Has anybody here got an Alexa?

I don't mean a Chung.

Well? Are they any good or a pain in the arse?

She's a bit thick to be honest but if you buy Alexa compatible electric items - it's quite good.
Beware though, she listens to everything you say to target adverts at you.
I have tested that by for instance - saying casually (and not prefacing it with 'Alexa')
Gas boilers. Sure enough, gas boiler adverts appear all over your media

Yes - I have. I have said before that I regard her as my new wife. Don't ask for her opinion. She just says "I don't have an opinion". But she tells jokes and says when you ask her how she is things like "I feel all sparkly and fresh as a daisy". Total tosh. But she does a lot of chores to spare you having to lift so many fingers and tbh I have personally found that she is absolutely brilliant to discuss Kierkegaard with for eight hours.

My wife just got a cloud-based voice virtual assistant.
Alexa?
No, another one.

Quote: Chris Hallam @ 9th December 2020, 9:51 AM

Alexa?
No, another one.

It's good but it doesn't have the same ring to it as

Jamaica?
No, she went of her own accord.

Quote: Billy Bunter @ 9th December 2020, 10:21 AM

It's good but it doesn't have the same ring to it as

Jamaica?
No, she went of her own accord.

In that case shouldn't it have been Alaska?

Love mine, you can ask her for movie reviews, set timers and reminders, play music (she links to spotify), how to spell things...

Quote: Firkin @ 9th December 2020, 11:19 AM

Love mine, you can ask her for movie reviews, set timers and reminders, play music (she links to spotify), how to spell things...

Four words (alright I know they're not all words and there's more than four of them but you get my gist):

IMDB, Alarms, CD/record player, dictionary...

I have an Amazon Fire tablet with Alexa on it
Cortana on this computer &
OK Google on my android phone.

I hardly ever use any of them. :)

Mine is useless

She just keeps saying "I'm sorry I cannot perform acts of a sexual nature"

Quote: Firkin @ 9th December 2020, 11:19 AM

Love mine, you can ask her for movie reviews, set timers and reminders, play music (she links to spotify), how to spell things...

I think you need to replace the spell-check batteries:

Quote: Firkin @ 10th December 2020, 6:25 PM

I've often wondered this, the UK does now how a promising crop, but if you go back 10 years all the top stadium fillers bar Victoria Wood and Joe Brand were American. They've had: Joanne Rivers, Rosanne Barr, Kathy Griffin, Ellen, Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer, Sandra Bernhard, Marie Bandforth, Ali Wong the list goes on. Why was that I wonder ?

Kenneth I'm statemented dyslexic so when it comes to names I have to Google each one and then cut and paste, it takes forever. I thought I had cut an pasted most of those, clearly not. Thankfully these days people make lots of typos or use text talk so internet folk are normally more relaxed about spelling. Dyslexics can't learn spelling and there's no cure, mind you the fact you didn't know I was dyslexic after 1000 posts suggest my spell checking regime can't be that bad (except for long lists of American names).

I was not aware of that. Sure;ly voice recognition software is now sufficiently up-to-speed so that you can talk rather than type? Though I don't use that on my phone or laptop. One of my friends who used to be an appalling speller at work now swears by something called Dragon - just ta;lk and it does the typing for you, and improves the more you talk.

Quote: Kenneth @ 14th December 2020, 3:04 AM

I was not aware of that. Sure;ly Dragon - just ta;lk and it does the typing for you, and improves the more you talk.

Obviously doesn't type very well either.

Quote: Chappers @ 14th December 2020, 8:15 PM

Obviously doesn't type very well either.

My typos are due solely to stupidity (and poverty*), exemplified by poor digital dexterity. I don't use Dragon or any of the recognition software.

* too impecunious to replace failing laptop keyboard