What is Alexa and what can Amazon Echo do?

(Pocket-lint) - The Amazon Echo is 1 of a scope of hands-free speakers and devices from Amazon that tin beryllium controlled with your voice. The voice-controlled "personal assistant" connected these devices is called Alexa, which volition execute assorted tasks for you and power assorted systems.

In this feature, we'll explicate what Echo is and what Alexa tin do.

As good arsenic being disposable connected Echo devices from Amazon directly, Alexa is disposable connected a batch of third-party devices similar speakers oregon TVs arsenic good arsenic done the Alexa app connected phones. Alexa is besides disposable successful immoderate cars and successful immoderate wearables.

What devices connection Alexa?

There are 2 sides to this question - devices that enactment with Alexa (such arsenic Philips Hue) - and devices that connection Amazon Voice Services, which is the level that runs Alexa. 

First and foremost, Alexa is designed astir Amazon's ain Echo devices. The Amazon Echo scope includes the Echo and Echo Dot, which are each speakers, and past the Echo Show models which besides diagnostic a display, truthful tin springiness you ocular feedback, similar upwind widgets, videos oregon opus lyrics. There are respective Amazon Alexa gadgets too, similar the Echo Wall Clock and Echo Flex plug for example. 

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The cheapest Echo instrumentality is the Echo Dot, which is simply a bully starting constituent for gathering an Echo strategy and getting started. You tin spot each the Echo devices compared close here. 

There are plentifulness of different devices that connection Alexa dependable control, specified arsenic the Sonos One, Sonos Move, Sonos Roam, Bose Home Speaker 500 oregon Polk Command Bar. You tin spot a scope of Echo alternatives here that connection Alexa too.

All these devices diagnostic far-field microphones that tin prime retired your dependable done inheritance sound and are waiting to instrumentality your bid erstwhile they perceive the Alexa aftermath word. Once you accidental this, Alexa volition plaything into enactment and respond to your commands. But what tin Alexa really do?

What tin Alexa do?

Alexa is capable to play music, supply information, present quality and sports scores, archer you the weather, power your astute location and adjacent let Prime members to bid products from Amazon. Alexa sits successful the cloud, expanding the accusation offered each the clip and refining the responses to springiness you much close information. No substance what Alexa instrumentality you ask, each tin instrumentality these sorts of answers, beryllium that connected your soundbar oregon successful your car.

One of the halfway functions is playing euphony and Alexa tin gully galore sources. Amazon Music is supported, of course, but beyond that, there's enactment for galore much services similar Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, TuneIn arsenic good arsenic apps from idiosyncratic providers, similar the BBC.

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The Echo devices with a show tin besides instrumentality ocular information, extending beyond widgets to quality videos, recipes oregon games. On the display-equipped devices - Echo Show - you tin besides usage interaction controls to respond, for example, oregon to power astute location devices.

Alexa tin besides pat into accusation from different devices and services by utilizing Skills (which are similar apps), truthful volition beryllium capable to springiness you circumstantial accusation astir your car, your latest weigh-in with Fitbit oregon to find your Tile.

What astir Alexa successful the astute home?

Smart location power has emerged into 1 of the astir important areas of Alexa's influence. It's nary longer conscionable astir asking for the upwind and playing euphony with fancy dependable power - it's besides astir connecting to and controlling different devices successful your home.

You tin presumption your Ring Video Doorbell connected your Echo Show, for example, arsenic you tin with Arlo cameras. You tin link Alexa to your Philips Hue oregon different lightbulbs, similar Ikea, to crook them connected oregon disconnected with voice, oregon nexus to your heating controls truthful you tin cheque and alteration the somesthesia successful your house. 

In this sense, Alexa is simply a large astute location controller - and erstwhile linked to Alexa, tin beryllium accessed done thing that supports Alexa dependable commands. 

• How to set-up an Alexa astute home

Some Echo devices instrumentality this a measurement further offering Zigbee support, which volition let you to straight link and setup astute location devices without needing a abstracted app oregon hub for that device. For example, you tin bargain a azygous Philips Hue bulb and acceptable it up with immoderate of the latest Echo devices, without needing a Hue Hub.

What tin you inquire Alexa?

There are plentifulness of things you tin inquire Alexa to do. Skills successful the Alexa app alteration you to customise your Echo instrumentality with capabilities to suit your preferences.

There are respective accomplishment categories wrong the Skills conception of the app, including Connected Car, Food & Drink, Travel & Transportation, Music & Audio, Smart Home, and plentifulness more. To get started, you conscionable person to pat Enable Skill erstwhile you've recovered 1 that is suited to you - oregon you tin inquire Alexa to alteration Skills via voice.

Some volition necessitate you to nexus to an existing relationship oregon abstracted subscription to use. For example, to usage Uber with Alexa, you'll request to person signed into your Uber relationship wrong the Skills conception of the Alexa app.

Here are conscionable a fewer examples of what you tin inquire Alexa to do, but we person a whole abstracted diagnostic you tin work connected it too:

• "Alexa, aftermath maine up astatine 7 successful the morning"
• "Alexa, inquire Skyscanner for a formation to New York"
• "Alexa, inquire The Telegraph for the apical stories"
• "Alexa, what's connected my calendar today?"
• "Alexa, what's the upwind successful London?"
• "Alexa, play Taylor Swift from Amazon Music"
• "Alexa, how's my commute?"
• "Alexa, shuffle my Favourites playlist"
• "Alexa, crook it up"
• "Alexa, volition it rainfall tomorrow?"
• "Alexa, work my audiobook"
• "Alexa, what's successful the news?"
• "Alexa, inquire Uber to petition a ride"
• "Alexa, unfastened Just Eat and inquire for my past order"
• "Alexa, crook connected the java machine"
• "Alexa, crook connected each the lights"
• "Alexa, acceptable the maestro chamber to 20 degrees"
• "Alexa, inquire Jamie Oliver for a recipe"

What apps and services enactment with Alexa?

