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  • Exploring Amazon’s Alexa

    Posted by halsey-blocher on February 19, 2019 at 10:09 am

    I got an Amazon Echo Plus a few months ago in my Cure SMA support box, but I just got around to setting it up today. So far, I’m finding it to be quite useful!  I love Alexa’s ability to connect to local radio stations, and I’ll be trying the alarm feature tomorrow morning. I want to learn all the best ways Alexa will be able to assist me, and I’m wondering what the rest of you like to use her for if you have one? What are the best tips and tricks you’ve found?

    kevin-schaefer replied 5 years, 1 month ago 3 Members · 11 Replies
  • 11 Replies
  • deann-r

    Member
    February 19, 2019 at 10:31 am

    You’ll have so much fun!  Not only can you set an alarm you can set reminders, make lists and even check the time or weather.  One of my favorite things to do is ask it, “What’s the question of the day?”  I also play Volley Daily Trivia.  You can set up flash briefings to include info you’re interested in.  Mine includes the weather and the latest from SMA News & Perspectives.  You can listen to podcasts too.  You discovered radio already but you can also just ask to play certain genres of music.  Recently I asked it to play the top songs from the year I was born.  That was interesting.  If you acquire smart bulbs or smart sockets you can control stuff like lights, fans and lots of other things. These guys can get a hospital bed connected to it too https://www.limitedmobility.solutions/

    • halsey-blocher

      Member
      February 19, 2019 at 9:03 pm

      I like the trivia idea! I have some smart sockets that I need to get set up. It might be a good thing to accomplish this weekend. Today I’ve also discovered that I can ask her to bark at my dog. It seems kind of mean, but it’s quickly becoming his favorite game!

      • deann-r

        Member
        February 20, 2019 at 12:29 pm

        Ha, ha, I bet your dog is wondering where it’s coming from.  My nieces ask it what sound does a whale make.  Somehow it never gets old for them.  Forgot to mention you can make calls with it as well.  You can either say, “Call so and so” from your contact list, or tell it to dial a specific number.  When you’re done just say, “Alexa hang up.”

      • halsey-blocher

        Member
        February 20, 2019 at 8:50 pm

        Her ability to make calls is one of the biggest reasons we wanted one. We’ve talked about getting an emergency alert button in case something ever happens to one of my caregivers and I need to call for help but can’t reach my phone. The problem is, I can’t wear a necklace because of my trach, and I probably can’t push the button anyway. The fact that Alexa is voice activated, so neither of these are problems anymore.

  • kevin-schaefer

    Member
    February 19, 2019 at 11:28 am

    That’s great Halsey! I love my Echo Show, and I use it all the time to listen to music and podcasts. I also got an Amazon Fire Cube recently to control my tv. It’s amazing how much independence these devices give me.

    • halsey-blocher

      Member
      February 19, 2019 at 9:07 pm

      I am definitely getting great use out of her music capabilities! I rarely listen to music because I like a louder speaker than my phone has, and I don’t want to bother with asking someone to turn it on, on the tv. I’m greatly looking forward to discovering all the things Alexa will allow me to do independently!

    • halsey-blocher

      Member
      February 20, 2019 at 8:56 pm

      Kevin, how does the fire cube work? Does it work with a non amazon tv?

      • deann-r

        Member
        February 21, 2019 at 10:22 am

        I know you asked Kevin, but if you want to see how the cube works check out one of my recent vlogs https://smanewstoday.com/forums/forums/topic/dose-deann-episode-27-using-amazon-fire-cube/

        It doesn’t need to be a special tv, mine is almost 10 years old. It plugs into the hdmi port of the tv. I’m loving it.

        Dose of DeAnn Episode 27: Using an Amazon Fire Cube

      • kevin-schaefer

        Member
        February 21, 2019 at 11:03 am

        I meant to link DeAnn’s video in my comment. Her video is how I learned to use this device. Like she said, you don’t have to have a smart tv. My tv is a few years old as well.

      • halsey-blocher

        Member
        February 22, 2019 at 9:53 am

        Great! I’ll be sure to check that out! I don’t know if it’s in the vlog or not, but do either of you know if it controls a roku? I don’t often watch regular tv, but I use my roku for Netflix and amazon prime frequently.

      • kevin-schaefer

        Member
        February 22, 2019 at 10:04 am

        This device serves as a replacement for a Roku player. With the cube, I can control my Netflix and Amazon accounts directly. I’m actually looking to sell my Roku player now that I have this.

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