Image my surprise this morning when I looked at my To Do list and saw, “do a review on grimm kermit call marilee”. I stared at the screen for a good 20 seconds hoping something would pop to mind. I was stumped. Fortunately, I could tell the task had been placed the day before by Alexa. Now, the question was how to figure out what Alexa voice recognition heard. It was time to go to the source.
Internet of Things (IoT)
You may be wondering what are IoT devices and that's a good question. It's a very broad category. Not too long ago, the only devices making connections to the internet were computers. Now, just about anything can connect ranging from coffee makers to children's toys.
More likely, you know some of the better consumer brand examples. These include things like:
- Amazon Alexa
- Google Home
- Nest thermostat
- Hue lightbulbs
- Apple Homepod
The products offer great convenience and sometimes frustrations. They may also pose new type of security concerns.
Alexa Routines Show Promise and Limitations
It shouldn’t be any surprise that I’m an Amazon Alexa fan. Naturally, I was intrigued when Alexa added a new feature called “Routines”. As the name suggests, it allows you to standardize certain actions for consistency. In theory, this works well, but it didn’t give me the flexibility I expected. I was hoping that anything I could speak, I could use in a routine. However, it’s still something worth exploring as it can make things easier.