It feels like every day we’re faced with the latest development in technology that promises to make our intense, hectic and otherworldly lives easier.
With watches that track your R.E.M whilst simultaneously clearing your inbox of junk, to efficiency apps that’ll remind you Facebook message your Great Aunt on her birthday, we’re quite literally becoming cluttered with devices and outlets that are supposedly attempting to make our life more streamlined.
I too was skeptical at first of Amazon’s Alexa (and its many iterations). In all its many iterations, it just seemed to be another product inflating a market that was already drenched in Millennial tech-up jargon that makes trips to any electronics store rather unbearable.
However, after digging a little deeper and trying at every which avenue to succumb to the power of the Alexa – and hell, it works. Whether you’re looking to meditate more or simply keep your Saturday naps to a 30-minute minimum, Alexa can serve as the non-judgemental friend who’ll help you get your shit together.
So, here’s a no-BS guide to just how helpful Alexa can be in your life.
1. Speaker connectivity
Amazon’s Alexa will connect to your speaker devices instantly – if you’re looking to unify your machinery and streamline your home’s tech, Alexa will be the weaving operator in the mix. Remote controls, apps, and AUX chords are painfully un-feng shui and quite frankly, a nightmare to use.
Yamaha’s MusicCast 50 speakers are some of the best new speakers in the game and will connect immediately to it’s new friend Alexa, who can do everything from setting the vibe at a party with just the simple nudge of a question, by selecting the perfect tune from your playlist, to keeping you up to date with the latest news.
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The MusicCast 50 also has in-built streaming services, so Alexa can guide you whilst you try and delve into the world of new music. With its hi-res, room-filling audio, you can crank up the tunes of the MusicCast 50 by simply asking Alexa to get the party started.
2. Connecting your home
Although we live under the guise that we’re more connected than ever, it seems we’re constantly buried in the depths of a year 10 friend’s Instagram story or avoiding answering a text from a long lost connection. Amazon’s Alexa can honestly help keep those under your household united, without the pitfalls of modernity getting the best of them.
With its Drop-In feature, Alexa will link up to your enabled devices like a two-way intercom. From there, you’ll be able to or have a quick conversation with the family.
Using the Alexa app, you can announce everyday commands like, “Announce that dinner’s ready”, keeping heads out of phones and Mum’s dinner warm.
3. Get organised – we promise
As we’re all constantly trying to beat the clock with work, life and personal commitments, keeping things together can be an impossible task. Alexa can be the eyes on the clock you need to keep your time management in check, whilst your eyes are off doing better things like binge-watching or snoozing.
A simple, “Alexa, set an alarm for 7am” or “Alexa, set a sleep timer for 30 minutes,” will keep your sleeping in check and have you never missing the bus again.
4. Wellness
Yes, I know I may sound like the ultimate modern-yuppie-Insta-health-guru by breaking no ground in saying meditation is a sure-fire way to curb stress and feelings of impending overwhelmingness.
Amazon’s Alexa Echo will give you a certain meditation based on the time of day or any specific need – whether its helping you unwind before bed, clearing your mind or just simply trying to relax, Alexa can act as your much needed yogi to guide you through life’s tougher moments.
