Alexa, start up a thread on MOL.

Anyone else a fan of the Echo? When I bought it, when first announced, I barely knew what it did, but I was intrigued. Which is not my normal approach to technology. I usually wait till it has either settled in or failed, before I decide to buy .

Anyway, I like it (I have two now, an original big cylinder model with the decent speakers, and a Dot.)

I find that I use it quite a lot. And I'm not even stretching it. I like the device a lot.

Was wondering if there are any other fans out there.

My main uses are:

Rachel Maddow podcast
On The Media podcast
WNYC
CNN
weather forecasts
alarms
clock
outdoor thermometer
play music (I just signed up for Music Unlimited. I also have a lot of music uploaded to Amazon Prime)
I occasionally listen to podcasts using the Anypod thing (skill?)
and the occasional other podcast, like This American Life.

Like I said, I'm not stretching the thing. Very basic functionality, but I find it very useful.

What are you folks using it for?

Luddite statements of disdain about the device are also welcome.   

Can't resist this, since according to the music thread you're on the cusp of senior-hood.

cheers - m

eta: for "music," read "movie" speaking of senior-hood...

I have the same config as you db - a dot and the larger one. I use it for the same things - podcasts, music, weather.  I use the timer function a lot when cooking and the alarm occasionally.  I like it a lot.

We are Echo crazy, we now have 4 of them in the house. We originally got it because I had gotten a Wink hub and some controllable lights when we moved out here about three years ago. The main driver behind that was wanting to put our outdoor lights on a timer and that was the best way to do that.

So at that point our lights were controllable via an app, which is sorta cool, but it's mostly a drag. So we ended up with a few lights that were on a schedule and that was about it. Then the Echo came out.

We were now able to turn lights on and off with our voice, and that was a game changer. Now most of our lights on our ground floor are controllable and on schedules.

Beyond that, it's the main way we listen to music casually. And in our living room we do have a proper receiver that is Spotify Connect compatible, but we still tend to just use the Echo. I use the one in my bedroom for weather and sometimes to even tell me the time when I'm getting ready in the morning (I also do the 'good morning' skill when I'm getting my son dressed.)

So it's all good. (Well, other than potential privacy concerns and whatever concerns one might have about further feeding the Amazon monster!)

we love them too. I got Google minis for the kids and they use them all the time to make phone calls, ask silly questions, play their music, wake up for school and just have someone to chat with lol

I have a Google Home and a Google Mini. Love them. 

Listen to Pandora all the time. Also news, weather, timer, alarm, Google searches, etc.

lol. Excellent!

mjc said:

Can't resist this, since according to the music thread you're on the cusp of senior-hood.

cheers - m

I like to just ask it to "play music" to see what it comes up with on it's own. I'm pretty sure there's some heavy duty AI behind this thing, because it usually picks music that I like.

That is one of the funniest SNL skits in a looooong time. Maybe years.

I don't know about that. 

shoshannah said:

That is one of the funniest SNL skits in a looooong time. Maybe years.

I'd rank it up there with their best.

shoshannah said:

That is one of the funniest SNL skits in a looooong time. Maybe years.

me too. I remember laughing hysterically at it when watching. Maybe you need a parent like this who drives you mad with technology to appreciate it. 

drummerboy said:

I like to just ask it to "play music" to see what it comes up with on it's own. I'm pretty sure there's some heavy duty AI behind this thing, because it usually picks music that I like.

Its actually advertising at work, more than AI.

I'm not sure how advertising mixes in with music choices - but it's possible I guess.

Regardless, these days targeted advertising requires AI anyway.

boomie said:

drummerboy said:

I like to just ask it to "play music" to see what it comes up with on it's own. I'm pretty sure there's some heavy duty AI behind this thing, because it usually picks music that I like.

Its actually advertising at work, more than AI.