If you have an Amazon account, odds are you’ve seen at least one of the many ads for the Alexa-enabled devices, including the echo, echo dot, and echo show. We all know the very basic commands we can give Alexa, like setting a timer or asking for a specific tune. But what most don’t know is how helpful Alexa can be in making our everyday lives just a little bit simpler.
Alexa has recently developed over 15,000 skills that can be taken advantage of just by the sound of your voice. An Alexa skill is kind of like taking an app you would usually use from your phone, but instead controlling it by the sound of your voice.
While we know the obvious, “Alexa, what’s the weather like” or “Alexa, set the music volume to 7,” there are so many other skills that are unknown but a key in making one’s day simpler.
One of the many benefits of this little device is that it can basically control anything in your house. You can ask Alexa to adjust the thermostat, turn the lights on, off, or different brightness, and can automatically lock your doors. If you’ve temporarily lost the remote, Alexa will happily change the channel for you. Alexa will happily help you to get dinner started just by asking her to preheat the oven or what’s a good recipe for dinner.
Alexa is also an amazing help for traveling. If you want to do some research for a future trip, you can ask Alexa to look up fares for you using the Kayak skill. It will provide you with a series of options and price ranges based on the information you asked for. When it is time for the trip, Alexa will happily order you an Uber or Lyft to the airport. Before your flight, make sure to check the security wait times at the airport, using the Airport Security Line Wait Times skill.
Though these may seem to be minor things handled in a person’s day, these are only a few of the thousands of skills that Alexa has. This device has become an excellent and reliable source to many in their homes and offices, just for a little extra support and help each day.