With the Amazon Echo smart home speaker, you can take Thanksgiving to the next level. Whether you’re hosting and own an Amazon Echo or you’re heading to the home of a family member that owns one, here are a few ways that you can use your Amazon Echo to entertain yourself and your family during the Thanksgiving holiday:
Check the Score.
Football is a big part of Thanksgiving, but it isn’t always convenient to watch the game live. If you just have to know the score, you can check in with Alexa (the Amazon Echo smart home assistant) to see if your team is winning or losing. If you missed the whole game, you can simply ask for an update on who won the game. If you’re using your own Echo and have a Sports Update assigned to your favorite teams, you can just ask Alexa to give you the latest update. You could also use your Echo to listen to ESPN Radio from skills like TuneIn.
Video Chat with Absentees.
No matter how much you love your family, sometimes you can’t make it to every holiday event. If you and your family both own Amazon Echo devices, you can call or video chat with each other so you don’t miss each other too much. This hands-free calling feature is great for when you have a house full of people that all want to get in on the conversation. Just set your Echo up in a common area in the home and let people chat for as long as they want – at no additional cost.
Play Games.
From classic games like Jeopardy and Twenty Questions to fun and silly entertainment like flipping a coin or telling a joke, the Amazon Echo is ready to host a Thanksgiving game night. Don’t have a wishbone? Have Alexa flip a coin to see who gets to have their wish come true! Busted out an actual board game and realized you are missing the dice? Ask Alexa to roll a die for you!
Order a Way Out.
If you need to escape for a while after dinner but your car is blocked in, you can use your Echo to order an Uber. Before you head out, you can also check the weather and the traffic to help you decide if you really want to leave the warm comfort of the house.
Fact-Check Anyone.
Whether you have a drunk uncle that insists he is always right, or you have a cousin that you just can’t agree with, you can ask Alexa to settle any disagreement once and for all. From animals to geography to history, your smart home assistant packs a punch when it comes to knowledge. Just be prepared for your losing family members to start talking about how “stupid” smart home technology is. Sore losers!
Save the Day.
If Thanksgiving goes awry and the food is taking too long or went horribly wrong, you can use the Echo to order some backup food: pizza.