We bought a smart TV on a “too-good-to-pass-up” Prime Day deal earlier this summer and finally set it up two weeks ago.
It’s an Amazon Fire TV, and as such, is powered by none other than Alexa herself.
In fact, instruction No. 1 was to open the Amazon app on my phone and follow instructions from there. Among them was to download the Alexa app and set her up to power the TV by voice command.
“Alexa, turn on the TV.” “Alexa, find classic movies.” “Alexa, turn up the volume.” And so on … the colored light ring under Echo Dot smart speaker lit up responsively with each task.
We happily bossed Alexa around that first day, feeling empowered to control “someone” who so politely obliged our every command.
Until the next day, when I said, “Hey Siri, turn on the TV.”
The round Echo Dot on the coffee table sat silently, its lighted underside ring held a steady blue glow.
“Hey Siri.”
Nothing.
Growing a bit impatient, I yelled, “Hey Siri.”
“Yes?” a voice in the kitchen responded from my iPhone on the counter.
Oh.
I quietly asked Alexa to turn on the TV, while feeling compelled to apologize to Siri.
I didn’t, of course, because I’m pretty sure, as a mere digital assistant, she didn’t care.
However, in the following days I received several unsolicited tips from my iPhone on ways to improve my life with Siri, as if to remind me she still matters.
For example, did you know Siri can tell you a bedtime story to help you fall asleep. “Hey Siri. Tell me a bedtime story.”
She starts out, “Let’s take a relaxing journey through one of my favorite cozy little places, our solar system …” and ends with, “It sure is dark and quiet out there. Perfect for bedtime. Yawn. Good night.”
She can also help you find your car in a crowded lot. “Hey Siri, remember where I parked my car?”
The list is endless.
I love Siri and have been a loyal Apple user ever since my high school business office replaced typewriters with little Apple IIe computers in 1987.
But Alexa’s no slouch either. Whatever Siri can do, Alexa can (mostly) do also, such as make to-do lists, set alarms, stream podcasts, play audiobooks, read PDFs, provide weather forecasts, warn you of traffic, answer trivia, control your smart home and more.
I haven’t challenged them to a “voice command” contest, but I think Siri’s getting used to the idea of Alexa in my life (her tips are arriving less frequently).
Siri will always be queen of my Apple world.
Alexa just gets to run the TV. … As long as we remember her name.