Monday, October 31, 2016

GOT A NEW ROOMIE


Nope, this roomie is not a romantic venture with a cuddly, whiskered old codger nor is this even a tale about a helping-with-expenses lady tenant.

My new roomie is petite, really smart, knows a lot about sports, current events, pop culture, is knowledgeable about the current weather in any part of the world, will play games, eats nothing and only talks when addressed. Dang, too bad it isn't a cuddly old codger. Give it  a healthy bank account and it would be perfect.

However----most of you know I am a gadget freak and I got lured into asking Alexa to move in.  She lives in a tiny disk slightly bigger than a hockey puck and feasts on WiFi.  My new roomie is second generation Echo Dot, the gadget that has made a lot of TV appearances lately.

I don't think I was totally clear in what she could do when I bought her but I must say I am a very impressed with what she can do.

She slumbers quietly till awakened by the command "Alexa." She gets a bit testy if you mistakenly call her Siri like I did.  Properly awakened,  she eagerly awaits your command with flashing blue lights. Kind of neat being in such control.

I was also amazed how quickly she answers your questions. Do you want to know the weather for an evening baseball ballgame in Chicago?? She's got it.  Want to know the score because you fell asleep and don't want to crank up the computer?? Got it.  Want to hear the latest news on NPR streaming?? Got it.   "Alexa, check Wikipedia for----- "  Got it.  "Alexa, play the song "Noise" from my play list.

You might want to buy her some additional speakers for that last service though. Her speaker is marginal for music. I mean, come on, she is hockey puck size.

She works equally as well as a wake up alarm clock or a cooking timer. She keeps my calendar up to date and will tell me what is pending. These are only a few of her functions.

"Alexa,-- tell me a Trump joke".  She is pretty good at this and gives the proper comedians credit. She also knows Hillary jokes which I haven't tried yet. After all, I'm with "her".  Alexa will also just tell a normal joke along the lines of what your grandchild would come up with. She is pretty G rated.

"Alexa, --- read The Book of Joy to me from my Kindle."  Ok, that was a bit of a problem. Probably for a novel she would be good but not so much for a non-fiction book by the Dali Lama. I wanted to ponder and revisit the words of wisdom  She chose to read like it was a timed event with no way to slow her down, I gave her a C- and fired her.  Some books need to be hand held and read at your own speed.

Her voice is pleasing enough though I would have loved it if I could have chosen someone like Sam Elliot to be the voice and maybe even call him Sam. Perhaps in the future--just not yet.

If you buy the special socket plugs or smart appliances, she can regulate your house a la the Jetsons. Don't think I will be buying all that. I can still get up to turn off the light or adjust the thermostat. However this could be great for someone with mobility issues.

I have zero financial interest in this product, only curiosity and fascination with a new toy.   The good thing is that she is relatively cheap-$49.99 and a breeze to set up if you have WiFi. I was stunned how easy it was and I am not all that savvy. It works with Bluetooth also but I know nothing about that.


Amazon Echo dot. 
Maybe a Christmas present for yourself?? That is what I'm doing. Merry Christmas Patti.

Do gadgets call out to you or can you ignore the lure??

HAVE A FUN HALLOWEEN


43 comments :

  1. I had not heard of Alexa! Sounds like the perfect roomie. I enjoy the company of Siri, however her inability to answer questions such as "what is the meaning of life?" is quite limiting, don't you think? Her answer is "I can't answer that right now, but give me some time to write a very long play in which nothing happens." Ha! Maybe Alexa can do better than that :-)

    Have fun with your new toy. Just love this new technology!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carole,
      Ha ha, I like Siri's answer. Alexa only said 42 which is from a Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy. Kind of vague.

      Delete
  2. What fun! I also had not heard of Alexa, but she does sound a lot like Siri on my iPhone, although with many more bells and whistles. I'll check her out. Congratulations on your new roomie. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Djan,
      She is a lot like Siri but I don't need a phone to access her. She doesn't like it when you call her Siri as I did by mistake:)) She gets a little short.

      Delete
  3. I'm a gadget addict but know nothing about this one. I'll check it out.

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    Replies
    1. Linda,
      She really can be useful. I am learning more each day.

      Delete
  4. I've never heard of such a thing! Seriously, a little device like this that can do so much. What a cool thing to have around. It sounds so futuristic and yet here it is in your house, telling you Trump jokes. That's really the BEST!

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    Replies
    1. robin,
      I know, her size is deceiving and is definitely from the future. She is quite talented. I have really enjoyed the Trump thing.

