When Apple ’s Siri hit the panorama in 2011 , we were all pretty pumped at the prospect of having a practical personal assistant in our pocket . And yeah , she ’s pretty neat andoccasionally a little witty , but she ’s far from infallible , vocalise like a disembodied golem forefront , and could stand to be quite a minute more helpful .
accede Amazon , which has been laborious at work better upon its very own practical assistant , Alexa , ever since she made her rattling launching with theEcho wireless speakerlast class . grow on the Echo ( or the slightly smallerEcho Dot ) , and Alexa is like a personal assistant on understudy in the elbow room with you ; she ’s vocalization - activate , so you call out her name and then say a command .
What exactly can she do , you postulate ? Here ’s how to harness her powers to make your life well .
Cole Saladino/Thrillist
Set her up with your music, calendar, commute, favorite sites, and more
to maximize Alexa ’s utility , she needs to get to know you first . That stand for linking her to all of your media and music accounts ( Spotify Premium , iHeartRadio , Pandora … ) via the options subdivision ofthe companion smartphone app . you could also customize what kind of news and sports update she ’ll give you , based on your pet issue and teams you follow – do this via the Account department of the app ’s background page by tapping Flash Briefing and Sports Update , respectively . Oh , and do n’t leave to link your Google Calendar , too ( which you’re able to do via the Account segment as well ) so she can keep with your docket .
Play pretty much any song just by asking
If you’vemade the decisionto sign up for Amazon Prime , Alexa will play you anything from Amazon Music ’s intact library . Ask her for something specific ( " Alexa , toy Adele ’s album25 " ) , or less so ( " Alexa , play some smooth jazz " or " Alexa , recreate something calm " ) , and she ’ll abide .
When you link her to your other media accounts via the app , the breadth of useable mental object expands tremendously – all you require to do is enquire for what you desire along with with the service ’s name , for representative , " run my after - work play list on Spotify " or " Play theRadiolabpodcast on TuneIn . "
Get the lowdown on your schedule for the day
Like a animation , breathing personal helper , Alexa is trained to keep you up to speed on your schedule . As long as you ’ve synced your Google Calendar , you could call for her what your Clarence Day appear like , when your next meeting is , and what metre you should leave for it .
Find out how your commute’s looking
Once you ’ve set where you live and work ( via the Traffic tab in the app ’s options ) , you may involve her what your commute ’s looking like at any fourth dimension , and she ’ll allow you recognize what the current traffic condition are for your route .
Let her order an Uber for you
Alexa bring squeamish with a bunch of third - party apps , including Uber . Any time you necessitate a ride , just require her to request one ( " Alexa , ask Uber to request a drive " or " Alexa , ask Uber to request an UberX " ) , and she ’ll complete a curing of wheel to come blame you up .
Use her as a reference guide for facts and trivia
Alexa is a trivia queen – she has the answer to pretty much any random dubiousness you might have , whether it ’s how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon , the chapiter of Eritrea , or how long a 747 is . you may also expect her to front up any Wikipedia pageboy that exists , by but expect , " Alexa , Wikipedia subject X. "
Keep a running shopping and to-do list
Apple ’s Notes app has some somewhat handy list - edifice features , but Alexa makes it even easier to keep a running play lean of shit you require and shit you require to get done . Tell her to add special items to either your shopping or to - do list . She ’ll not only take each list back to you when asked , but she ’ll update the lists via the Alexa app on your phone , so you may view them when you ’re out and about under the Shopping & To - do Lists tab .
Order anything you need instantly from Amazon
I mean , it should get along as no surprise that Alexa make it very easy for you to spend money on Amazon . Beyond building your shopping list , she ’ll do the shopping for you . For example , you could say , " Alexa , buy trash bagful " and she ’ll read off the name of the most popular merchandise in that category on Amazon , then ask you to say loudly a unique four - digit code ( which you’re able to create in the app ’s preferences ) so as to confirm the purchase .
Change her name
If , for whatever reason , you have an aversion to using the name Alexa ( spoilt breakup , huh ? ) , you could switch up the " wake " word for the equipment to either " Echo " or " Amazon . " Go to options > Your Echo > Wake Word .
Control your whole home
If you ’ve decked out your place with any Wi - Fi - enabled smart products , Alexa can most probably see them . She ’s compatible witha slew of smart - abode brands , let in Samsung SmartThings , Philips Hue , WeMo , and Wink . To enable them , go to the Skills section in the app ’s mise en scene menu , then get loose with your command , such as , " Alexa , dim the living room to 20 % " or " Alexa , set the house temperature to 70 degrees . "
Ask her about the weather
desire to be intimate if you demand an umbrella today ? Or what variety of clothes to pack for your vacation ? Just postulate and she ’ll give you the full forecast for anywhere on the planet .
Get the latest news
free-base on the sources you enabled under the Flash Briefing , she ’ll run through a serial of pre - recorded stories from the ilk of NPR , the BBC , Bloomberg , and other local affiliates . To queue one up say , " Alexa , what ’s my Flash Briefing ? " If you want her to move on to the next floor , but say " next . "
Listen to your favorite books
Have some audio books you ’ve yet to collapse in your hearable library ? Queue ‘em up while you ’re doing the dishes or cleaning the bathroom with , " Alexa , toy the bookMoby Dick , " or you know , a rule book that would n’t be a entire waste of your sentence .
Tell her to turn herself down
If she ’s being a bit too noisy , you’re able to ask her to twist down her own loudness either to a numeric value between one and 10 ( " Alexa , volume four " ) or a percentage increase or decrease ( " Alexa , twist volume down 20 % " ) .
Set a timer or alarm
Whether you ’re cooking dinner party or pose down for a power nap , just ask , " Alexa , set a timekeeper for X minutes . " If you have her in the sleeping room , you may also turn over her into your de facto alarm clock , for instance , " Alexa , coiffe the alarm for 7 am . "
Explore Easter eggs
Alexa ’s ability are constantly blow up , andlike Siri , you’re able to have some fun with her . Thanks to Echo user with right smart too much time on their workforce , there are several resourcesdedicated to lumber all of her weird and wonderful Easter eggs .
Keep tabs on the newest stuff she can do
Thanks to Amazon ’s Skills Kit , which allows outside developer to create impost commands , Alexa now responds to over 1,000 different third - political party acquirement , introduced by swelled companies like Campbell ’s and Fidelity ( who ’ve added bidding that will dig up dinner party recipe and current livestock prices , severally ) , and intrepid developers likewise . To stay up to pep pill , scope out the Skills chit under options and refine by " Newest Arrivals . "
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Cole Saladino/Thrillist
Cole Saladino/Thrillist
Cole Saladino/Thrillist
