a little old lonely lady I may need one but I m hoping it ll be a robot man by then who ll look after me ????

It’s a lazy world

Ours is worth having for the music alone. Easier than finding and setting up CDs etc. Though we did have fun and games yesterday when DH kept changing kitchen Alexa to a sports channel and front room Alexa was going along with it, which has never happened before. They now have different names.

The one in my living room is part of the bose soundbar which I connected to my tv. I love that I can change tv volume with my voice and she turns tv volume down if I ask her a question. Music sound on this device is out of this world. Just now `alexa play cheerful music` and it did indeed set my foot tapping

I’d only get one for reminders to DH whilst I’m away. Apart from that I don’t need one. DH has poor hearing and very fat fingers so setting his phone takes him ages. I suspect he would love a new toy.

One Alexa would be enough but I may have to hide it altogether ??