The assistant we didn’t ask for, but can’t live without

“Weird.” “Curious.” “Baffling.” “Quite Stupid.” These words all once described Alexa, the voice-activated digital assistant on Amazon’s Echo device. But Amazon says the Echo Dot, a smaller, less expensive version of the Echo, was its “top-selling device” during the holiday season.

In 2014, it was odd to even consider owning an Echo — and impossible to buy without an invitation from Amazon. Today, you can pick from five Echo models. Or, you can try Google’s version: the Google Home, Google Home Mini or Google Home Max. Apple has also released a digital assistant device, the HomePod, which is fully capable with Siri. You can have your pick of digital assistants — each with varying capabilities of improving your life.

Alexa now has more than 15,000 skills, meaning any Echo device can go beyond describing the weather or playing music. The Google Assistant, first released in 2016, is catching up.

So why buy one now? First, they’re relatively inexpensive and far easier to use and understand than they were when first released. Think back to MP3 players or early smartphones: people learned a lot about using the products and became so adjusted to them that they didn’t know how to go back. Second, the future is paved with smart home devices, and voice-activated assistants to control them are becoming ubiquitous. The Echo and Google Home are no longer “test products” — the companies behind them want them to last.

Disponı́vel em: <www.nytimes.com>. Acesso em: 10 mar. 2018

Com base no texto, afirma-se que

I. existem vários modelos de assistentes digitais ativados por voz no mercado.

II. Alexa ainda é bastante limitada, mas descreve o tempo e toca músicas.,

III. Google, Apple e Amazon desenvolveram assistentes digitais em parceria.

IV. há justificativas para a compra de um Echo Dot ou de um Google Home.

V. alguns dos assistentes digitais mencionados ainda se encontram em fase de testes.

Assinale a alternativa que apresenta apenas afirmativas corretas.