Numerous companies offer partnerships with Amazon Echo devices, arsenic you volition person seen from immoderate of the questions above. There are thousands and thousands of skills disposable but present are immoderate of the services that enactment with Alexa and what they mean you tin do.

Just Eat

The Just Eat concern means you tin get Alexa to bid you a instrumentality distant from 1 of the thousands of restaurants it has available.

Met Office

The Met Office skill is disposable for assorted locations astir the United Kingdom truthful marque definite you download the one circumstantial for you. You tin past inquire Alexa for elaborate upwind forecasts.

Uber

Need an Uber from home? No problem. Just inquire Alexa to petition you 1 and you'll person a operator connected its mode to you.

National Rail

Want to cognize what your commute has successful store for you earlier you permission the house? Ask Alexa to cheque and she volition propulsion successful the accusation from National Rail regarding bid times and schedules.

The Guardian

For those who work The Guardian, Alexa volition springiness you a rundown of the paper's apical stories truthful you tin find retired which ones you'll privation to work earlier your commute.

The Telegraph

Like The Guardian, the concern with The Telegraph means users tin inquire Alexa for this paper's apical stories too.

TimeOut

A large 1 for those that unrecorded successful oregon astir London, Alexa volition springiness you a regular briefing delivering a circular up of the astir breathtaking news, reviews, openings, events and things that shouldn't beryllium missed taking spot adjacent you.

Sky Sports

Want to cognize however your favourite shot squad is doing? Or however your rival squad is doing? Just inquire Alexa and she'll present the atrocious quality successful her beauteous accent.

Jamie Oliver

Need a look from the Jamie Oliver app but person your hands full? Just inquire Alexa and she'll find it for you truthful you tin transportation connected with immoderate you're doing.

Fitbit

Want to cognize however you slept oregon however galore steps you've done? Fitbit's concern with Echo means you tin conscionable inquire Alexa and she'll fto you know. No request to unfastened the Fitbit app. Alexa is besides built into the Versa 2 smartwatch.

Skyscanner

Take maine to New York. The concern with Skyscanner allows users to inquire Alexa for formation dates and prices utilizing a earthy speech hunt method.

EasyJet

Check the latest accomplishment and departure accusation for EasyJet flights rapidly by asking Alexa, oregon inquire for the presumption of a formation your travelling on.

TuneIn

For those that emotion a random vigor station, the TuneIn concern with Echo allows you to inquire Alexa to find your favourite presumption and perceive to it each day.

RadioPlayer

Like TuneIn, RadioPlayer offers galore vigor stations meaning you tin inquire Alexa to urge you 1 oregon conscionable play 1 you cognize you like.

Spotify

The Spotify concern allows users to petition songs, artists oregon playlists done Alexa, which she volition past play done Echo's 360-degree omni-directional audio.

Laundrapp

Have a suit oregon formal that person needed adust cleaning for months? Ask Alexa to instrumentality attraction of it and the concern with Laundrapp means they volition beryllium collected, cleaned and redelivered.

BMW

BMW Connected is disposable arsenic a Skill, allowing users to inquire Alexa for an update connected their substance and artillery levels, arsenic good arsenic inquire her to fastener their car remotely.

Tado

The concern with astute heating strategy Tado means users of the strategy tin inquire Alexa to set, summation oregon alteration their location somesthesia without moving a muscle.

Netatmo

Like Tado, the collaboration with Netatmo means users with this heating strategy tin besides inquire Alexa to crook the somesthesia of their location up oregon down.

Hive

Hive is different smarthome spouse of Echo, allowing users to inquire Alexa to crook the heating up oregon down, crook lights connected oregon off, arsenic good arsenic crook thing with a Hive Active plug connected oregon off.

Neato

Neato's collaboration with Echo means you tin inquire Alexa to tell your Botvac Connected robot vacuum cleaner to start, stop, intermission oregon resume cleaning. More commands volition besides beryllium coming successful the future, specified arsenic scheduling.

Philips Hue

Need to crook disconnected the chamber light, oregon each the lights? The Philips Hue concern allows you to power your Hue lights by asking Alexa alternatively than having to spell into the app.

Logi Circle

For those that person the Logi Circle cameras, you tin inquire Alexa to commencement a commencement a recording, disable Privacy Mode oregon crook your camera on.

EDF Energy

The EDF Energy concern allows users to inquire Alexa to entree their vigor account, cheque their adjacent outgo information springiness a metre reading, without lifting a finger.

TP Link

The concern with TP-Link means users with immoderate of the company's astute plugs oregon bulbs tin inquire Alexa to power them with their voice.

WeMo

Like TP-Link, the WeMo collaboration means users tin inquire Alexa to crook their WeMo connected devices disconnected oregon connected without needing to unfastened the app.

Honeywell

Have a Honeywell connected system? Just inquire Alexa to crook your heating up oregon down successful and she'll marque definite it gets done.

SmartThings

SmartThings is besides a spouse of Echo, offering users the quality to bid their astute location done Alexa, whether it's turning the lights disconnected oregon the somesthesia up.

Nest

The Nest compatibility with Echo means users tin power their thermostat done Alexa, similar different astute heating systems connected this list. You tin acceptable a circumstantial people temperature, little the people temperature, arsenic good arsenic accidental things similar "I'm excessively hot".

• Amazon Echo vs Amazon Tap vs Echo Dot vs Echo Show: What's the difference?

Writing by Britta O'Boyle. Originally published connected 15 September 2016.