Wyzard & alot2do, congrats on getting your Echo in a couple of days!
With all the cool stuff people have been writing about in these forums, I'm sure you are very excited to try the Echo. Be warned, though, the novelty wears off very quickly.
But that doesn't mean the Echo is useless. I just don't use mine as much as I anticipated. Supporting Wemo home automation was a HUGE thing for me since I already had 10 Wemo switches in the house. If you have Wemo (or Hue), you'll love the Echo! I also have a Nest thermostat and waiting on the official support from Amazon.
There are still so many things that I would like the Echo to do. But that aside, tonight while I was looking at some grocery advertisements, I wanted to compare two sizes of ice cream to find out which was a better deal. So I asked, "Alexa, how many quarts are in 48 ounces" and "Alexa, how many quarts are in 16 ounces." I got the answers I needed and off I went to the supermarket. Sure, I could have gotten a calculator from my office or just pulled out my phone, but it was much more convenient to ask Alexa.
Certainly the Echo makes getting answers to simple questions quick and easy. And that's what you can expect. Home automation support was a big bonus. I hope Amazon continues to add support for other home automation devices. Amazon still has a long way to go, but so far, it's been a fun ride. I can't wait to see what else is in store!