businessinsider.com
Amazon Echo update adds 2 features: Reminders and named timers
Dave Smith
I've owned an Amazon Echo for more than a year, and it has completely
changed the way I live in my apartment.
Lots of people ask what I love so much about the Echo, and I always
respond with the same answer: It handles simple tasks exceedingly well.
I usually ask the Echo for the weather, or to play music, or to set
timers and alarms, and it does those things quickly and effectively —
it's a huge time-saver, and I never have to reach for my phone.
Recent data from comScore supports this idea that most people tend to
use smart speakers like the Echo for basic tasks.
And that's why the newest update to Amazon's voice assistant, Alexa, is
such a big deal. The update, which rolls out on Thursday in the US and
will come to the UK and Germany in the coming weeks, gives Echo owners
the ability to schedule reminders and name any timers you set.
These features might sound simple, but they are a big deal.
When I got my Echo, asking it to set a reminder was one of the first
things I tried, and I was disappointed when it didn't work. So I'm
thrilled that I can now easily set reminders for myself from any point
in my home, whenever anything occurs to me, without having to find my
phone and manually type it in.
Apple's Reminders app is already the most-used app on my iPhone, since
I'm constantly setting reminders to run errands, pick up groceries, pay
rent, or get work done — it's a great way to stay organized. But now I
won't have to reach for my phone when I think of a task I need to do later.
Hands down, the most common request I make to my Echo is to set a timer.
When I'm at home, I almost always have multiple timers running at once,
for everything from laundry to kitchen activities like cooking, baking,
thawing, and marinating. Setting timers on the fly, without using your
hands, is incredibly useful, but I've always wished Amazon would let you
name the timers, since it's so easy to have many running at once — and
when one goes off, it's unclear which one it was.
But now, you can name those timers simply by saying "Alexa, set a
chicken timer," or "Alexa, set a pasta timer." Alexa will even let you
know which timer is going off when the time comes.
These new features might seem like two small additions, but if you own
an Echo or any similar smart speaker, you'll know that the best use
cases are often the simplest ones.
--
David Goldfield, Assistive Technology Specialist Feel free to visit my
Web site WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info
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