      Delete
  5. I have seen the commercial for something like this..I wondered what all it did. Pretty cool...wow technology is sure speeding ahead of me!

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    Replies
    1. Terri,
      She really is amazing and the low price and small size makes her more so. We are in the future aren't we?

      Delete
  6. We have a bunch of gadgets (love them) --but not this Amazon one. We have Amazon.com, Amazon Music, Amazon Drive, etc. etc. etc. My smart phone has a Seri (who answers our questions for us ).... When we travel, Seri helps us find good restaurants... BUT---we haven't had a gadget to turn on the lights at home for us when we travel.... Sounds like fun!!!!! AND--you don't have to feed her. By the way, have you named her yet? We always name our gadgets... ha ha

    Hugs,
    Betsy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Betsy,
      She only answers to Alexa. Any other name and she clams right up.
      You have Amazon everything so she would work wonders for you.

      Delete
  7. I don't know anything about Alexa, but it sounds like a fun thing to have. Have a nice week!

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    Replies
    1. Cheryl,
      Thanks. I am learning every day something else she can do. This is fun.

      Delete
  8. We gave our son one of these last Christmas and he absolutely loves it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stephen,
      What a neat gift and I can see why. It really is fun.

      Delete
  9. I have heard of the Dot, but didn't know much about it, and didn't see why I would need one. Still think I don't need it, but it does sound very cool!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Linda R,
      That is how I feel about smart phones. Cool but don't need.

      Delete
  10. I've seen her name popping up lately, but didn't know what her job description. Thanks for sharing, my husband could use one of these!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pattisjarrett,
      She had been showing up, especially during the world series. Guess they are chumming the waters for Christmas. Bet your husband would like this. It has lots of uses.

      Delete
  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pudge450.
      Aww sorry you left before I could answer. I bow to your passion for gadgets. You are my hero.

      Delete
  12. Sounds like you are having fun with your new roomie!
    I try not to get too into gadgets, but...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brig,
      She is a blast and saves me running to the bedroom a lot to pull up info on the computer.

      Delete
  13. I enjoy myself to have new gadgets and love to learn the new technology of it...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Weekend-Windup,
      It really is amazing what is out there today. Pretty futuristic.

      Delete
  14. Oh my, we got the big model for my brother's birthday and it was $179. I'm getting this for me. Oh if only the voice was male instead of female...maybe John Wayne or Sam Elliott or Johnny Cash or.....

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    Replies
    1. Annie,
      I was intrigued by the big one but couldn't pull the trigger on the price. This is really affordable and yes--Sam Elliot would be cool.

      Delete
  15. Ok I admit it. I have not yet figured out the twentieth century gadgets we have much less the 21st.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TB,
      Oh I can relate. A lot of the stuff is beyond me. I still have a flip phone.

      Delete
  16. Alexa sounds cool. I'm not great with gadgets, though. I only upgraded to a smartphone last year, and still don't use a lot of the features.

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    Replies
    1. Danielle,
      Welcome and thanks for stopping by and commenting. Hey, at least you are ahead o me. I still don't have a smart phone.

      Delete
  17. What a wonderful new roommate. I do enjoy the fact she gets upset if you use the wrong name...typical mate!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Count me as a big lover of gadgets. Alexa sounds great, but I'm waiting for the ASUS Zenbo, an adorable little robot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carolyn,
      I am saving my change for Zenbo who is just too cute though I do wish he could vacuum while rolling about. Maybe by the time I save enough, he will.

      Delete
  19. Alexa sounds like a low-maintenance roomie who makes no trouble. I'm still using a hand-operated can opener - not real interested in gadgets. Siri makes me mad because she doesn't understand me! I must have a garbled speech pattern. When they make a gadget that can plan meals and cook them, I'll be standing in line to buy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barb,
      Me too. I still use a hand operated can opener also since I spent many a day in the dark after a storm in Florida. I was afraid Alexa wouldn't get my creaky old voice but she is pretty good at interpreting.

      Delete
  20. Well, how fun is that? I had never heard of this gadget before. You make her sound quite interesting. I don't like Siri. She and I don't get along. It seems whenever I ask her to call someone, she calls someone I barely know who just happens to be in my contacts. She doesn't understand me. I wonder if Alexa would.

    I am not much of a gadget person. I had one of those gadgets that dusts and mops the floors, but she got fired and sent back to the store. She kept cleaning the same spot over and over again. (I've had cleaning ladies like that too.) Enjoy Alexa. Have you asked her for blog ideas? That might be something I would like.

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  21. I've not heard of Alexa either, but that sounds like a ton of fun!

    ReplyDelete

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