7 Alexa skills that you will use again and again



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Every few months, I take a critical look at Amazon Echo and keep up to date with the latest skills. If you are not familiar with the skills, these programs give Alexa new tips. What is interesting is that users generate many Alexa skills and that Amazon shares the revenue derived from its skills with the developers.

A developer, Nick Schwab, has released enough Alexa skills to redeem himself the car of his dreams, a Tesla. About 250,000 Alexa owners use their sleep skills every day. Watch a short interview that I made with Nick, who explains what it takes to become an Alexa skill developer and make money.

It's hard not to mention Alexa without also talking about privacy. Now, you have a way to clear the slate each day. Just say, "Alexa, delete everything I said today." You can find more information on the use of this feature in detail on my site.

Below are some of my favorite new skills in the areas of work, home life and entertainment.

1: Get flash briefings

Open the Alexa app, open the menu and select settings. Scroll to find Flash Briefing. Select the content you want to include in your daily Flash briefing. It looks like a skill in a skill and lets you create your own news on the first page.

In the order "Alexa, give me my instant briefing", you can have it updated on what matters most: news, sports, stock prices, the day's offer, inspiring messages and thousands of others.

2: Donate to a good cause

It's good to donate for a good cause, and now you can do it on a whim. Saying "Alexa donate $ 10 to the World Wildlife Fund" can be done automatically.

Once you have set up Amazon Pay and authorized to send funds with your voice, it is a convenient way to donate money to an organization that is important to you. Echo keeps a list of organizations that are compatible with the service.

3: Find your lost phone

You have traveled the whole house and you can not find your phone. Before you panic and think you've lost it, ask Alexa.

You can ask Alexa to find your phone through TrackR's "Find my phone" skill. Just say "Alexa, ask TrackR to ring my phone" and your paired device will ring loud. From there, follow the ringing or vibration at its location.

Perhaps the best thing about this skill is that it will ring your phone even if it is in silent mode or not disturbing.

4: Control your Roku

Roku owners can vocally control their streaming gadgets and their Roku-equipped TVs with Alexa. Do not forget that Google Assistant / Google Home already had this feature since last year. It is therefore a treat for the owners of Amazon Echo. In addition, many Roku gadgets have their own built-in voice search controls.

Of course, Alexa can already control Fire TV's streaming gadgets. Sorry, Netflix is ​​still not supported.

You can open apps by saying "Alexa, run (name of the app) on Roku". You can pause, rewind, play and stop your video by saying "Alexa (action) on Roku". And of course, you can search for content by saying "Alexa, show me (kind) about Roku".

5: Unlock the doors with Amazon Key

If you have a smart lock compatible with Amazon Key and Alexa-compatible devices, you can lock and unlock your door with a voice PIN. You can also check the status of your lock.

To begin, press "Activate the skill, "Authenticate using the Amazon username and password, then tap"Discovery of the devicesOr say "Alexa, discover new devices". To enable "Unlock by voice", go to the Alexa mobile app and follow the instructions.

When you allow "Unlock by voice" in the Alexa app, you must also set a four-digit code required to unlock your smart lock.

6: Create an intercom system

With this feature, you can configure a home intercom system with all Echo, Echo Dot and Echo Show devices. This feature calls "Drop In" and allows Alexa devices to communicate with each other.

Let's say you are downstairs and want the kids to know that dinner is ready. Use your main Alexa at the bottom to talk to your kids on the upper floors via an Echo compatible device.

You can also connect to someone who lives around the corner or on the other side of the globe, as long as you accept the feature and turn on Alexa settings for everyone.

7: Ask Alexa what she can do

Who knows Alexa's full list of skills better than herself? It may seem a little meta, but you can actually ask Alexa to tell you about her abilities, thanks to the skill search feature.

Just say, "Alexa, tell Skill Finder to give me the skill of the day" and you will receive a quick tutorial on tools you never thought they had.

Bonus: Voice Ecommerce at your fingertips

Voice e-commerce is coming. I am proud to say that our broadcast network is at the forefront. If you are marketing online, you must also be in this space.

Try it and say "Alexa, play The Kim Komando Show". Alexa will not only broadcast episodes for you, but you will also have the option to subscribe, which you can also use using only your voice.

It's a smart speakerafter all, and this type of gadget is no more useful than playing something that deserves to be listened to, my show on everything that is digital.

What digital lifestyle issues do you have? Call Kim's national radio show and press or click here to find it on your local radio station. You can listen to or watch Kim Komando's show on your phone, tablet, TV or computer.

4 lessons of panic from a phone support scam

Some people think they are immune to cybercriminals. "I'm not even on their radar," they think. "What are the chances of being targeted? It's not like I'm famous or I have zillions of dollars. "This could not be further from the truth: cyber criminals have sophisticated tools that bring them tons of money and they are after all of us.It is not necessary to be a great company for One of their favorite ploys is a teleassistance scam.

Tap or click to learn four scary lessons from a teleassistance scam.

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