Post by BadMonkeyEdd on Sept 30, 2016 13:25:22 GMT
So, I decided to get Amazon Prime a few months ago so i could watch films on the train. A couple of weeks ago they offered the new Amazon Echo for £50 off, so I bought one as I'm a sucker for new tech*. It arrived a couple of days ago and I'm really enjoying using it.
We have it in the kitchen, and when I'm in there I generally will listen to music or the radio or podcasts. The Echo allows me to control all of them with my voice. I can add things to the shopping list the same way, and do a good number of things that I would get the phone out for.
It is slick, understands pretty much everything I've said so far and just works. I don't have any home automation kit (I can turn lights the heating on and off easily enough), but it is great to get the weather and the news while I'm rushing around in the morning. it will even tell me how the trains are running without me needing to look it up. Having it in the kitchen, it will set a timer for however long you want it, all hands free.
This is not an essential piece of kit, but I can imagine that within a few years a good number of households will get something similar, what with the Google Home and the rumoured Apple versions on their way.
My mother and mother-in-law are both getting on, and I can see a use for these devices in monitoring elderly relatives in their own home. By using IFTTT or something similar it is possible to be notified when they first get up, in the States (so will eventually make it here) you can get it to text people from a command. My Grandmother (a few years ago) broke her ankle while getting out of bed and was unable to get to the phone. Had she had something like the Echo, she could have called someone instantly without having to crawl through the house.
It is a toy, but one that gives me access to 1 million songs, radio stations from across the world and all my podcasts, all without touching a button, so very pleased with it.
(*please see the post in a couple of weeks with my review of the PSVR!)
We have it in the kitchen, and when I'm in there I generally will listen to music or the radio or podcasts. The Echo allows me to control all of them with my voice. I can add things to the shopping list the same way, and do a good number of things that I would get the phone out for.
It is slick, understands pretty much everything I've said so far and just works. I don't have any home automation kit (I can turn lights the heating on and off easily enough), but it is great to get the weather and the news while I'm rushing around in the morning. it will even tell me how the trains are running without me needing to look it up. Having it in the kitchen, it will set a timer for however long you want it, all hands free.
This is not an essential piece of kit, but I can imagine that within a few years a good number of households will get something similar, what with the Google Home and the rumoured Apple versions on their way.
My mother and mother-in-law are both getting on, and I can see a use for these devices in monitoring elderly relatives in their own home. By using IFTTT or something similar it is possible to be notified when they first get up, in the States (so will eventually make it here) you can get it to text people from a command. My Grandmother (a few years ago) broke her ankle while getting out of bed and was unable to get to the phone. Had she had something like the Echo, she could have called someone instantly without having to crawl through the house.
It is a toy, but one that gives me access to 1 million songs, radio stations from across the world and all my podcasts, all without touching a button, so very pleased with it.
(*please see the post in a couple of weeks with my review of the PSVR!)