5 ways to customise your smart speaker with DiscovR’s Quick Corners

DiscovR, our first ever smart speaker, offers an intuitive design that combines cutting-edge voice technology and connectivity with a host of unique features.

One of those special features is Quick Corners. We know the importance of convenience, so when speaking to Alexa isn’t practical, you can pre-set up to four commands and quickly launch them with a simple tap.

It’s easy to set up a Quick Corner. Simply press and hold a Quick Corner button, say your command to Alexa while the light ring spins and then let go to store the command. Any time you want to activate the saved command, just tap the corner and Alexa will do the rest.

Once you get in the swing of things, you’ll quickly learn just how handy the tactile feature can be. To make the most of it, here are five hugely useful ways of personalising your smart speaker experience with DiscovR’s Quick Corners!

1. Save your favourite radio station or playlist

Sometimes simplicity is key. Much like the preset functionality on many of our digital radios, why not store your favourite radio station to a Quick Corner? Save yourself the repetitiveness of asking Alexa for the same station every time you wake up or get home from work. Instead, just tap and let the virtual assistant play your pick from a choice of thousands of internet radio stations.

The same goes with your favourite playlist from a host of streaming services. Want to relax to your Sunday Chillout playlist or get the party started with your Evening with Friends tunes? Just tap away. It’s also perfect for gatherings and parties, where you won’t need to interrupt the flow of conversation by speaking out loud to Alexa.

2. Upgrade your morning routine

If you’re anything like us, mornings can be a real challenge – no matter how much coffee is consumed! So, make life easier for yourself and use Quick Corners to save a routine that will kick-start your day in the best way possible.

Just use the Alexa app to create an Alexa Routine and save it down to a corner. What goes into your routine is up to you. It could be a traffic update for your commute to work, the day’s weather, your unread emails and even a news update for your favourite sports team. The choice is yours!

3. Get yourself organised

Alexa is a great tool when it comes to keeping on top of your busy life. While the voice assistant has its own to-do list functionality, you can also integrate popular skills from organiser apps like Todoist.

Then simply use Quick Corners for a quick reminder of your daily tasks or to add something else to your list – from filing paperwork, to taking the kids to dance lessons, to mowing the lawn. However hectic your life is, Alexa and Quick Corners will help make it that bit more manageable.  

4. Control your smart home

These days, you’ll be hard pressed to find a household appliance that isn’t available in smart form. TVs, lighting, fridges, heating, doorbells and washing machines are just a few of the staples that can now be controlled via Alexa. To really make the most of the smart home revolution, our advice is to create Alexa Routines for your day-to-day home needs and add them to your speaker’s Quick Corners.

Save yourself the hassle of repeating a complicated Alexa command everyday and tap your corner when you get home from work to turn up the lights, switch on the TV and boost the heating. Or if you’ve got a romantic night in planned, set up a routine that dims the lights, closes the curtains and plays the best of Marvin Gaye on your DiscovR. Smooth.  

5. Keep the kids entertained and educated

Any parent will know that as soon as there’s a new gadget in the household, the kids will be the first in line to play with it. Thankfully, there’s plenty of Alexa skills that were made just for youngsters.

To avoid the complication of your kids speaking to Alexa, save from a choice of great skills straight to a Quick Corner – meaning your little ones just have to tap on DiscovR to get the fun started. Our picks include the crazy facts from Nickelodeon’s No Way That’s True and the engaging tales from Amazon Storytime.