I can do all this with my cell.We were an early adopter. Use it in the kitchen. Our most used features are:
- Hand's free music
- Grocery lists
- Timers
All three are incredibly useful when you have your hands full while prepping meals. DW likes to find "easter eggs." We don't use any advanced features (if this then that, etc)
For those on recording background talk, without really knowing the code or or monitoring the data sent from the device. The little blue light is most likely the processor turning the light on. The same could be said for your cell phone or many other devices if they have the requisite capabilities.
I have a friend that has automated much of his house. I just don't see the value or need. For him some of it might be as his wife has trouble getting around. I might find it interesting to write skills for Alexa, but I can thing of more involved technical products to play with.