Alexa by @currentspaces on UnSplash
Controlling Philips Hue bulbs together with Alexa and its Echo speaker is about to get better. As Amazon announced, a new smart home feature will be rolled out in the coming months that will make Alexa a bit better.
For example, you’ll soon be able to ask Alexa to turn connected smart home devices on or off at a certain time or after a certain duration, up to 24 hours in the future. For example, you can say “Alexa, turn off the lights in 10 minutes” or “Alexa, turn on the coffee maker at 7.”
This could be very cool in many different situations. Just as an example, think about this command: “Alexa, turn off the light in the children’s room in 20 minutes”. The options are actually endless what else can you think of for lighting?
Improved Echo Dots with new sensors
In addition to the new Smart Home feature, Amazon has also introduced new Echo Dot models. Both the normal Echo Dot and the Echo Dot with the clock now have improved audio quality. They are also equipped with a new temperature sensor that will be able to be used in Alexa routines. One example: if the temperature rises above a previously defined value, you can make a Hue lamp light up red. Of course, there are many other options here as well.
The matrix display of the Echo Dot with the clock is also improved, which can now not only display the time or timer but also song titles, artist names, the weather or a mathematical equation, for example. In addition, the new generation Echo Dots have a motion sensor that can detect a finger tap on the device.
The new Echo Dots can be pre-ordered now and will be delivered in October.
