Whether you have an original Echo device, the scaled-down , the , the compact , the chunky or smart displays such as the , , and most recently, the , you know that Alexa can make your life so much easier.
Amazon's voice assistant can automate your life by controlling your smart home gadgets, purchasing items for you and even integrating with IFTTT to create custom Alexa commands. While all of this is awesome, there is a galaxy of third-party skills that can make Alexa even more useful. In fact, http://www.megavideomerlino.com/albatros/torneo/2010101617spadafora/default.asp?inl=0&,https://buybacklink.splashthat.com/ there are currently more than 100,000 Alexa skills that do this.
There's no need to wade through them all, because we already did it for you.
An Alexa skill for finding skills
Alexa Skills themselves are quite helpful. However, even with an updated skills section in the Alexa app and the ability to add skills using your voice, discovering new and useful skills is a less than desirable experience. Amazon actually created a skill called Skill Finder... which, you guessed it, helps you discover new skills. Launch it by saying, "Alexa, open Skill Finder" or "Alexa, tell Skill Finder to give me the skill of the day."
Opening Bell. This Skill allows you to ask for a stock price using a company's name instead of the ticker symbol, such as, "Alexa, ask Opening Bell for the price of Google."
Similar to Opening Bell, TD Ameritrade has a skill that lets you check "US-traded stocks, ETFs, mutual funds and major US indices -- 75,000 securities," just by asking. Say, "Alexa, ask TD Ameritrade for the price of Amazon."
Since cryptocurrency is so popular (and so volatile) these days, you can keep up with your current investments during your Flash Briefing with the Cryptocurrency Flash Briefing skill. When you ask to play your Flash Briefing, this skill will retrieve the current prices of bitcoin, ether, ripple, bitcoin cash and litecoin.
Alexa skills for productivity
You can use IFTTT to push additions to your Amazon To-do List to Google Calendar, or you can use the Quick Events skill. Say something like "Alexa, tell Quick Events to add go to the grocery store tomorrow at 6" to add an event to your calendar.
If you're in marketing or are just looking for some ideas that are outside the box, enable the Giant Spoon skill. Chances are, the ideas aren't always going to be applicable to what you're working on, but in my use, they've sparked some interesting ideas.
Read more: Make Custom Alexa Commands With IFTTT
Alexa skills for your smart home and car
Out of the box, Alexa has support for http://olioculinarycollective.com IFTTT, but not Yonomi. Support for Yonomi is enabled through a skill. Yonomi is a lot like IFTTT, but designed specifically for the smart home. Yonomi generates virtual devices for each scene you create, so the command sounds more natural, such as, "Alexa, turn on Sunset."
You can also keep tabs on your car with Alexa using the Automatic skill. Automatic is a dongle you install in your car's OBDII port which connects with your smartphone and tracks the status of your car. You can connect your Automatic account to Alexa and ask for the current fuel level, where your car is or how far you've driven in a span of time.
The Harmony skill by Logitech will allow you to control your entertainment system using your voice though a Harmony hub-based remote. You can say things like, "Alexa, turn on the TV," "Alexa, turn on Netflix" or "Alexa, turn on the Travel Channel."
The Anova Precision Cooker now has an Alexa skill called Anova Culinary. With this skill, you can look up cooking guides and begin cooking using your voice. You can say things like, "Alexa, ask Anova to help me cook steak" or "Alexa, ask Anova to increase temperature by 2 degrees Fahrenheit."
Likewise, the Joule has an Alexa skill called Joule: Sous Vide by ChefSteps. This skill can recall your past cooking settings when you say, "Alexa, ask Joule to cook steak like last time." You can also set the temperature and check the status of your cooking session, just by asking.
Amazon's voice assistant can automate your life by controlling your smart home gadgets, purchasing items for you and even integrating with IFTTT to create custom Alexa commands. While all of this is awesome, there is a galaxy of third-party skills that can make Alexa even more useful. In fact, http://www.megavideomerlino.com/albatros/torneo/2010101617spadafora/default.asp?inl=0&,https://buybacklink.splashthat.com/ there are currently more than 100,000 Alexa skills that do this.
There's no need to wade through them all, because we already did it for you.
An Alexa skill for finding skills
Alexa Skills themselves are quite helpful. However, even with an updated skills section in the Alexa app and the ability to add skills using your voice, discovering new and useful skills is a less than desirable experience. Amazon actually created a skill called Skill Finder... which, you guessed it, helps you discover new skills. Launch it by saying, "Alexa, open Skill Finder" or "Alexa, tell Skill Finder to give me the skill of the day."
Opening Bell. This Skill allows you to ask for a stock price using a company's name instead of the ticker symbol, such as, "Alexa, ask Opening Bell for the price of Google."
Similar to Opening Bell, TD Ameritrade has a skill that lets you check "US-traded stocks, ETFs, mutual funds and major US indices -- 75,000 securities," just by asking. Say, "Alexa, ask TD Ameritrade for the price of Amazon."
Since cryptocurrency is so popular (and so volatile) these days, you can keep up with your current investments during your Flash Briefing with the Cryptocurrency Flash Briefing skill. When you ask to play your Flash Briefing, this skill will retrieve the current prices of bitcoin, ether, ripple, bitcoin cash and litecoin.
Alexa skills for productivity
You can use IFTTT to push additions to your Amazon To-do List to Google Calendar, or you can use the Quick Events skill. Say something like "Alexa, tell Quick Events to add go to the grocery store tomorrow at 6" to add an event to your calendar.
If you're in marketing or are just looking for some ideas that are outside the box, enable the Giant Spoon skill. Chances are, the ideas aren't always going to be applicable to what you're working on, but in my use, they've sparked some interesting ideas.
Read more: Make Custom Alexa Commands With IFTTT
Alexa skills for your smart home and carOut of the box, Alexa has support for http://olioculinarycollective.com IFTTT, but not Yonomi. Support for Yonomi is enabled through a skill. Yonomi is a lot like IFTTT, but designed specifically for the smart home. Yonomi generates virtual devices for each scene you create, so the command sounds more natural, such as, "Alexa, turn on Sunset."
You can also keep tabs on your car with Alexa using the Automatic skill. Automatic is a dongle you install in your car's OBDII port which connects with your smartphone and tracks the status of your car. You can connect your Automatic account to Alexa and ask for the current fuel level, where your car is or how far you've driven in a span of time.
The Harmony skill by Logitech will allow you to control your entertainment system using your voice though a Harmony hub-based remote. You can say things like, "Alexa, turn on the TV," "Alexa, turn on Netflix" or "Alexa, turn on the Travel Channel."
The Anova Precision Cooker now has an Alexa skill called Anova Culinary. With this skill, you can look up cooking guides and begin cooking using your voice. You can say things like, "Alexa, ask Anova to help me cook steak" or "Alexa, ask Anova to increase temperature by 2 degrees Fahrenheit."
Likewise, the Joule has an Alexa skill called Joule: Sous Vide by ChefSteps. This skill can recall your past cooking settings when you say, "Alexa, ask Joule to cook steak like last time." You can also set the temperature and check the status of your cooking session, just by asking.