Christopher
You are right, of course; folks can use whatever tools they want.
Having said that, being on a couple of Echo Lists,
I see a repeated complaint when the Echo cannot deliver something as
complete as available elsewhere or when one is directed for a more
complete explanation to a website as with broadcast schedules.
So, for some, the Echo becomes a crutch of sorts; and when that happens,
people are selling themselves short.
One of my mantras is that, with anything, figure out what something can do
and not do for you; and don't try to force that thing to be what it isn't.
The Echo works best when it complements other tools; and it cannot replace
everything.
Harry has posted a wonderful listing of many of the things an Echo can do;
Amazon should use it in their advertising and promotion <smile>!!
Having said that, The Echo cannot do everything; and one of its downsides
is that it cannot provide a review function of what has been said.
If you missed it, or need a repeat for jotting down the info, you are at a
loss without making the request a 2nd time.
I like the Echo for certain things, but not everything.. And that was my
main point and that it's not a replacement for everything as Steve's wife
has indicated to her hubby <grin>!!
On Tue, 29 Nov 2022, Christopher Chaltain wrote:
> I guess I'm not seeing the problem here. If someone wants to use a smart speaker for everything it can do then they have that option. Sure, if you have a PC and you have experience with a screen reader and browser and have installed some extra scripts for your screen reader then somethings will be more efficient using your PC than your smart speaker, but that doesn't mean everyone should use a PC or is missing out of something if they aren't. Obviously, there are plenty of things you should use a PC or a smart phone for, and people should be aware of their options and should be able to use a PC for those tasks, but I don't think people are necessarily getting too dependent on their smart speakers.
>
> --
> Christopher (AKA CJ) =>÷
> Chaltain at Outlook, USA
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Mike Pietruk
> Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2022 7:11 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [VICUG-L] Alexa?
>
> David
>
> Thanks for posting this. After seeing it on your list, I was just about to post a link here for this as it seems to give a nice synopsis of the state of the smart speaker industry.
>
> There has been something which has been troubling me as related to devices such as the Echo and its role in the lives of many blind users.
> I love its convenience and use my stable of Echo devices in many of the ways described in this thread; in fact, I can thank the Echo for getting me into the world of Sirius-xm which I otherwise would have never have gotten hooked on.
>
> It's one thing to use Echo devices when it allows one to do things better and more efficiently.
> But I also sense some have gotten so dependent on their devices that they have abandoned their use of the web.
>
> Everything has a place; but, in no way, can an Alexa replace a JAWS, NVDA, whatever.
> Moreover, screen readers such as JAWS has become easier to use thanks to something that you and I use daily, namely Brian Hartgen's Leasey script package which is about to go into version 8.
>
> One of the things I have tried in using Alexa is discovering what it can and cannot do better for me.
> It's simple to ask her for a score or 2 (sometimes it takes her several attempt to get it right, btw) but if I want to see a whole of scores at the same time, going to pages, whose links I have saved, makes a whole lot more sense.
> Alexa is nice for a cursory look at the weather; but a complete forecast is far better gotten on the web.
>
> Force fitting a smart speaker to do everything in one's life hardly makes sense in my view.
>
> BTW, every JAWS user owes themselves to take a look at Leasey even if they are a skilled user.
> I'm saying it; and I know you have said it also in other places and situations.
>
>
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