{"slug": "alexa", "name": "Alexa", "category": "ai", "category_name": "AI models and assistants", "description": "", "recommenders": 2, "commenters": 7, "warners": 3, "score": -0.125, "rising": 2.0, "first": "2025-12-25", "latest": "2026-09-25", "why": "largely buy from its suggestions now because of how good a job it does", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 2, "neutral": 2, "compare": 0, "warn": 3}, "spark": [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 2, 0], "listed": false, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "largely buy from its suggestions now because of how good a job it does", "icon": false, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Alexa"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 797456576, "item_id": 49841036, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49841036", "by": "satvikpendem", "date": "2026-09-25", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "largely buy from its suggestions now because of how good a job it does", "excerpt": "Amazon already has an AI search tool via Alexa in its app, which I use to filter out products and largely buy from its suggestions now because of how good a job it does, making sure to also filter out its sponsored suggestions myself.", "context": "", "use_case": "Amazon product search", "switched_from": "", "story": "'That's so AI ' What gen Alpha's biggest insult tells us"}, {"id": 797295904, "item_id": 49830994, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49830994", "by": "stackskipton", "date": "2026-09-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "We use our Alexa for this", "excerpt": "I mean, there are plenty of voice assistants these days. We use our Alexa for this but both Siri and Gemini could easily do it. Whenever we run low on something, \"Alexa, add milk to our shopping list\" and then can look at application at grocery store.", "context": "", "use_case": "voice shopping list", "switched_from": "", "story": "Owners mourn spoiled food after firmware update bricks Samsung smart fridges"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 779926752, "item_id": 48745422, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48745422", "by": "prepend", "date": "2026-07-01", "stance": "warn", "quote": "one day hope to replace my alexas and whatnot so I can turn on my lights without hearing an ad for amazon prime", "excerpt": "It\u2019s funny that it comes with a 30 day warranty. I love that this is out and one day hope to replace my alexas and whatnot so I can turn on my lights without hearing an ad for amazon prime.", "context": "", "use_case": "smart home voice control", "switched_from": "", "story": "Pine64 launch $50 smart speaker for Home Assistant tinkerers"}, {"id": 767643828, "item_id": 47977739, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47977739", "by": "nerdsniper", "date": "2026-05-01", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Alexa / Google Home suck", "excerpt": "On just the transcription side: WhisprFlow produces much better speech-to-text for long text messaging-by-voice (dictation / transcription) than apple's speech-to-text does. Whisper models in general seem to do a lot better than most built-into-OS/app models. Which is interesting, because there's nothing stopping them from just using Whisper models. I love MacWhisper personally. Also, Gumroad is a fantastic app distr", "context": "", "use_case": "voice assistant", "switched_from": "", "story": "Apple accidentally left Claude.md files Apple Support app"}, {"id": 742217792, "item_id": 46388612, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46388612", "by": "currency", "date": "2025-12-25", "stance": "warn", "quote": "except my Echos drop off the network and have to be manually restarted by unplugging them.", "excerpt": "Alexa. I use Alexa constantly, except my Echos drop off the network and have to be manually restarted by unplugging them. And I curse every time one of them starts up with, \"by the way....\" I have several smart power strips that stopped responding; I have had better luck with individual smart outlets. Digital audio players with Wi-Fi radios that support AirPlay. I've purchased three, two from Hiby and one from FiiO. ", "context": "", "use_case": "smart home assistant", "switched_from": "", "story": "What tech purchase did you regret even though reviews were great?"}]}], "who": [], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["amazon product search", "voice shopping list", "voice reordering of items", "smart home voice control", "voice music and lights control", "voice assistant"], "compared": [{"slug": "home-assistant", "name": "Home Assistant", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 1}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49829650", "title": "'That's so AI ' What gen Alpha's biggest insult tells us", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49829960", "title": "Owners mourn spoiled food after firmware update bricks Samsung smart fridges", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49554643", "title": "GPT-6 Astra", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48744446", "title": "Pine64 launch $50 smart speaker for Home Assistant tinkerers", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48168626", "title": "AI is a technology not a product", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47973378", "title": "Apple accidentally left Claude.md files Apple Support app", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {"warn": 