Though the Amazon Echo now has some competition from Google and Apple, it is still the reigning digital assistant toy, and there are a lot of fun and useful things that you can use it for in daily life. Here are my picks for the top 8 fun and useful things you can do with the Amazon Echo:
1.) Order Things
The Echo is integrated into the Amazon shopping structure, so it’s super easy to place an Amazon order using just your voice. Amazon also often has deals that are exclusively available if you use your Echo device to place your order. There are also third-party apps that let you order things, including pizza, coffee, and rides. Whether you need toilet paper or dinner, the Echo offers easy ordering options.
2.) Control Your Home
Of course, one of the most talked about things that the Echo does is control your smart home devices. The digital home assistant can act as your smart home hub, connecting devices for IFTTT operations or controlling single devices like locks, lights, and thermostats.
3.) Make Calls and Send Messages
One of the newest features of the Echo family is the ability to make calls and send messages. If you have the original Echo or the Echo Dot, you can make calls and send messages using the device directly. If you have the screen-friendly Echo Show, you can do that plus make video calls. You can even communicate with someone that doesn’t have an Echo, as long as they have the Echo app on their phone or tablet.
4.) Manage Your Wardrobe
If you have the Echo Look, you can use it to help you pick out an outfit for the day, and even to manage your wardrobe in general. The Echo will take pictures of you so you can compare outfits, and record what you wore each day. It will even learn your style and give you personal fashion recommendations.
5.) Watch Videos
With the Echo Show, you can pull up music videos, news videos, and how-to videos. This is a great feature for busy mornings since you can pause or adjust the volume without stopping whatever you’re doing to get your day going. It’s also great if you’re trying to learn a new skill since you can watch and interact with the video hands-free.
6.) Plan Your Day
The Echo can tell you all kinds of useful things to help you plan your day, like what the weather will be, what the traffic is like, what time your appointments start, and what is on your to-do and shopping lists.
7.) Listen to Books
The Echo makes it easier than ever to multitask. With the audible feature, you can listen to a book whether you’re cleaning, cooking, gaming, or playing with your kids.
8.) Set Timers
Without skipping a beat, you can set timers for cooking or projects, working out or meditating, and even managing your kids’ time on gaming systems. This feature is great because it is hands-free so no matter what you’re cooking, you never have to use your messy hands to set a timer.
