Since everyone owns Alexa, you are probably planning to get one too. Many people say that Alexa is a useful tool – it can do almost anything by following a voice command. Considering its advanced features, Alexa is a pricey investment. The question is, is it worth investing?
Table Of Contents
What is Alexa?
Alexa is a voice-based VA (virtual assistant) developed by Amazon. This tool can answer your queries, manage your smart home, play your favorite song, and perform your favorite services to keep you entertained, connected, informed, and organized. Beyond that, Alexa also works as your personal shopper.
How Does Alexa Work?
You can use Alexa by saying its default wake word “Alexa”. Once the tool hears the wake word, it will send a command to Amazon’s cloud server through the internet. Alexa’s artificial intelligence will analyze the command. After that, it will redirect its response to your Alexa-based gadgets.
Generally, you can use an Amazon Echo display or speaker to create a command. Echos are packed with a Wi-Fi adapter, multiple speakers, and microphones. These features are important to allow your internet and wireless routers to access Amazon’s cloud.
What are the Things that Alexa Can Do?
Being your virtual assistant, there is an endless list Alexa can do for you. However, to give you an idea of the things that this tool can do on your behalf, we have collected some of its features that will surely catch your attention.
Alexa Will Handle All Your Calls and Messages
Do you have a hectic working schedule and don’t have enough time to call your family and friends? Worry no more because Alexa can do it on your behalf. All you have to do is to command Alexa to dial their number. In case your relative or friend also has a smart speaker, the device’s ring will turn green and Alexa will notify them about your intent.
The good thing about Alexa is that you can contact anyone despite not having an Alexa-based device. Alexa can dial anyone’s number once it hears your voice command. In case you need to create emergency calls or international calls, it would be great to invest in an Echo Connect.
Aside from that, you can integrate Care Hub with Alexa. This feature will enable you to remotely check your family and friends. This is a beneficial feature, especially when assisting seniors. Of course, you need to ask the permission of your loved one before using the Care Hub feature.
Alexa Manages Your Smart Home
You can connect Alexa to almost any devices present in your smart homes, such as cameras, home security, robot vacuum cleaners, smart lights, thermostats, and many more. Beyond that, you can also set up an automation to occur according to various trigger events, such as motion detection or a push of a button.
Alexa Plays Audio
As we have mentioned earlier, Alexa is not just your virtual assistant, but also a personal entertainer. Do you feel lonely? Alexa can play a song that will inspire you. Do you feel happy? Alexa can select audio that matches your mood.
This smart tool can play any music from different streaming services you know, including Apple Music, Amazon Music, and even Spotify. Beyond that, Alexa also works well with audiobooks through Kindle Unlimited and Audible.
Alexa is also compatible with TuneIn, which gives you free access to live radios. Beyond that, the paid subscription plan of TuneIn grants you to listen to sporting events and newscasts.
Alexa Answers Everything
Don’t know the answer to every math problem given by your teacher? Well, Alexa can help you with that. This smart device can tell you the square root of a specific number in just a matter of seconds. In other words, Alexa knows everything and can provide you with facts instantly. The only thing you should do is to ask.
What are the Advantages of Using Alexa?
Alexa is a cloud-based smart virtual assistant you can integrate into several devices made by Amazon and other device developers. Two of the most notable advantages of using Alexa are its portability and ease of communication.
The following is a list of benefits offered by Alexa.
Easy to Operate
Most users adore Alexa because it is easy and simple to use. You can operate this smart virtual assistant anytime and anywhere you want. With that being said, this tool can make your life easy and comfortable. Since Alexa is a voice-controlled tool, it can translate your voice into speech if you don’t have time to type something.
Reminders
One of the tasks that most people find hard to manage is their To-Do list. But when you have Alexa, managing your tasks can be done easily and conveniently. It sends you notifications that will constantly remind you of the things you should complete in one day.
Online Shopping
Amazon developed Alexa. In line with that, it can search for any product you desire easily. Aside from that, it can sift through the entire list of items and place orders on your behalf. Alexa can organize your shopping cart efficiently.
Sleep and Relaxation Sounds
Amazon Music or Spotify allows you to access a list of white noises. You can ask Alexa to play these white noises to keep you relaxed or help you to fall asleep. Alexa comes with a Sleep and Relaxation Sounds feature that is equipped with a list of ambient noises, such as train rides, cicadas, rainfall, and other soundscapes.
Entertain Your Pets
If you tend to leave your furry friend alone for several hours, Alexa could be their pet sitter. Before you go to your work, set up the Meow feature of Alexa, and the tool will keep your cat entertained while you are away from home. You can also activate the Dog Teaser for your dogs. This feature will play a list of sounds that will catch your dog’s attention. Some sounds included in this feature include a doorbell ringing, cats meowing, dogs yelping, and a lot more.
Conclusion
To sum up, Alexa is a well-known smart virtual assistant. This is a beneficial tool for anyone with a hectic working schedule. As your VA, it does everything on your behalf. Read more at balthazarkorab.