Katie covered all things how-to at CNET, with a focus on Social Security and notable events. When she's not writing, she enjoys playing in golf scrambles, practicing yoga and spending time on the lake ...

Using the Alexa Timer is so easy, it’s the first skill many Echo smart speaker owners try out. Just say, “Alexa, set a timer for 12 minutes,” to start a countdown. When we bought our first Echo Dot ...

In September, Amazon took the wraps off the Echo Wall Clock, a seemingly basic analog clock with the ability to pair with an Echo device. In addition to its traditional appearance, the Echo Wall Clock ...

Do you need help juggling the many events, appointments, and other items in your life? Alexa is at your service. With your Echo device, you can set up reminders so Alexa will notify you when a task or ...

Rich was the editorial lead for CNET's Home and Wellness sections, based in Louisville, Kentucky. Before moving to Louisville in 2013, Rich ran CNET's desktop computer review section for 10 years in ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. We had mixed feelings about the Echo Wall Clock when Amazon first announced it. After trying it for ourselves, however, we’re ...

...and it will start that timer. (Google Home works the same way, but my own kitchen is an Alexa shop.) “Alexa, set a turkey timer for four hours,” you can say. “Alexa, set a potatoes timer for 20 ...

Amazon’s Alexa, the artificially intelligent voice assistant with thousands of apps and skills, cannot do everything. It is not particularly good at understanding natural language — that is to say, ...