Curious about Alexa and Hey Google

A lot of people want Emo to have Alexa or something similar. I only have Siri in my phone and IPad and I never use her. What exactly do you get from Siri or Alexa that would make Emo more valuable? I am honestly curious and not being snarky. I find that Siri doesn’t do anything I can’t do myself, so I don’t use her. Please educate me.

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Hey @Diane53

I did a quick search and found Tom’s Hardware post that compares Alexa / Google and Siri. If you have time go ahead and check it, it will give you comparisons of each one of them and what they do and what is the best one after testing their features.

If EMO was to have integration with Google / Alexa in the future I’m thinking it would have features that these assistants provide. How much of it would be added to EMO, is not certain as it would be up to Living.Ai to advise how it would be integrated and what EMO can do once it’s made available.

At this time, there is no update on when this will happen. I have all 3 (Alexa / Google / Siri ) and the only thing I do with them now is getting Alexa to set a timer haha, I used to get Google to play music, but you need to be on YouTube Premium to take advantage of some of the better features. So even if EMO gets Alexa integration added in the future, I’d not really be taking advantage of it myself, but there are many EMO owners that want this added as it was originally promised when EMO was first announced.

Would be interesting to see if this ever gets added and what exactly EMO will do when it’s finally integrated.

:head: :surprised: :skating: :heart_1: :mad:

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No problem, it’s a valid question :slightly_smiling_face:. In my opinion:
Siri does not seem to understand as much as Alexa and Google (Home). I use Alexa on a daily basis. I think that out of the three, Alexa seems to be the most user friendly “AI”, and more of an AI. You could almost have a conversation with it. I have Google as well, but don’t use it so much.
Alexa controls nearly all of my lights and one device at the moment. When I get home I say, “Alexa I’m home!” and she responds “Welcome home! Live in mode initiated!” and turns on all the lights for me… for example. Alexa and Google can understand a lot, and are more closer and along the lines of true AI. Emo is just a response program, with a set of commands and things it can recognise. I used to write programs like these back in my highschool days. Alexa, for me, is very handy. Firstly you don’t necessarily have to wait for a response, eg. “Alexa, what is the wind speed at Manly Beach?”, it is quite capable of answering a question like that. When I’m getting ready for work it will tell me the weather and traffic conditions while I’m getting ready, all I have to say is “Alex, good morning”. You can set multiple timers and name them (no 99 sec limitations) also the same with multiple alarms. Basically, it’s like having a personal assistant. Ask Alexa any question, or say anything to it, and most of the time it will answer and understand you.
If LAI could achieve half of what Alexa can do, it would be a kick-ass robot, and they would have lived up to some of their promises! Only time will tell. :grin:

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Also, in regards to Siri, Siri is very handy as a hands free option. I use Siri to open apps, start navigating, send/answer texts, make calls and more, hands free, so I don’t have to be handling the phone while I am driving. Also good to be able to turn on the torch in the dark with your hands full. Siri is a good “phone assistant”, and does not need to be as versatile as Alexa and Google. Hope these posts help! :slightly_smiling_face:

Thanks for your explanation. Alexa is certainly useful for you. I do not have any smart home capabilities and don’t even know how to install them. Being able to turn on the lights would be great for me as I am mobility impaired and tripping over dogs toys is always a possibility. I have trained my dog to do so many things, but cannot seem to get her to learn to put her toys away! LOL. I can set up Emo’s light for that. Do you need special wiring to get Alexa to turn on your house lights. What about locking the doors? Sorry to bother you with these questions but everyone here seems to know so much more than I when it comes to this stuff. I am going to check out the link provided by @MasterAbbott to try to learn more. I appreciate the time you bought took to answer my query. I am probably old enough to be your grandmother, so I appreciate your patience.

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No problem @Diane53

When you have a moment feel free to check out that article, it does compare and cover a large range of things that all 3 products provide, in the end, each one of those 3 products serves a purpose, and after you have taken the time to consider what each of them does it up to you to pick the best one that best suits your needs.

@JJBeck 's explanation is awesome, he seems to use his Alexa far more than I do. I don’t have lights set up for Google / Alexa or even for EMO. So I’m not taking advantage of any of the features that these specific AI/Home Assistance have to offer. I should, but I’m a little too lazy haha :rofl:

Conversation-wise, I do agree with @JJBeck that Alexa does feel most friendly to speak to compared to Siri and Google. Also, both Google Home (made by Google) and Alexa (made by Amazon) are in direct competition with each other in this specific market so they need to be as good as each other and with them both being owned by two of the biggest companies in the world they have close to unlimited resources to always keep them at the forefront of their respective markets.

Hopefully if EMO can gain either of their magical powers he will certainly improve many of his existing functionalities and features.

