1. Ask “Basic” Questions
There is another benefit my son is getting with Alexa. He has started to speak with more patience and higher clarity. Even though Alexa supports Indian English, it’s not perfect getting things clear, and then when a kid talks to an AI, it’s a different ball game altogether. I had to train him to speak clearly, to get his questions answered. Win-win!
2. Go Shopping
Also, Echo devices support multiple users globally. You can add multiple users, and then go shopping with their account. Unfortunately, voice profiles aren’t supported in India yet.
3. Listen to e-Books / Audio Books
4. Go Skills
Alexa is based on Plug & use theory. So let’s say if you are into Pizza delivery service, you can make a skill for Alexa which allows your customers to order pizza using voice. There are over 25,000+ skills for Alexa globally and around 11,000 skills now available for India at launch. These skills range from utilities to booking cabs (both Uber and Ola are supported), finding new recipes, dictionaries, news, and what not. You can book an Uber, block a table at your favorite restaurant using Zomato, get daily news from your favorite news channel and so on. While this is great, it’s also tedious. You will have to figure out which skills you want to use, enable it through the Alexa App, and start using it. However, once set, you should do be doing great using Alexa. Give it a try.
5. Use it as a Nightlight & Relaxing Music
Alexa has tons of skills that can turn on the light ring of Alexa. If you have an Echo Dot in your room, you can use one of those skills to have a beautiful, colorful pulse of low light or you can choose low volume sounds of Ocean, Crickets, Birds and other ambient sounds.
6. Reminders/ Alarms / To Do list
The name says it all. You can have an unlimited number of these things, and Alexa pings you back with a voice for those reminders and alarms. It’s very handy, and effective compared to having it on the phone. The reason it works is that it feels like someone is actually reminding you of things you need to do in person (Hi mom!) ToDo List or Shopping list is impressive as well. Just ask Alexa to add stuff your list, and when you move out to shopping, you can see them on the phone. I use it every day. My wife keeps adding to the list, and while I am on the way, I know what to pick up. Of course, you can have multiple shopping lists too.
7. Routines or Schedules
If you repeat few things regularly, you can set up routines. This feature lets you trigger actions based on when you say something or at the scheduled time. You can start your daily dose of News Update, Ask Weather or regulate your smart home devices — at a specific time.
8. Use it on the go
If you have an Echo device, you can use it on the go. Like, maybe in your car or when you are out for a small picnic. You will have to make some arrangements though. First, you need to make sure to have a battery pack, and second, you will need to connect it to your mobile hotspot. I would not recommend you to carry Echo Plus because it’s relatively big, but then it’s the one with an awesome speaker!
9. Smart Home
Last (but not the least) on my list is setting up Smart Home using Alexa. There are a few OEMs who build the smart home solution in India including switches and lights. Although they are limited in India and expensive as well, if you indeed decide to turn your home into a smart home, Alexa can help you handle them all in one place. These OEMs have built specific skills for Alexa. Once you have your smart devices in place, and skills enabled, Alexa will discover those devices and add them to your list. You can then turn them on or off using voice or create routines. Thes routines will make sure that Alexa turns them on or off when needed. In fact, Echo Home has an in-built hub, so it can directly discover most of the standard smart home devices automatically without the need to own a gateway hub.