1}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {"warn": 1, "neutral": 1}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {"warn": 1}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {"neutral": 1, "recommend": 2}, "2026-10": {}}, "quotes": [{"id": 797456576, "item_id": 49841036, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49841036", "by": "satvikpendem", "date": "2026-09-25", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "largely buy from its suggestions now because of how good a job it does", "excerpt": "Amazon already has an AI search tool via Alexa in its app, which I use to filter out products and largely buy from its suggestions now because of how good a job it does, making sure to also filter out its sponsored suggestions myself.", "context": "", "use_case": "Amazon product search", "switched_from": "", "story": "'That's so AI ' What gen Alpha's biggest insult tells us"}, {"id": 797295904, "item_id": 49830994, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49830994", "by": "stackskipton", "date": "2026-09-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "We use our Alexa for this", "excerpt": "I mean, there are plenty of voice assistants these days. We use our Alexa for this but both Siri and Gemini could easily do it. Whenever we run low on something, \"Alexa, add milk to our shopping list\" and then can look at application at grocery store.", "context": "", "use_case": "voice shopping list", "switched_from": "", "story": "Owners mourn spoiled food after firmware update bricks Samsung smart fridges"}, {"id": 792950528, "item_id": 49559408, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49559408", "by": "noelsusman", "date": "2026-09-04", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Alexa having access to my Amazon order history means I can just say \"order a new water filter for my fridge\"", "excerpt": "The overwhelming majority of things I buy are things I've bought before. Alexa having access to my Amazon order history means I can just say \"order a new water filter for my fridge\" and the correct item shows up the next day. Far from life changing, but it's a feature I use somewhat frequently these days. Similarly, I would trust an AI to put in my usual Chipotle order or pizza from my local pizza joint. I wouldn't w", "context": "", "use_case": "voice reordering of items", "switched_from": "", "story": "GPT-6 Astra"}, {"id": 779926752, "item_id": 48745422, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48745422", "by": "prepend", "date": "2026-07-01", "stance": "warn", "quote": "one day hope to replace my alexas and whatnot so I can turn on my lights without hearing an ad for amazon prime", "excerpt": "It\u2019s funny that it comes with a 30 day warranty. I love that this is out and one day hope to replace my alexas and whatnot so I can turn on my lights without hearing an ad for amazon prime.", "context": "", "use_case": "smart home voice control", "switched_from": "", "story": "Pine64 launch $50 smart speaker for Home Assistant tinkerers"}, {"id": 770812240, "item_id": 48175765, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48175765", "by": "ozim", "date": "2026-05-17", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I already have Alexa and Hue lights. Only thing I use voice is \u201eplay music/stop music\u201d.", "excerpt": "+By the end of this decade, it\u2019s unlikely that people will swipe on their phones to tap on Uber or Lyft* Oh that\u2019s silly thinking. I already have Alexa and Hue lights. Only thing I use voice is \u201eplay music/stop music\u201d. Turning off all lights or on all lights sometimes. Turning on specific lights app. If I spend time to name lights specific names that are quick to pronounce maybe I would use it more. Silly part is ima", "context": "", "use_case": "voice music and lights control", "switched_from": "", "story": "AI is a technology not a product"}, {"id": 767643828, "item_id": 47977739, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47977739", "by": "nerdsniper", "date": "2026-05-01", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Alexa / Google Home suck", "excerpt": "On just the transcription side: WhisprFlow produces much better speech-to-text for long text messaging-by-voice (dictation / transcription) than apple's speech-to-text does. Whisper models in general seem to do a lot better than most built-into-OS/app models. Which is interesting, because there's nothing stopping them from just using Whisper models. I love MacWhisper personally. Also, Gumroad is a fantastic app distr", "context": "", "use_case": "voice assistant", "switched_from": "", "story": "Apple accidentally left Claude.md files Apple Support app"}, {"id": 742217792, "item_id": 46388612, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46388612", "by": "currency", "date": "2025-12-25", "stance": "warn", "quote": "except my Echos drop off the network and have to be manually restarted by unplugging them.", "excerpt": "Alexa. I use Alexa constantly, except my Echos drop off the network and have to be manually restarted by unplugging them. And I curse every time one of them starts up with, \"by the way....\" I have several smart power strips that stopped responding; I have had better luck with individual smart outlets. Digital audio players with Wi-Fi radios that support AirPlay. I've purchased three, two from Hiby and one from FiiO. ", "context": "", "use_case": "smart home assistant", "switched_from": "", "story": "What tech purchase did you regret even though reviews were great?"}]}