This is a bit of a blow, not least for those that have been laid off. Having returned to blighty in the summer, I set about buying just enough smart bits so that I knew enough to plan things properly in the future... For example :

• Lights: Should they be controlled via smart bulbs, a smart mains plug adapter or a smart light switch?
• What about smart light switches and actual wall sockets rather than plug in adaptors?
• Multiway extensions: can you control each socket or only the whole thing?

This has been a success which I have enjoyed... Some highlights:

The AV system hangs off of a smart multiway adaptor, but the subwoofer is on the other side of the lounge, they are now controlled as a single group

Since we're effectively back in the 1970s and electric blankets are now back in vogue, It is really great being able to turn it on from downstairs 15mins before bed

I particularly like the hierarchy of groups (for example rooms). This allows single commands to do a lot of things... for example "GoodNight" turns off all unnecessary things with a single command... monitors, lights, AV system etc

All of this was hanging off of a single ancient echo dot (gen 2 I think).... I was waiting for black Friday or similar to buy a new echo. A 5th gen (with a clock) arrived at the weekend. I am frankly amazed at the sound quality from something under £30!! 

I rather like Alexa control of music when I am doing other things such as cooking. It's a shame that unlike spotify, there is no easy/cheap/acceptable way to plumb Alexa controlled Amazon music into the actual HiFi.

I also took advantage of black Friday to get an Alexa Auto. I will experiment with this in the car and ancient camper van


The 5th gen echo, is able to be a node in an Amazon Wifi router mesh set up (something which might become relevant in the future). It also has temperature and ultrasonic motion detectors 

One of the unexpected/hidden benefits is being able to build quite a sophisticated "security" system for little additional effort or cost. Rather than a simple timer controlled light or PIR controlled light on the drive way, you can control lights based upon sunset (+/- a desired offset) and you could program light sequences which simulate virtual occupants moving around the house. I like the idea of using a PIR sensor on the driveway to trigger a light in an unused bedroom... to simulate the occupants being awoken.

All in all this has been a blast!
  

It seems to be going the way of 3D TVs, another technology failure (but at least voice assistance has a good reason to exist).

Don't get me wrong, I'm reporting it but I'm not against voice assistance at all. I can see all the benefits.

Perhaps Amazon will just scale it back but not abandon it?

I am surprised how Alexa made itself useful. About 5-6 years ago I was back in the UK and a non-techy friend had an early "speaker" echo in her kitchen which she shouted at to play music. I thought this was fun, but didn't see the point/need. However, I was sufficiently curious to invest £10 in the most basic model during prime day. This echo dot was in daily use until last weekend when it was upgraded. I really expected to play with it and then for it to gather dust. I had never been one for shopping lists, I make up for this omission by generally having a spare of everything and exhaustively walking up and down every aisle in the supermarket. I really could not see that the echo had anything to offer over a pen and paper and/or more or less any app on a phone. However, I started using the Alexa shopping list, you shout at Alexa and it ends up in the app on any phone or tablet. What I had not considered, that for me, 90% of the time, I first notice that something is running low when I am either cooking, cleaning or in the shower. In all three scenarios, I am not in the position to write or type without stopping, which of course never happens. My shopping habits changed, I soon found that for the first time, my shopping trips were accurate enough to remove the safety blanket of having at least one spare of everything. The amount of stuff in the kitchen cupboards literally halved in a few weeks with few disasters and/or panic last minute shopping trips. I am still 100% convinced that *in theory* Alexa offers little that cannot already be done several other ways. BUT, this is not the whole picture. As Slinger says, the hands free aspect is not to be ignored.

My work here is done!