Spot the cool new gadget for your home…
It’s sixty years since the smooth tones of Captain Kirk’s computer on Star Trek captured the imagination of a generation and hinted at a future few thought would materialise. Over the last few years though, with the advent of smartphone-based digital assistants, the future has edged closer. Google, Microsoft, Apple and Samsung have all invested time in bringing us an assistant that’s always at hand. It was a surprise, then, when the company that revolutionised book-selling launched its Echo smart home assistant in 2015.
There are now four types of Amazon Echo and the Dot is the lowest priced and smallest. The Echo arrives in a little box and opening it up reveals just how small this gadget is. It measured just over three inches across, and is barely over an inch tall. Included in the box is a power cable and mains plug.
After plugging in the device, I downloaded the free Amazon Alexa app for iOS and started the set-up process. The app finds the Echo and then there’s a quick pairing process to get it added to your home network. Once set up, the Echo is ready to respond to your spoken questions and requests. The personality of the Echo is female, and she’s a confidently spoken lady called Alexa. When you say ‘Alexa’, the device’s lights pulse blue to let you know she’s listening.
There’s a learning routine which Alexa will talk you through, where it will ask you to say phrases so it learns how you pronounce specific words. That learning practice is worth doing straight away despite the temptation to start immediately asking Alexa who won obscure sports games decades ago. Once you’re up and running Alexa can very quickly become part of your daily life. As well as getting an instant spoken answer to casual everyday queries, the Echo does a lot more. TuneIn radio is built in, and you can just ask Alexa to instantly play one of thousands of radio stations from around the world, or play music from your Amazon library. However, the real power of the Echo Dot is as a smarthome hub. I asked Alexa to find new smart devices and within a minute all of my compatible gadgets appeared in the Alexa app. Now, when I want to turn on the kitchen lights or switch on the TV, I ask Alexa to do it. Although the Echo is stocked by Irish retailers, there is no official Irish version of the app so you’ll you need to use a UK or US Amazon account to set it up. However, I ask Alexa every day for my commute time to work in Dublin, and she always gets it right to within a few minutes. It seems Alexa is happy where she is, and she’s very welcome to stay.