What’s the point of a personal assistant, if it can’t give you helpful reminders when you need to do stuff? Somehow, Amazon’s Alexa has managed to get by for the last two years, without prompting us when the time approaches to pick up the dry cleaning or attend a meeting.
Amazon is finally fixing the omission with new Reminders and Named Timers features rolling out today.
Related: 13 of the best Alexa skills
Users can also ask to choose be reminded on a particular date or day of the week, rather than on the day they’re setting the reminder.
Also, Alexa users can set multiple named timers, which could be handy in the kitchen. So, you could ask Alexa to “set a roast beef timer for 90 minutes” and have it running concurrently with one for the potatoes and carrots.
The timers can be cancelled at any time, while a list of timers and reminders currently active can be viewed within the Alexa app.
Named Timers and Reminders are trolling out to Alexa enabled devices today, and in the UK within the next few weeks.
Earlier this week, Amazon also announced support for iCloud Calendars, as it gears up for potential Apple incursion into the space it has pioneered for the last two years.
Will Apple’s impending entry into the market a game changer? Drop us a line with your thoughts below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.