National Network for Equitable Library Service

Everyone, by now, is at least familiar with Apple's digital voice assistant Siri, whether she's narrating an Apple television commercial or answering cheeky questions like, "What is the meaning of life?" and "Siri, are you single?" But how much do you know about other voice assistants: Amazon's Alexa, Microsoft's Cortana, or Google Now? They can let you play music and books, control lights and other devices in your home, and, sometimes, buy items just by calling them out ("Alexa, order more paper towels — quick!" With all these options, you may be wondering: What's all the fuss about? What are talking assistants capable of, and which one or ones are right for you? Maybe you have one or more of these assistants and want to know how to use them more efficiently. If so, you've come to the right place! The book is an overview, giving you an idea what sorts of things you can expect from each assistant. It tells you how to acquire and set up each assistant and, in the case of Amazon's products, the cost.