Amazon’s smart assistant Alexa has got a bunch of new features previous month and Follow-Up Mode and Skype calling support are couples of major updates the Amazon Echo devices has recently received. Here is the list of updates that the Echo devices got over the period of November.
Alexa’s Follow-Up Mode
Just as a friend would listen for a response in a conversation, once Alexa has finished responding to the user, she will now respond to subsequent requests without requiring the wake word. The Follow-Up feature is designed to create a more natural user experience for users.
Example: You set an alarm for the morning but immediately decide to postpone it by half an hour. Now, with Follow-Up enabled, the conversation becomes more natural. You say “Alexa, set alarm for 6 AM” followed by “make at 6:30 AM”.
Alexa Skill Blueprints
You will now be able to build experiences into Alexa that are personalized to you and help make Alexa even more useful around your home. Using a set of easy-to-use Alexa Skill Blueprints i.e. templates anyone can create customized experiences for Alexa within minutes just by filling in the blanks. Whether it’s your own answer to the question “Alexa, who makes the best Rajma Chawal in the world?” or a skill that helps you surprise parents with a personalized story narrated by Alexa, “Alexa, open My Dad’s Story.” It is a new way to create your own personalized skills and responses for Alexa.
Skype calling with Alexa
With the integration of Skype calling with Alexa, , you can now connect with your friends and family around the world completely hands-free. Use Alexa-enabled devices like the Echo Dot to make hands-free Skype voice calls wherever Alexa and Skype are available, or place high-fidelity Skype video calls from the Echo Show and Echo Spot directly to Skype on computers and mobile devices.
Sports updates on Alexa
Along with cricket, Alexa can also be your sports buddy for updates on Pro Kabaddi and the Hockey World Cup. Just say:
“Alexa, when is India’s next game in the hockey world cup?”
- “Alexa, what are the games in hockey world cup today?”
- “Alexa, when is the hockey world cup final?”
- “Alexa, what are the Pro Kabaddi games today?”
- “Alexa, when is U-Mumba’s next match?”
- “Alexa, who won in the Kabaddi match yesterday?
New Skills on Alexa
Phone Genie:
- “Alexa, tell phone genie to ring my phone”
- “Alexa, ask phone genie to find my phone”
- “Alexa, open phone genie”
RedBus:
You can choose from a wide variety of buses, by stating your source city, destination and travel date. Confirm your choices and your booking is done, it’s just that simple! With over 2300 bus operators across 70,000 routes, you will never run out of choice.
- “Alexa, ask redbus to find buses from bangalore to Chennai”
- “Alexa, open redbus”
- “Alexa, ask redbus to find a bus”
Aastha TV
Aastha Television Channel is a Socio-Spiritual-Cultural Network. Aastha TV features programs on Yoga, Ayurveda, Spiritual discourses and ceremonies, pilgrimages and devotional music. To get started, just say:
- “Alexa, open aastha tv”
- “Alexa, start aastha tv”
- “Alexa, launch aastha tv”
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