[steveylang]

I think Alexa works as a pretty good, inexpensive home automation system. I never use Alexa as a general assistant or search engine, but I do have some Echos throughout the house that work well for voice controlling my outdoor lights, home stereo, garage door, and thermostat. The Skills system works well for me, and I each time I've added some internet-connected device I look for Alexa compatibility. So in that sense it's a plus for Amazon.

When they supported the Dash Wand, it was a great weatherproof remote control for my outdoor audio. But all of this stuff has not motivated me to otherwise shop more or whatever (which was specifically their main goal with the Dash Wand.) I also remember getting some of those Amazon button things for re-ordering stuff, but they were more trouble than they were worth- I accidentally pushed the button a lot more than I ever intentionally did.