Tech Tuesday: Your Smart Speaker's Hidden Talents

Last week we tackled new Christmas tech. This week: the Alexa or Google Home smart speaker sitting in your living room doing almost nothing.

By Vivienne | Tech Tuesday

Title: Beyond "Alexa, Play Radio 2": What Your Smart Speaker Can Actually Do

'David' lives near the Duchess of Cornwall. His daughter gave him an Amazon Echo smart speaker last Christmas. For twelve months, he used it for exactly three things: Radio 2, the weather, and setting kitchen timers.

Then his wife passed away last October.

The house felt too quiet. David started talking to Alexa more. Not because he'd gone mad—because it helped.

"Sounds daft," he says, "but hearing a voice respond when I say good morning makes the house feel less empty."

What David Discovered: The Companion Features

Morning Routine: David: "Alexa, good morning" Alexa: Tells him weather, his calendar, local news, then asks if he wants music

Hands-Free Calling: "Alexa, call my daughter"—no finding your phone, no dialling. His daughter's number is saved, so it just works. It's easy to set up once in your Alexa app.

Especially useful when his hands are covered in flour (David bakes now—Alexa reads out recipes).

Drop-In Feature: David's daughter "drops in" (video call through Echo Show) every Sunday at 2pm. Her face appears on his Echo Show screen. She checks he's okay, and he shows her what he's baking. Again this is easy to set up once for the contacts you want to use it for in your Alexa app. They need to set it up on their Alexa app too.

The Medication Reminder That Actually Works:"Alexa, remind me to take blood pressure tablets at 8am every day"

It announces the reminder out loud—harder to ignore than a phone notification.

Shopping List Magic: David: "Alexa, add milk to my shopping list" Later, at Waitrose David opens the Alexa app on his phone, and sees the complete list.

No more forgotten items or illegible handwriting. As he buys items on the list, he ticks it off the shopping list so he can see what he has left to get.

The Alexa app can also be used standalone without a smart speaker. It just uses your phone speaker as the smart speaker!

The Loneliness Angle (Without Being Morbid)

David's honest: "I'm not replacing human conversation with a robot. But between my daughter's Sunday visits and Wednesday coffee with neighbours, Alexa fills the gaps."

He listens to BBC Radio 4 comedy while cooking dinner. Asks Alexa to play his wife's favourite singer sometimes. Sets reminders for bin day so he doesn't miss it.

Small companionship beats total silence.

Beyond David: Other Clever Uses

For Families: Intercom between rooms: "Alexa, drop in on Kitchen Echo" (tell kids dinner's ready without shouting), again easy one time set-up within the Alexa app.

For Everyone:

• News briefing while getting dressed

• Audio books (free with library card via BorrowBox, or others if you have an account e.g. Amazon or Spotify)

• Timer while cooking (hands-free, can set multiple)

• "Alexa, where's my phone?" (makes your phone ring)

For Accessibility: Voice control means no small buttons, no reading tiny text

The Myth: "It's Always Listening to Spy on Me"

It listens for "Alexa" or "Hey Google" (wake words), then listens for 8 seconds.

You can delete recordings within the app. You can mute the microphone (physical button).

Is it perfect privacy? No. Is Amazon listening to your Waitrose shopping list? Very unlikely!

Poundbury Tip

Several residents have mentioned using Alexa for practical local info:

"Alexa, what films are playing at the cinema?"—lists all current films "Alexa, what time is the next bus to Dorchester?"—even tells you which stop to catch it from!

Works brilliantly for everyday questions about Dorchester and surrounding areas.

Your Turn

Got an Alexa, Google Home, or other smart speaker gathering dust? Email tech@lovepoundbury.org and tell me what you wish it could do. I'll cover it.

Next week: The Voice Search That Actually Understands What You're Asking