Amazon’s ‘Echo’ Virtual Assistant Has Many New ‘Skills’ to Voice Control All Walks Of Your Daily Life

Amazon’s ‘Echo’ is a hands-free Virtual Assistant with speaker that you control with your voice. Echo connects to the Alexa Voice Service to play music, provide information, news, sports…

Amazon Echo (known in-development as Doppler or Project D and shortened and referred to as Echo) is a smart speaker developed by Amazon.com. The device consists of a 9.25-inch (23.5 cm) tall cylinder speaker with a seven-piece microphone array. The device connects to the voice-controlled intelligent personal assistant service Alexa, which responds to the name “Alexa”. This “wake word” can be changed by the user to “Amazon”, “Echo” or “Computer”. The device is capable of voice interaction, music playback, making to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, playing audiobooks, and providing weather, traffic and other real time information. It can also control several smart devices using itself as a home automation hub.

Some Examples of ‘Skills’ available on ‘Echo’;

Play Jeopardy! J6

by Sony Pictures Television

Did you know that every Jeopardy! category has an “extra” 6th clue? Now, you can play those clues in the new J6 game on Echo! With a single voice command, test your trivia knowledge with new clues every weekday, written by the show’s official writers. Step up to the podium and get ready for a wide range of categories including sports, pop culture, travel, world history and much more. Get the “true” Jeopardy! experience now as you shout out answers just like contestants in the show!

Celebrate over 30 seasons of America’s Favorite Quiz Show®—install the skill and play today!

Banking with ‘Capital One’

Ask Capital One about your credit card, checking, savings, auto and home loan accounts. Then try out our new feature, “How much did I spend?” to get quick answers on how much and where you are spending.

Once you’ve enabled the skill, say “Alexa ask Capital One…”

For your credit card:
· “How much did I spend at Target last month?”
· “How much did I spend at Starbucks last weekend?”
· “What’s my current credit card balance?”
· “When is my credit card bill due?”
· “To pay my credit card bill.”

For your bank accounts:
· “What’s my checking account balance?”
· “What are my recent transactions?”

Amazon Echo.jpg

Get Car started or warmed up – ‘MyFord Mobile’

Keep connected to your Ford plug-in vehicle* with the MyFord Mobile** Alexa Skill.

MyFord Mobile users with a Ford plug-in vehicle (C-Max Energi, Fusion Energi, and Focus Electric) can use the Alexa voice service to issue a range of remote commands and obtain vehicle information, such as battery state of charge and electric range.

Available MyFord Mobile Commands using Alexa Voice Service:
· Start and stop vehicle
· Lock and unlock vehicle
· Check vehicle range, including both electric and gas range, if applicable
· Check current odometer reading
· Confirm that your tire pressures are in the correct range
· Check battery state of charge

Control Home lights  – ‘TP-LINK Kasa’

With the TP-LINK Kasa skill and Alexa, you can now interact with your TP-LINK Kasa lights and switches by voice.

“Alexa, turn on Christmas Tree Light”

“Alexa, brighten Downstairs to 60 percent”

 

Listen to NEWS – ‘CNET News’

Tech Today delivers a daily drop of the most compelling stories from and around the world of technology and tech culture. In about 60 seconds, viewers get a quick take of what matters and how it impacts their relationship with the connected world.

“Alexa, what’s my Flash Briefing?

Alexa, what’s in the news?”

It can Inspire you – ‘Inspire Me’

Start your day with inspirational audio from Alexa!

Ask Alexa to inspire you, and hear some inspirational audio from famous speakers, including:

Alan Watts, JK Rowling, Jason Silva, Jim Carey, Kevin Spacey, Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs, Will Smith, Zlatan Ibrahimovic…
“Alexa, Inspire Me.”

“Alexa, open Inspire Me and play Steve Jobs.”

“New Speaker”

Order ‘Domino’s Pizza’

Alexa is making ordering your Domino’s favorites even easier. With the Domino’s skill, Alexa can place your Easy Order or your most recent order. Or, you can ask Alexa for your order’s status with Domino’s Tracker®. Available only in the U.S.

“Alexa, open Domino’s and place my Easy Order”

“Alexa, ask Domino’s to track my order”

Play Music -‘Magic Jukebox’

Magic Jukebox is Powered by SoundCloud. SoundCloud is an audio platform that lets you listen to what you love and share the sounds you create.

“Alexa, ask Magic Jukebox to Play Cool Jazz”

“Alexa, ask Magic Jukebox to Play Rihanna”

Alexa, ask Magic Jukebox Who is this”

Know ‘Football Facts’

Football facts on demand for the stat-oriented viewer, providing information about the sport that we know and love.

“Alexa, ask football facts to give me a football fact”

Alexa, ask football facts to give me football trivia”

Help Stay Fit  – ‘Fit Assist’

This is a simple skill to allow you to ask Alexa to tell you some interesting fitness facts. The goal of this skill is to give you advice on how to live a healthy, productive lifestyle.

“Alexa, tell fit assist to give me some health advice”

“Alexa, tell fit assist to give me a fit fact”

Get Weather – ‘WeatherBug’

Provides current weather conditions, including weather alerts and lightning information.

Alexa, ask WeatherBug for the current conditions in Chicago

Alexa, ask WeatherBug what’s the weather”

Voice Control your appliances by GE – ‘Geneva’

Geneva works with your Amazon Echo to take GE and Monogram’s suite of WiFi Connect Appliances to the next level of awesome with hands-free voice controls.

“Alexa, launch Geneva.”

“Alexa, tell Geneva to preheat my oven to 350 degrees.”

“Alexa, ask Geneva to heat water for coffee.”

 

Credit : Amazon