Amazon Echo Can Now Order You An Uber. And A Pizza.

“Smart” technology is everywhere we look, and not all of it is smart.  That being said, some of these devices are quickly becoming helpful in ways only dreamed about on the Jetsons, etc.  I’ve had my Amazon Echo for a few months now.  Admittedly, I didn’t use it much in the beginning, but that’s slowly changing.

For those unfamiliar, Amazon Echo is a device you plug in anywhere in your home that’s able to listen and respond to your commands as well as play music.  My first few weeks with Alexa (the name of the female who you ask to do things via Echo) were somewhat mundane.  At the time, I said, “It’s Gonna Be Awesome”.  It just wasn’t yet.  But, as they quickly add functionality it’s getting much more useful.

Today they announced that Alexa can now order you an Uber:

Alexa can now call you a car. Whether you’re off to the airport or a big night out, get a reliable ride in minutes. Choose among Uber’s various ride options, from low-cost to premium.

To get started, set your Echo’s location under “Settings” in your Alexa App, then enable the Uber skill and link your Uber account. If you don’t have an account, you’ll be prompted to create one. 

And, a pizza:

Ordering your favorite pizza just became easier, with Echo and the new skill from Domino’s. Just ask Alexa for your saved Easy Order or re-order your most recent order. Plus, you can easily track the status of an order you’ve already placed.

To get started, enable the Domino’s skill using the Alexa App, then link your Domino’s Pizza Profile account. Don’t have a profile? Create your Domino’s Pizza Profile.

Once you create the connections, you can say things like, “Alexa, ask Uber to request a ride.”  Or, “Alexa, ask Uber to request an UberX.”

You can also order a pizza with similar commands, but as a New Yorker born and raised, I can’t really bring myself to order Domino’s.  Just.  Can’t.

The Uber connection might seem like an insignificant one.  Maybe so, but that’s kind of the point.  It’s not terribly hard to pick up my smart phone, open the Uber app and request a ride.  But, it takes time and distracts me from my current task.  I can keep typing and just ask Alexa to do it.  It may only save me a minute, but those minutes add up.

I don’t use Uber from my home too often, but I’m definitely happy to continue to see new features like this.  Now, if Alexa and my friends at Keen Home would hurry up with their connection, my wife could walk into a room and say, “Alexa, this room is too cold.”  Alexa would take care of the rest!

The post Amazon Echo Can Now Order You An Uber.  And A Pizza was published first on Pizza in Motion.