Alexa is Amazon's digital virtual assistant. Alexa uses voice control. It responds to our questions or commands through the Alexa speaker. Every Alexa speaker is equipped with a small microphone that can hear your voice across the room. You can control your work by giving commands to Alexa.
Alexa Skills
Alexa skills are the same as apps in Android,iOS; created by Alexa developers . Just like apps which add features to our device, skills add new capabilities to Alexa. One can find skills available in the Alexa skills store. They can not be downloaded like an app. If you want to use any skill, then you just have to enable that skill or to ask Alexa to make them enable.
Evolution of the user interface as a voice-enabled user interface by which users can interact with technology or a system or vice - versa.
Below is a list of 10 Alexa Skills.
1. Alexa Guard Skill:
The Alexa Guard skill is freely available to Amazon Echo devices; used to detect sound of smoke alarms or glass breaking when you set Guard to Away mode. For setting Guard to Away mode, you have to just say "I am leaving". Then only it will work. If you forget to set it then you can use the Alexa app. It will send notification if its connected echo device detects any of the sound.
You can deactivate skills with "I am at Home". This Alexa skill only works when you are leaving. When you are asleep, it won't work.
2. Alexa's multilingual mode Skill:
With the help of this mode, you can make Alexa speak in multiple languages. As of today, Alexa can make use of 8 languages i.e English,Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, Japanese, German, French, Italian etc. Amazon is working to add more languages.
By enabling multilingual mode, you make Alexa work in two different languages.
3. ABCD - Listen And Practise Alphabets:
We at optimum technical labs llp , designed and developed an Alexa Skills for kids, that help them to learn alphabets by listening to them on Alexa enabled devices i.e Echo. Alexa also helps them to repeat alphabets by selecting the option as "To practice alphabets with Alexa".
As there is a second option available for Listening, you can select the option as "To listen to all alphabets from A to Z". This is the most useful skill for a kid; it helps to repeat the alphabet if one missed it and also helps to improve learning by providing a score. It saves your progress and can resume it anytime.
You can enable it freely by saying "Alexa open ABCD" or "Listen Alphabets" or "Start Practise".
4. Ted Talk Skill:
It is very great that you can bring TED talk to home by Amazon's TED Talk skill.As it is available on Amazon's Echo devices, TED fan's can now listen to ideas from their great thinkers, motivators.
Enable skill just by saying"Alexa, open TED talk ", you are ready to listen to different talks.
5. Ayurveda Tips:
We at optimum technical labs llp, designed and developed Alexa skills to get knowledge about Ayurveda. It is easy to use. To enable it, just say "Alexa, Open Ayurveda Tips" or "Alexa, Launch Ayurveda Tips". And to stop the skill, you just have to say "Alexa, Stop".
This skill provides various tips and interesting facts about Ayurveda which anyone can follow in daily life.
6.Fitbit Skill:
You can choose your Fitbit device according to your needs and budget. They can automatically track your daily activities like steps, workout goals, sleep, calories burned and so on. They all are water resistant and help you to complete fitness goals.
7. Find My Phone Skill:
If you lost your phone somewhere in your house, searching everywhere and still have no idea where you left the phone and you are alone, then no need to worry. Alexa will help you out. The absolute way to get Alexa to help you out is to ask Amazon?s Assistant to call you or to find your phone.
When you use "Find My Phone" for the first time, before losing your phone, you have to enable the Find My Phone skill. Alexa will ask for your phone number. After getting the number, it will text you a four-digit code; which you need to read aloud. For connection to complete, read that code like "Alexa,1234". If your phone starts ringing, your setup is done.
The next time you lose your phone, use Find My Phone just by saying, "Alexa, Find My Phone"; it will give you a call.
8. The Weather Channel Skill:
If you want to know weather, you will have to use Alexa weather skill. You need to give commands such as "Alexa, what is today's weather?" It will answer you for the location associated with the Echo device.
9. Audible Skill:
Start listening to your book through Echo device by telling Alexa as "Alexa, read my book from audible". Alexa will start reading books. There is a free trial on Audible, after sign-up, you have to say "Alexa, What is free on Audible?"; learn about the availability of free audiobooks. This in-built free feature works on all Alexa devices.
10. Cryptocoin Skill:
This awesome skill of Alexa helps to check crypto prices at instant. You can say "Alexa, What is the price of Bitcoin?" Alexa will answer you the current value of Bitcoin.
Conclusion:
There are many Alexa Skills available. One can use Alexa skills for Fun, Learning and Education, Finance, Maintain Data. It helps to do any kind of work in a smart way. Filtering them according to your choice makes your life easy.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
1. Are Alexa Skills Free or Paid?
Ans. Most of the Alexa Skills are free but some need subscription.
2. Are Alexa and Echo the same?
Ans. No. Both are different. Alexa is a software that acts as a virtual assistant by Amazon. Echo devices are the hardware that have access to Alexa. Echo devices are smart speakers that need internet connection and stay always on.
3. How does Alexa work?
Ans: As much as technology is updating, many new innovations come into existence. Alexa is a part of it. It makes use of Natural Language processing which converts speech into words, sounds and ideas. It makes use of Echo products such as Echo, Dot, Tap for the conversation with consumers.
4. How to use any new Alexa Skill?
Ans: To use any new Alexa Skill, you can directly ask Alexa about it. Or you can open an Alexa mobile app and go to 'More' then go to 'Skills & Games' then search for skills you want or explore on Alexa skill store.
5. How to publish your own Alexa Skills on Alexa Skill store?
Ans: To publish our own Alexa Skills, we need to develop Alexa skills using developer console and code, then submit for review.
6. Where will I get alexa skills?
Ans: You can get Alexa Skills in the Alexa app, the skills shop or Ask Alexa. You can also say “Alexa, what are your skills?” Then enable the skill on your Alexa app or directly on the skill page. The other way to ask Alexa is by saying,”Alexa, open[skill name].”
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