Simon Jenkins, global social media director, Socialyse – part of the Havas Group, on his first week with the Amazon Echo

My name is Simon Jenkins and I’m a geek.

The thought of new and emerging tech really excites me. I’d argue that we are living in one of the most exciting times in terms of advances in technology. Admittedly, I lived through the pivotal transition years of cassette to CD to mini-disk to iPod, but what we’re seeing now is something truly special.

Why are we seeing such frequent and colossal shifts in tech?

There are two reasons: Firstly, the increase in competition seems to be sparking somewhat of an innovation race. The likes of Amazon, Tesla, Facebook, DJI, Apple, Samsung have dedicated teams – with immense budgets and resource – to create this new technology. Their brief? It’s simple. Change the way we live.

The second reason is demand. We, as consumers, are craving this technology. Traditionally, humans resent change, but if the ‘disruption’ in question can change our lives for the better, collectively, we’re far more accepting. The releases have a greater sense of grandeur. Think back to the 90s; when Sony released the mini-disk player (RIP), there were no secret invitations to the world’s media telling them to meet in a trendy San Francisco auditorium where blaring house music and moody lighting awaited the world’s most prolific ‘nerds’. These days the hype and theatre of a product release leave the consumer’s mouths watering, as brands are live streaming the history-defining moments to the world.

The term ‘early adopter’ formally referred to a very niche group of consumers. It’s now become more of a blanket term for consumers willing to accept the innovation happening around them.

Which brings me on to my next point…

Recently, I got the Amazon Echo Dot, 2^nd Generation. This is the younger, shorter sister of the Amazon Echo released in 2014 to Prime members. I was hesitant for Alexa to move in with me, but thought I’d give her a week to prove her worth. Technology is subjective. Some people buy tech gadgets because of a sheer need to be on-trend. I buy technology that presents an opportunity to change my life for the better. After seven days, Alexa has ticked this box.

The voice-controlled personal assistant (or Smart Speaker) sits on a shelf in my living room. Once you get her attention by saying her name, you can chat away. There are countless online videos giving tips on what to ask her, but I purposefully ignored these, and, just like a human relationship, I decided to base our future on our initial rapport.

The speaker on the Dot is good, but not great. So, the first thing I asked her to do was to connect to my home sound system; a task she completed seamlessly. Good start.

“Alexa, play me some Funk & Soul through Spotify”

{Pause}

Ooh baby, Here I am. Signed, sealed delivered I’m yours…

The sheer irony.

I must admit, for the first day or two, Alexa’s primary use was to control my music. She did it impeccably! I was in my kitchen making a salad (and by that I mean pizza and chips) and I could activate Alexa asking her to pause, increase the volume, change the track or even ask her to give me some information on the artist without lifting a finger.

Another great use I’ve had from Alexa is asking her to add things to my shopping or to-do list. It sounds like a small thing, but it really is incredible. Just before I head to the shop, I can ask her to read my shopping list compiled over the week.

Contrary to the proverb, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, you can teach Alexa new ‘skills’. Using the App (or desktop site as I’m currently using due to availability in the UAE) you can add skills to Alexa made by developers. So far, I’ve added a workout skill (“Alexa, start my fifteen minute workout”) and the bedtime story skill, which is admittedly pretty embarrassing for a 28-year-old child-less male.

The most exciting thing about Alexa

is her increasing ability to get along with your existing tech. You can’t underestimate the importance of her capability of integrating with smart home tech such as lighting or stereo systems produced by other brands. As 360i’s senior vice-president of brand strategy, Brad Alperin, summarized after January’s CES in Las Vegas, “It’s important for marketers to understand that as consumers get more accustomed to different elements of their technology working together, they will have less patience for brands that don’t become part of a larger experience. How can we find ways to connect our brands to more aspects of their lives or even to other products? Are we making sure that all of our consumer touch points are in sync”?

There is, of course, a gimmicky side to Alexa. You can ask her to sing you Happy Birthday – a feature that I’ve used for seven consecutive days – ask her to tell you a joke. (If you’re wondering, they’ve been hit and miss).

Time will of course tell if Alexa and I continue our promising relationship. I do have the tendency to embrace tech initially and gradually lose interest. Some features are not yet available in this market, so there seems to be more to look forward to. Revisiting my earlier point on technology’s success being judged on its ability to integrate effortlessly into your life and provide positive change, Alexa has genuinely impressed. The biggest threat to Alexa comes from her distant cousins, Google Home and Facebook’s personal assistant currently being assembled in Zuckerberg’s garage.

But, until then, “Alexa, order me a pizza”.