# Amazon's Echo, in-house "Siri"-like device - love the concept or totally freaked out? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 9, 2016, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-echo-in-house-siri-like-device-love-the-concept-or-totally-freaked-out/748400 "2016-03-09T13:03:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-echo-in-house-siri-like-device-love-the-concept-or-totally-freaked-out/748400/41 "2016-03-14T16:34:27Z")
> [@Drum\_God](#): > > My father-in-law is visually and mobility impaired. What sorts of things would this be useful for for a guy like him. He isn’t particularly tech savvy, but he does use a computer to run his business. He just has to use ZoomText to blow up his screen REALLY big. You and I might be able to scan an entire spreadsheet, but he has to blow it up so large that only one cell is on the screen. It takes him a long time to find the info he is looking for. > > Once set up, is Echo pretty much done. One problem my FIL has is that he can easily bump a button and change settings. Since he doesn’t know what he has done, he doesn’t know how to fix it. If I set it up, connected it to his wifi, then put it on a counter someplace where it can hear and be heard, but not knocked into, would it be pretty much maintenance free? He’d probably find it very useful. It does require a bit of looking at a phone app to set it up (and change settings), but after that you can just leave it there to ask random questions, the weather, play music, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-echo-in-house-siri-like-device-love-the-concept-or-totally-freaked-out/748400/42 "2016-03-14T16:53:24Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Question: Could it work like a security system? If it hears someone in the room can it ask who it is? Could you tell it to automatically call you wne it hears someone? Not really. It can’t recognize different voices as separate from one another as a voice print (though this may be coming). However, you can get different smart sensors that can tell you if a door, window, closet, drawer, etc has been opened, or if movement has been detected. These usually come with their own hub computer to manage them, which can integrate with alexa. Right now I don’t think that aspect of the smart devices is really necessary to handle through Alexa, because they report things rather than do things on request. Alexa is good at doing things. However, these same hubs can have other peripherals that are switches or lightbulbs, which are great to manage through Alexa. Like that darn sandwich maker that turns on when you plug it in but never turns off unless you unplug it. Put a smart switch between the plug and the outlet and now you can tell Alexa to simply power the device on or off without fumbling for a switch or cord. You can also have it give you an alarm or turn off automatically after it’s been on too long, even though the sandwich maker itself may not have those features. But with motion detectors, sure you can have Alexa report to you on the results in various ways (want her to make a sound on your phone, flash the lights in the room, play a sound in response to sensing movement?), but in many cases the hub computer can be programmed do all those things by itself without needing Alexa. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-echo-in-house-siri-like-device-love-the-concept-or-totally-freaked-out/748400/43 "2016-03-14T17:06:30Z")
I think the trick to knowing what to do with Alexa is to imagine what you wish you could do just by using your voice. Turn on music via voice command? Check and see if the garage door is open via voice command? Close the garage door if so? Start a timer? Ask about the weather? Change the thermostat? Turn on the lights? Turn on a device? Change the TV channel? Turn off anything? All the stuff you want reported to you or to trigger reactions, that’s all probably better done by other devices. Alexa might be used as a go-between or simply for its use as a wireless speaker, but it’s not usually necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-echo-in-house-siri-like-device-love-the-concept-or-totally-freaked-out/748400/44 "2016-03-14T21:28:38Z")
It’s interesting that this thread got started. Just a couple of days ago Steve Wozniak thinks Amazon’s Echo is the Next Big Platform > **[Steve Wozniak thinks Amazon's Echo is the Next Big Platform](https://fortune.com/2016/03/12/steve-wozniak-echo-next-big-platform/)** > > Woz wants his pizza and paper towels without the heavy lifting. I really like mine. It’s in my kitchen. Like the above posters said. I use it for timer, news briefs, music from both Amazon Prime and Pandora. I want to look into the automation features. I have downloaded a few of the games, but I’m not yet wowed by any of them. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-echo-in-house-siri-like-device-love-the-concept-or-totally-freaked-out/748400/45 "2016-03-15T06:05:05Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I wonder how many have renamed theirs “Jarvis”? Unfortunately, the only options are “Alexa,” “Amazon,” and “Echo.” I wanted to name mine Hal and tell it to open the pod bay doors. I did try “Alexa, open the pod bay doors,” and the response was, “I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that. I’m not Hal and we’re not in space.” ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-echo-in-house-siri-like-device-love-the-concept-or-totally-freaked-out/748400/46 "2016-03-15T07:10:19Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > Unfortunately, the only options are “Alexa,” “Amazon,” and “Echo.” > > I wanted to name mine Hal and tell it to open the pod bay doors. I did try “Alexa, open the pod bay doors,” and the response was, “I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that. I’m not Hal and we’re not in space.” Ha! I’m so trying that when I get home this morning. