I will never use it for music because I have Sonos throughout the house. I control my music system and my thermostat with the iPhone. I don’t have any other smart devices other than my tv which has a remote that I like.
I am not bagging on the device. I just don’t think that I have use for one. Unless I am missing something, I am going to give it away.
I use it for quick questions—is the grocery store still open, what’s the temperature outside, how’s the traffic today, how many tablespoons in a cup, etc.
If you link it to an online schedule like Google Calendar, you can ask what’s on your agenda for today. (I haven’t been using this feature much during the pandemic.)
You can use it for shopping lists; if you notice that you’re running low on milk, say, “Alexa, add milk to my shopping list” instead of looking for a pen and paper. Then, when you get to the store, you open the Alexa app and your shopping list is there. (I did this a lot when I first got the Echo, but lately I’ve gone back to a handwritten list.)
I also use it for timers a lot. “Alexa, set a timer for twenty minutes.”
I realize a lot of this is stuff you can do with a phone; it depends on whether you consider it more convenient to do with a voice command.
If you’re a regular Amazon shopper, you should be able to keep better track of your shopping list. i.e. no more “dammit, I forgot to put escargot forks for my fancy dinner on my list!” moments.
You can link it to your Sonos system. “Alexa, play Funeral Dirge #3 on the Sonos.”
Think of it as a hands-free iPhone for the random facts you look up on a semi-regular basis. “Alexa, how many grams per quatloo?” “Alexa, how old is Juiliana Marguiles?” “Alexa, when did ‘Blazing Saddles’ come out?” “Alexa, what’s the price of gold today?”
If none of those sound interesting or useful, you won’t have much of a use for it. I don’t have any idea if Sonos systems are voice-activated - if they aren’t, I’d think even just that aspect of it would be useful.
It’s tough to quantify really. When I bought a first gen echo for our kitchen some years ago my wife thought it was a total waste of money and we’d never use it. We now have 3 echos (2 dots), and I ordered 2 more 3rd gen dots for the kids rooms.
I got a freebie also, and for the most part, I use it to get weather forecasts. My MIL uses hers frequently as a timer, and I can see that being handy. Mostly, tho, I forget it’s there.
What do you find most useful about them?
My niece didn’t take her Echo Dot to college, so it made its way to my apartment. I mostly use mine to directly play Apple Music (i.e., not as a Bluetooth speaker) while I play repetitive/creative video games on the TV like Animal Crossing or Dragon Quest Builders. I had some speakers that came with an old PC that I could plug it into so the sound is okay instead of bad.