Likely they are here to stay but I’m sure will continue to evolve. Pretty useful little media tool. Bought one for my parents last year and they love theirs. It’s great if you listen and subscribe to music streaming services too. It’s easy for my parents just to ask Alexa to play whatever they fancy.
It can be incorporated into your current music set up too. My feeling is that there are many folk who won’t maybe use it to it’s full potential. It’s not a terribly expensive bit of kit, but before buying I’d ask myself what do I need it to do and would I use it.
My parents love it cause my nephew has one and they can ask their dot to ‘drop in’ on his dot and they can chat to each other!
Alexa is also now being incorporated into sonos sound stuff soyou can control your music choices b6 voice alone.
They do so much more......having said that....I don’t have one and would be unlikely to get one as I don’t really need it. I may be tempted howver with the Alexa sonos player .
Sooooo not a fad I wouldn’t think.....but likely to evolve.
They have been about for some time.....maybe 2 years ????? I certainly bought the parents one over a year ago now and they still seem to be going strong
We have the Google equivalent ... the Home Mini. Great to have as a voice controlled music / radio player and
that's before the many other functions that will link up with other Google devices. Good value for a small outlay!
Thank you. They are £30 specials, however no delivery until the end of January. Perhaps the next generation will be released in February !! It does say that they update themselves all the time.
It would be used for music, and not sure what else. I write a lot of lists, and it can do that, alarms are useful but the phone does it. Lights, heating etc need timers, which they are selling at the same time.
Typing this i think I've talked myself out of it.😁
We'll see
I have one, it enables me to talk to my brother who has progressive MS and as such has limited use of his limbs.
He just asks his to call me from his device and allows us to chat.
The robots are taking over? well most of us are using one or more of the devices that knows more about you. The PC and mobile phone.
------------- Just saying
If all is not lost where is it then?
We have three dots and a spot in the house. I can control lights, washing machine, heating and fridge, listen to music, tell the kids their teas out, contact my sister in Scotland and video call her and get my news and traffic report in the morning.
As for listening in, so is your phone and quite a few other devices. I'm not really bothered.
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A funny side.....my parents , in mid 70s and have some tech savvy.....not a lot ! Lol we’re chatting in their lounge of an evening. An ad came on tv, volume was up and the word Alexa was heard by the dot at the same time time my mother said out loud if a parcel had been delivered. They both then heard a voice stating loud and clear that Mrs X parcel will be delivered on....and it gave the date and the courier.
They both looked at each other........WTF was that....who said that? Thought they had a ghost. They hadn’t used Alexa for a while so it was unexpected, took them some moments to realise where the voice came from. Soooo Alexa is listening !
Alexa is listening for the wake word. It only records conversations you have had with it. Siri listens as well. So does ok Google.
Tip. Change the wake word. You have a choice of echo, Alexa, computer and Amazon.
The sitting room one and the bedroom one is echo as the wife doesn't like me chatting to Alexa. The kids are Alexa and Amazon.
------------- Hypercamp Alaska
Vango Force 10 mk3
Vango F10 Helium 1
Coleman Cobra Pro 3
Coleman Cobra 2
Naturehike Star River 2
Eureka! Solitaire
Dutch army goretex bivvy bag
All these talking devices will only work if you input them with all the information required. They can only tell you what the weather is like or where the nearest garage is if they know where you are etc. So if those little boxes know where you are who else knows where you are? Who else might be listening in to your conversations or recording your personal information?