I have a Kindle Fire and used Alexa when Amazon first put it on the device. She couldn't understand pretty much anything I said so I disabled it. I thought maybe it was just me but then last fall I got a new tablet that had Google Voice on it and I was expecting similar results but Voice recognized almost everything that I told it even when I mumbled sometimes. Maybe Alexa has gotten a lot better since I first used it but I'm loving Google Voice.

I am a new user. I had to rename it Echo because my daughter's name is Alexa. LOL!

I love asking it to play music from any genre or artist. I asked it to play a song on repeat the other day and eazy peazy lemon squeazy, it worked.

I synched my AnyList app (which is AWESOME) and asked Echo to add an item. It said it couldn't find the list, so I went to my AnyList app and had to connect my specific lists (as opposed to the default Alexa list) and I tried again. Presto! Item added! That's a good feature.

I love playing Jeopardy! five times per week; I don't have it connected to any appliances or anything; and I will eventually listen to my audio books.

I don't like that it is sometimes hard to understand and I don't like that sometimes it does not hear me correctly. I DO submit the feedback regarding whether it heard me correctly so they or it can make improvements.

Summary -- I'm glad I have it because prior to getting it, my only source for music inside was the TV music stations (DirecTV).

However, I know that I am using only a miniscule fraction of the capabilities.

I am glad someone posted this question. When the device is on, it clandestinely monitors word usage, verbiage, and emotional intention of those words. They are fed into a meta database...second generation of Jade Helmet. A similar network is used where I work for "security" ( insert image of Dr. Evil here: "LAZER" ). Walmart uses it too, but it just reads lips when you shop.

From today's Guardian newspaper....

"Got an Amazon Echo for Christmas, just like every other basic-issue human. I'm under no illusion it's anything other than the larval cell of a cybernetic panopticon that will eliminate our species."

Have her on a Fire tablet. She's OK but I have to push a button to hear from her. Might be a good thing

I don't have one nor plan to get one. Don't have a smart phone anymore. LOL

Not my thing. Enough with the gadgets.

Is the training for when A.I. becomes more integrated into our lives.

This reminds me a lot of Ray Bradbury description of future smart homes. "The veldt" for example, I'm not saying that Alexa can kill your parents if you wish hard enough, but the themes of over dependency on technology pretty much say it all for me. I have Alexa on a tablet but it's disabled.

I'm pretty happy with my Alexa devices, although frankly since I purchased my first one in early 2015 it (the Echo service in general) seems to understand me less and less as time goes on. Rather than spend more time and money trying to make the platform work with so many other devices and services, I'd rather they stopped for a bit to shore up the comprehension once again.

I guess mine is a minority opinion, but I love Alexa. Can listen to anything on a whim, get info quickly. She'll even read books for me (although hers is not the voice I'd recommend for The Extended Phenotype). Yes, I can do all those things on my computer but I enjoy the convenience.

overhyped

Anything that works with electricity needs a backup. I pass. I need the exercise on my body and my fingers. I just mastered the remote control, I am going to use it. I am capable of finding things on my own.