
Ask HN: Does your Alexa or Google Home make you more productive? - free_everybody
It seems like one of the main reasons to get a voice assistant is to increase productivity. Is it worth the cost?
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incan1275
It was for us. Things we use it for:

\- Using it as a timer for cooking in the kitchen. \- For music at home. \-
Listening to weather reports and news in the morning before we head out for
work.

Before Alexa, we used our phone for all the above, but we found it to be much
easier using a voice assistant. I wouldn't say it's a massive gain in
productivity, but we are pretty happy we got it.

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mrmondo
I know three people with them, two of them now have them sitting in a box
somewhere the other one said he doesn’t use it for anything other than the
weather or time but is now seriously concerned about it’s privacy implications
so is considering unplugging it. Personally I use Siri on my phone probably
more than 20 times a day on average and find it very useful, it helps me set
reminders, events, send quick messages etc... without the full cost of mental
context shifting.

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devonbleak
Don't get it (yet) if you're looking to achieve some kind of ROI on it.
They're still toys for now.

Probably the main thing I can do faster with Alexa than other things is check
the weather, which I do maybe once or twice a day. Things like turning lights
on and off I can do faster by just walking to the appropriate switches.
Otherwise I just use it as a speaker for playing music.

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hahla
No, I only use it to check the weather (Alexa). Haven't really found many uses
for it (however, I haven't really explored either).

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feocco
I'd say it's more about convenience. Not having to open your phone/PC to play
music, videos, search, etc.

There's a learning curve to the features and ideal audio conditions. Not great
initially. But I work remotely and it's quite useful for timing breaks &
lunches, reminders, music, and broadcasting.

There are far better ways to improve your productivity.

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tabeth
If you have to pick a smart home thing I'd actually get something like
SmartThings. It's amazing actually how nice it is not to think about things
like turning on lights, locking doors, etc. You can wake up to coffee (and not
on a timer, literally when you wake up it'll detect your motion and start
brewing it), etc.

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cordite
Weather, news nippets, timers.

I pick up food ordered on time these days so that’s good.

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d0m
I'm trying to hard to use siri but it never works.

"light" > I don't understand

"flashlight" > I can't do that

"why?" > I couldn't say

"open the flashlight" > google search

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needcaffeine
We use our Echo in the following ways:

\- “set a timer for X minutes”

\- “play the latest planet money podcast”

\- “play the album Moana”

\- “pause the firetv”

\- “what’s the weather tonight?”

\- “what’s the news?”

It saves us a ton of time but also is a huge entertainer for our kids.

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synaptc
I only use my Echo Dot for a few things:

    
    
      - checking the weather/time
      - settings a timer 
      - having Alexa read me a bedtime story (Audible)
    

I think if I dedicated some time to actually integrate Alexa with my home
(lights, Nest, speakers, etc.), I can see it improving productivity.
Especially with how easy custom skills are to build, you can really take the
technology much further.

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SeaDude
Very strange responses. At least one person mentioned privacy concerns.

"I put this new gadget in my house so I can check weather once a day.
Meanwhile, it records all ambient noise and even identifies the voices of
everyone speaking in the room. Garsh! It sure is neat."

Better hang a disclaimer on your door for when friends come over. Warning:
House equipped with a dipshit. By entering, you are giving up all perceived
privacy. Do not discuss things that matter.

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odonnellryan
No, not more productive, but it's definitely useful.

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Spooky23
It’s a toy.

