Things You Can Do with the Amazon Echo That Make Life Easier

Last Updated on January 4, 2016 by Diane Hoffmaster

This year, my husband decided he wanted to get the family the Amazon Echo for a Christmas gift.  Which basically means, he wanted the Amazon Echo and Christmas was a good excuse to buy it!  Ever since, I have been researching things you can do with the Amazon Echo to make life easier.  What is the sense in having technology in the house if it can't solve a few problems here or there, right?  First off, you might be wondering what is Amazon Echo, right?  Basically, it is Amazon Prime, Google, Wink hub,  and Siri all wrapped up in one very simple package (her name is Alexa, so just address her by name when you want something!)  If Santa brought you this fabulous gift for Christmas or you are wondering what to spend your holiday gift cards on, I think the Amazon Echo might be a good choice.  Here are just a few things you can do with the Amazon Echo that can make life easier.

Things You Can Do with the Amazon Echo

Get real time traffic updates from home to work:  Just tell your Amazon Echo where you work.  Before you leave in the morning, ask her for a traffic update.  She can tell you exactly what the travel time is from door to door.  If there is a delay, choose an alternate route before you get stuck in traffic.

Sync your Calendars: One of the most helpful things you can do with the Amazon Echo is to check your upcoming schedule by asking what’s on your Google calendar.  Never again will you double book your time or forget that PTA meeting you can never seem to remember.

Do your Shopping from the couch: Restock previously purchased items by re-ordering Prime-eligible products in your Amazon shopping history.  This is particularly helpful for buying frequently used items that are cheaper online than they are in the store.  No need to get on the computer...just tell Alexa what you want to buy.

Create a Smart home: Control compatible WeMo, Philips Hue, SmartThings, Insteon, and Wink devices with your voice. You can also control them through the app on your smart phone.  If you are away from home, you can turn lights on at home to make it look like there are actually people in the house.  This is a wonderful safety feature!

Alarms, timers, and lists: Stay on time and organized with voice-controlled alarms, timers, shopping lists, and to-do lists.  This is a feature we have been using a LOT!  I add all sorts of things to the grocery list, set timers to remind myself when I need to be somewhere, and created a weekend chore list of things that need attention.  We remembered to change the smoke detector batteries, put in new HEPA filters and several other chores because we had them on a to do list.  You can access your shopping and to do list via the app on your smart phone so you will never leave your grocery list at home again!

Get kitchen conversions even when your hands are dirty: Ever been mid recipe with dirty hands only to realize you have no idea how many tablespoons are in ¼ cup?  Just ask Alexa!  I have found that she can hear my question from the kitchen, even though she is in the living room, as long as I speak loudly and clearly.  If you think this is a useful tool, you are correct!  Click the image below (my affiliate link) to purchase it for yourself!

There are many things you can do with the Amazon Echo that are just for fun.  Play just about any music available through Amazon prime with just a simple request.  You can listen to podcasts, get updates from NPR, ask for current sports statistics, and be told a few fairly ridiculous jokes.  Honestly, this handy little gadget has been getting a lot of use since we got it. Here is my affiliate link to head over and check out the Amazon Echo on Amazon for more details and read the reviews from people who have tried it already.

Do you have an Amazon Echo?  What are YOU doing with it?