For a long time, Alexa was a perfectly normal name, but since Amazon bought the technology in 2013, that has changed. What alexa I agree is and what it can do, you will find out in this article.
What exactly is Alexa: An idea
Alexa is a language assistant that works similar to Apple’s “Siri”. Amazon bought the Polish speech synthesizer “Ivona” in 2013 and then modified it a bit. The technology is built into all Amazon Echo speakers, but can be used as an app and on other devices.
Basically, it is there to support you in everyday life or to make it easier for you. The technology and its female voice are called Alexa, but the device that goes with it is called the Amazon Echo. This looks a bit like a traditional speaker with different buttons. You put it in a room and as soon as you need something, you utter a voice command such as “Alexa, turn on the music” or “Alexa, set the alarm for 8:00 am”.
What can Alexa do? An overview of the functions
There are well over 300 voice commands that Alexa can execute. It is therefore difficult to name them all here. We therefore prefer to give an insight into all the areas in which technology can support people in everyday life.
listen to music
Technology lets you turn music on, discover, stop, turn off, and more with voice control. You can also specifically turn on audio samples or popular songs or turn them up and down.
Knowledge
You can ask Alexa a lot of things. Whether traffic, weather, arithmetic or the latest news, the language assistant has an answer. She is also knowledgeable about geography, sporting events, history and definitions.
protection
An Amazon Echo can also be useful as protection against burglaries. Alexa can listen to your own apartment for noises and report a burglary and even scare off the intruders.
Events
The artificial intelligence is also a good alarm clock, timer and calendar. You can also ask for the time and date, say “snooze,” or ask what alarms and timers are already set.
smart home
If the assistant is linked to your smart home, you can also operate all household appliances via Alexa. For example, dim the lights, heat the bedroom or turn on the coffee maker.
Conclusion: many functions
The voice assistant from Amazon definitely has some useful functions, but almost every smartphone now has them. The burglary protection, for example, which could actually prevent a major robbery, is particularly practical. But Amazon is also repeatedly criticized for monitoring, since Alexa is supposed to listen to everything.
Sources: Amazon, voice assistant news