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-echo-in-house-siri-like-device-love-the-concept-or-totally-freaked-out/748400/47 "2016-03-15T13:41:14Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > Unfortunately, the only options are “Alexa,” “Amazon,” and “Echo.” > > I wanted to name mine Hal and tell it to open the pod bay doors. I did try “Alexa, open the pod bay doors,” and the response was, “I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that. I’m not Hal and we’re not in space.” This thread inspired me to ask Siri to start a timer. She did, and said “the suspense is killing me.” ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-echo-in-house-siri-like-device-love-the-concept-or-totally-freaked-out/748400/48 "2016-03-15T16:58:29Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > Unfortunately, the only options are “Alexa,” “Amazon,” and “Echo.” > > I wanted to name mine Hal and tell it to open the pod bay doors. I did try “Alexa, open the pod bay doors,” and the response was, “I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that. I’m not Hal and we’re not in space.” 😛 But, if you can’t rename it, that’s just wrong. Amazon, hear me now: I will NEVER get one of these until I can rename it. Jeeves, Stella, Rosie, Hazel, or whatever. None of this “Alexa” garbage. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-echo-in-house-siri-like-device-love-the-concept-or-totally-freaked-out/748400/49 "2016-03-15T19:44:58Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > 😛 > > But, if you can’t rename it, that’s just wrong. > > Amazon, hear me now: I will NEVER get one of these until I can rename it. Jeeves, Stella, Rosie, Hazel, or whatever. None of this “Alexa” garbage. As silly as it sounds, when I heard you cannot rename it I lost a lot of the enthusiasm I had over the product. I too thought it would be funny (or amuse me endlessly) if I had one and renamed it Jeeves or Woodhouse or some other butler-like name. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-echo-in-house-siri-like-device-love-the-concept-or-totally-freaked-out/748400/50 "2016-03-15T20:54:41Z")
> [@MeanJoe](#): > > As silly as it sounds, when I heard you cannot rename it I lost a lot of the enthusiasm I had over the product. I too thought it would be funny (or amuse me endlessly) if I had one and renamed it Jeeves or Woodhouse or some other butler-like name. Hey - I have a good friend named Alexa. What the heck is _she_ supposed to do? ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-echo-in-house-siri-like-device-love-the-concept-or-totally-freaked-out/748400/51 "2016-03-15T21:19:53Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Ha! I’m so trying that when I get home this morning. Ask it to sing “Daisy, Daisy” while you’re at it :). Somewhat more seriously: this thing sounds like a fun toy but still kind of a “solution in search of a problem”. Very few people have the kind of home automation hardware in place that would let this control lights etc. My grocery list is a whiteboard on the fridge, and an app on my phone. Total cost, about 14 dollars. If I want the news, I can bring it up on the TV or on my phone. I could see it once home automation (security, lights) are all tied in, but then that’s kinda, well, hackable… ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-echo-in-house-siri-like-device-love-the-concept-or-totally-freaked-out/748400/52 "2016-03-15T21:52:06Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Hey - I have a good friend named Alexa. What the heck is _she_ supposed to do? Use “Echo” or “Amazon” as the wake word. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-echo-in-house-siri-like-device-love-the-concept-or-totally-freaked-out/748400/53 "2016-03-16T07:39:40Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > 😛 > > But, if you can’t rename it, that’s just wrong. > > Amazon, hear me now: I will NEVER get one of these until I can rename it. Jeeves, Stella, Rosie, Hazel, or whatever. None of this “Alexa” garbage. Yeah, that’s a deal-breaker right there. I also want to know: Can I change this device’s voice? Is there a selection of voices (male and female) I can choose? If it’s smart-assy enough to say “I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that. I’m not Hal and we’re not in space” does it use Hal’s voice? Come to think of it, can I tell it MY name so it can address me properly? Can I program it to address me as Professor Senegoid or Doctor Senegoid or Your Majesty or, more simply, SIR? ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-echo-in-house-siri-like-device-love-the-concept-or-totally-freaked-out/748400/54 "2016-03-16T08:15:18Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > I also want to know: Can I change this device’s voice? Is there a selection of voices (male and female) I can choose? If it’s smart-assy enough to say “I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that. I’m not Hal and we’re not in space” does it use Hal’s voice? No, no, and no. > [@Senegoid](#): > > Come to think of it, can I tell it MY name so it can address me properly? Can I program it to address me as Professor Senegoid or Doctor Senegoid or Your Majesty or, more simply, SIR? I believe it uses your first name on your Amazon account on the rare occasions that it actually speaks your name. Most of the time it doesn’t call you anything. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazons-echo-in-house-siri-like-device-love-the-concept-or-totally-freaked-out/748400.md?page=2)