Alexa For Dummies

by Paul McFedries

Make your every wish Alexa's command with this in-depth guide to the wildly popular Amazon smart speaker

You might be thinking, "All I have to do is plug in my Echo device and start using it!" And you'd be right. But if you really want to explore what that compact little device can do, then Alexa For Dummies is your go-to resource. This book shows you how to customize your device to respond to your requests and enhance your life.

Alexa For Dummies takes you on a tour of all things its capabilities, tools, settings, and skills. Go beyond the basics of playing music, calling friends, reading the news, and checking the weather. You'll learn how to make Alexa private and secure, connect it to your smart home devices, and even make it sound like Samuel L. Jackson, if you feel like it. You can also extend its capabilities by adding new skills.

Customize your device to respond to your voice Troubleshoot when a light is signaling something's wrong Add skills to play music and audiobooks Create routines to turn on lights, adjust the thermostat, set your security alarm, and lock your doors Sync your smart devices throughout your home Use Alexa to connect to a Zoom meeting or phone call with your friends or family No matter which device you have--Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, Echo Studio, Echo Flex, Echo Loop, Echo Buds, or Echo Frames--Alexa For Dummies is the perfect companion. Ready to get started? Say "Hey, Alexa, order Alexa For Dummies!"

Genres: Nonfiction

297 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 30, 2018

Reviews

[Aprilleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best of the three Alexa/Echo books I've read. It covers setup and other options. It covers troubleshooting and security. It covers the various skills, including extensive information about music (sadly, no option to connect to a home server that doesn't require a subscription fee), and let's not forget the extensive coverage of home automation options. Wow. It's actually a little overwhelming. But the best part, at least from an entertainment point of view, is Chapter 12: Ten (Times Ten) Ridiculously Fun Alexa Tricks. My teen and I had a lot of fun with those. Alexa tells some truly groan-worthy dad jokes. You can even ask her to set the autodestruct.

The biggest reason to skip this book would be its size. The smallest one I looked at could be kept right under the device for easy access, although it doesn't go into anywhere near the detail this one has. It is, however, meant for a quick reference to all that Alexa can do and this one is meant to teach you all those things rather than just remind you that you can. I'd pick up both.

[Geoffrey Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for all Echo Fans

I am pretty tech savvy and thought I knew everything Alexa was capable of, but this book does teach you some things you might never have thought of. It may not all be necessary knowledge, some of it is just for fun, but if you’re like me and like to get everything possible out of your gadgets, then I would highly recommend reading this. It’s a pretty easy read, I knocked it out at a chapter a day over a couple of weeks, and I’ll probably read it again in the near future to make sure I didn’t miss anything!

[John Fraley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little outdated

[Vicki Merkel]

This book gave me the information I needed. As an evolving technology I hope using smart devices becomes easier and therefore easier to explain.

[Migdalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sound reading. Ease to understand.

I don't like the fact they force you to give a written review. It makes it easier to just not give a review at all.