The Echo Show 5 was half price on Amazon Black Friday the other day, so I bought it and finally came to my house with a smart speaker. I will tell you the impression of using it for about a month.
What is Echo Show 5?
It is equipped with Amazon's AI Alexa and is a 5.5-inch speaker with a display. The 5.5-inch display is one size larger than the screen of a smartphone.
What was convenient and difficult to use with the Echo Show 5
Shopping list egistration
Ah, I often forgot that I wouldn't buy it, and even if I tried to make a shopping list just before going shopping, I couldn't remember. However, when I came up with the Echo Show 5, I could say "Alexa, add XX to my shopping list", so I didn't miss it.
Furthermore, if you put the Amazon Alexa app on your smartphone, you can see the shopping list registered at Echo Show 5 on your smartphone as it is, so you do not need to create a separate list.
Difficulty using the shopping list function
One thing that is difficult to use is that you have to tell Alexa one by one what you want to register. For example, if you want to add carrots and potatoes, you have to say "Add Alexa, carrots" and "Add Alexa, potatoes". If you say "Alexa, add carrots and potatoes", it will be registered under the name "carrots and potatoes".
The Amazon Alexa app has a function to check what you bought, but if multiple items such as "carrots and potatoes" are registered together, this function will not be able to be used very effectively.
Playing Amazon Music
I'm registered with Amazon Prime, so I can listen to music on Amazon Music, but this feature is more than I imagined. For example, if you don't have a song you want to hear, but you want to play a song that is popular, you can say "Alexa, play trendy POPS" and Alexa will look for a trendy POPS playlist. Will call you. If you're watching TV and remember a nostalgic artist and suddenly want to hear it, say "Alexa, play the song of XX" and that artist's song will be played randomly.
It's especially useful because you can keep up with the trendy music that you missed, probably because of your age, just by playing the trendy POPS.
Amazon Musicのの使いにくい点
Amazon Music has a paid optional service called Amazon Music Unlimited that allows you to listen to more songs, but often you can't listen to the songs you want to listen to without them.
However, in such a case, YouTube introduced below is useful.
YouTube playback
The Echo Show 5 has a display so you can watch YouTube videos. If you are not subscribed to Amazon Music Unlimited and cannot listen to the song you want to listen to, you can search for it on YouTube and listen to it by saying "Alexa, search for XX on Youtube".
Difficulty in using YouTube playback
YouTube is a service provided by Google, not Amazon's service, so it may be unavoidable, but it seems that YouTube videos can not be played only by voice. If you say "Alexa, search for XX on Youtube", the search results will be displayed, but you had to touch the screen to play the video you want to watch from there.
Also, if you give another instruction while YouTube is open, you will often search for the word in YouTube. So if you want to do something else, you have to say "Alexa, stop YouTube."
Alarm Function
It's simple, but the alarm function is very useful. If you say "Alexa, measure 5 minutes", it will set an alarm. The reason why it can be used is that most of the times when an alarm is needed are when your hands are wet, your hands are blocked, or you are using fire. It is very helpful to be able to set an alarm with just your voice at such times.
Furthermore, if you ask "Alexa, how many minutes are left?", It will tell you the remaining time.
News function
Speaking of "Alexa, over the news", NHK's latest news will be broadcast. I use it a lot because I can see the news at the timing of meals and at any time during work. It may not be necessary for people who have a fixed life rhythm and a certain amount of time to watch TV, but I think it is a useful function for people who do not have a fixed time to watch TV.
Announcement function
This is a function that uses the Alexa app on your smartphone, but you can let Alexa speak any character with the function of contact → announce. What I use it for is that when I get home from work, I'll tell you that I'm going home now. I used to tell you on LINE, but when I got home, I usually did housework, and my wife didn't look at my smartphone very much.
If you use this announcement function, Alexa will notify you by voice, so you can tell that you are going home even if you are doing household chores.
Also, the other day, I used this function to convey a surprise message from Santa and the location of the gifts to the children. The reaction was not good, but …
Things you should be careful about how to use
This may be a pros and cons, but I have kids 3 and 2 years old and they love YouTube and Amazon Prime Video. Since they can't operate the computer or smartphone yet, I was able to adjust what I wouldn't show at my discretion, but they instantly understood how to use the Echo Show 5 which can be operated by voice.
Already they are trying to watch the video they want to see by saying "Alexia, Thomas". Fortunately, it's still unlikely that Alexa will hear you, but I think it's only a matter of time.
Summary
Perhaps I haven't mastered the functions yet, but I think that COSPA is a very good product, judging from the functions currently used. It's a performance that can be paid for even at a fixed price, but it is recommended because you can buy it at half price on Amazon Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
If you find a function that is unexpectedly useful, we will introduce it.
