Geeks Life

http://geekslife.cachefly.net/GL/GL10.mp4 Amazon’s Echo is a personal assistant that allows you to tell the device what you want, and she’ll do it for you. It’s been out for a while now, and while she could only do a few things at launch, she’s a quick learner! Here are 10 things you can do with your Echo to make your life easier… some brand new, some you may not have known about. Some of these features are enabled through the Alexa App on your phone, so you’ll want to make sure you have that installed. Alexa App iOS Android #1: Control Your TV David and I just got back from seeing Andrew Lock in Salt Lake City. You’re going to REALLY enjoy seeing how he’s set up his studio for HelpMyBusiness.com. A truly incredible studio! Look for that video soon! He has his Echo set up through If This Then That, where you can easily program automation to simplify your life. He uses the Harmony Hub and IFTTT to control his TV and media center. He just tells Echo to turn on the TV. LOVE it! If you don’t want to use IFTTT, Echo also connects to the SmartThings Hub...which will connect to the Harmony Hub… which of course turns on the TV. You can get showtimes for movies in your area. Just ask Echo when a specific movie is playing and she’ll read them aloud for you. You can also get a list of movies playing near you, or you can drill down for more information like cast and plot synopsis. #3: Sports Echo can keep you up to date on when your favorite sports team is playing, or let you know how they did in their last game. Ask by team name and which kind of information you're looking for. #4: Read Books The Echo can read your books from Audible, but if you don't want to pay the money for an audible subscription, don't worry! It’ll also read Kindle books to you using the same text-to-speech abilities that it uses for reading Wikipedia articles. Might get a little old after a bit, but certainly useful as you’re cleaning the house or cooking! #5: Stream Spotify Now, I love Spotify, so I was excited to see it get tied into the ever-growing list of Echo abilities. You do need a Spotify Premium account for this to work, but once you connect your account through the Alexa App, you'll be able to request genres, performers, or playlists through the Echo. It also works with Spotify Connect to transfer listening from a mobile device to the Echo. #6: Get an Uber Ride If you use Uber, here's a new Echo trick to help you get around even more easily. Just ask for an Uber ride and the car is on its way. #7: Order a Pizza After you set up a Pizza Profile through the Domino's website or app, you can link it to your Echo and ask for a favorite...reorder your last pizza...or track the status of your order, all by voice. I just wish it worked with other chains too. #8: Listen to Live Radio with TuneIn If you have a local radio station you like for music, sports, talk, or whatever, the Echo can bring it to you through the TuneIn Radio app. After you enable it, you can ask for your station of choice through TuneIn and it’ll start playing. This is great since most of us probably don’t have actual radios anymore! I know I don’t, at least! #9: Read events from your Google Calendar It's not a new feature, but it's a major one for anyone who lives and dies by their Google Calendar. After linking Echo to your Google account, you can check your calendar by voice to find out what your next meeting will be, or whether you're available at a certain time. #10: Get News Read to You The Echo will keep you up to date on events around the world or in your town with Flash Briefings. You can set your choice of news sources in Settings on the Alexa App, and you can customize with stories from CNN, Bloomberg, NPR, BBC, The Economist, ESPN, and more. Question of the Day (This is for YOU!) What integrations are you using on your Echo, and what else would you like to see? Leave a comment below!