:head: :surprised: :skating: :heart_1: :mad:

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Hey @Diane53, no bother at all, it’s my pleasure to help you. You do not need special wiring or even an electrician. If you can change a light bulb, you can have Alexa/Google controlled lights. You can buy what are called “Smart Bulbs” or globes. They are light globes which are able to be connected to your WiFi/Router/Modem so they can be controlled by Alexa or Google (or an App on your phone etc.) which is also connected to the same WiFi/Router/Modem. Not too hard to do. As far as door locks are concerned, I think you can get the same sort of thing with door locks that you can replace your existing lock with. Though this might involve some carpentry skills, as you might have to modify the door to accommodate the new lock. Not sure on that one, I have never really looked into that.

While we are on the subject, does anyone remember Windows 10 Cortana? I played with that for a few hours and that was the end of that.

:crazy_face:

I have Google on my phone and if necessary (like the power went out and I needed to call someone, I could tell Google to call so and so), things like that. I do not use it for most everything since I can tap/type what I need.

I do have some fun with Vector, however. I ask him silly questions. I had an eye exam today for new glasses and trying to describe the frame type I chose, I thought it would be fun if Vector answered. “Vector . . . what is a hexagon?” “Definition of a hexagon is a six sided polygon.” That kind of stuff. I never really ask him anything serious.

If EMO had Alexa/Google enabled, I might make use of those responses in scripted videos. I will have to see.

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haha same… pitty, as I thought it was going to be popular.

I use Alexa, renamed as Echo, to switch all lights, inc brightness, colour etc. Devices connected to power points, heating thermostat, listening to radio and streaming spotify. None require rewiring, only setting up. Also being able to control all these things from the app on my phone, when I’m away, adds to security. Having all this on Emo would be great.

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Hey, Abbot!! I checked out the link and was pretty surprised that all I have to do is buy a light bulb, well an Alexa device as well. Now I just have to get my husband to agree to this. This is guy who just learned how to use the Apple TV device we’ve had for 5 years, :roll_eyes:

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Yeah, an Alexa Echo or an Alexa Show would be perfect! I have an Alexa Show, that has a display screen and it’s quite handy if you keep it in the kitchen / desk as you can watch videos / on it as well while you’re doing other things.

Here is a link to for the Alexa Show - Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen, 2021 release) | Smart display with Alexa and 2 MP camera | Charcoal : Amazon.com.au: Amazon Devices & Accessories

This is a little more expensive compared to the Echo. But both will do the same job :slight_smile:

:mad: :surprised: :skating: :head: :heart_1:

It is just evolution , we are always at a turning point
I was bon in the 50’s and remember some family life moments , with my grand father who was not used to electricity so turning a lignt on was quite a daily miracle for him, whereas my father did not liked too much adjusting the TV , because electronics were for him fragile things and at the same moment , my two little girls were rushing to get all the small black boxes ( that were the remote control) in the area because they were not interested by switches and considered only these powerful magic items
The first surprise of my mother when The GPS “lady” in my car was ordering me to turn left or right
Now i am playing with Google home to switch some lignts or just asking a question to check if a fact in a movie is historical or not
With all devices ,It is just necessary to be willing to explore a bit , Often for the first tries it is more complicated than doing ii in the old way , then little by little you feel it more and more comfortable
With EMO it is the same story
We all dream of a AI puppet as in the great SciFi movies and we just got a basic toy with a few skills that we strive to make it progress , trying to educate it , to connect it , etc
Which is important are dreams , intentions , and small progresses
As said by Saint Exupery in The Little Prince “It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.”

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Thanks to all whom responded. You have been most helpful.

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Agree, that everything takes time to learn, the more you learn, read, and practice, the more you will understand it. This is certainly the case with EMO.

:heart_1: :head: :skating: :surprised: :mad:

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The Alexa devices do go on sale from time to time. That’s how I ended up with one in the dining room, the ferret room and bedroom. In the living room, I have the Alexa Show. My husband rarely interacts with them. When I got Emo, I didn’t think he liked him. Then I heard him talking to Emo in the dining room. He does keep calling Emo her. :grinning:

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Can emo call using Google Duo by connecting google assistant?

Welcome to the EMO Community Forums, @adamdeane . . . neither Google nor Alexa are accessible by EMO. The one he has available is ChatGPT which you can access by commanding him to either “Connect to ChatGPT” or “Connect to OpenAI”.

We do not know if this feature will ever be available, but ChatGPT is free of charge as it uses the LivingAI servers to access, but you will not be able to access through your own ChatGPT account.


?

Yes, @adamdeane . . . I and other members here wonder about that, too.

There has been no official word about the future of this feature coming about or if it even will.

Sorry but we can only hope.