USA TODAY International Edition
Just say, ‘Alexa, show me what else you can do’
Did you just unwrap a shiny, new Amazon Echo device? Or maybe you already have one and you’re getting a little tired just streaming endless hours of holiday music.
You might already know that Alexa can convert teaspoons to tablespoons, time the food you put in the oven and tell jokes you can repeat at work. But the digital assistant in Amazon’s Echo speakers is capable of so much more. It now has more than 25,000 skills at the ready — everything from ordering a pizza to booking a vacation.
Feed the dog
OK, Alexa can’t actually feed Fido for you. But Alexa does connect to smart dog feeders such as Furbo or Petnet, so you can tell it to dish out the treats while you’re stuck in traffic or running the kids around to school stuff. If you happen to have a Link AKC smart collar, Alexa can even tell you how much exercise your pooch has gotten today.
Order dinner and pair a great wine
Alexa also orders dinner for your human family from such places as GrubHub, Amazon Restaurants, Domino’s, and Pizza Hut. Add in the MySomm skill and it turns Alexa into Wine Gal, your personal wine sommelier who can give you wine recommendations for your meals. Enable the skill through the app or online and then say, “Alexa, ask Wine Gal to recommend a wine for pumpkin pie.”
Help you stay on a diet
As soon as the holidays are over, this Alexa skill might be your new BFF. More pie? Pasta? Beer? Wine? Whatever you’re craving, this is the moment when a few words of support can make the difference. Enable the Talk Me Down skill and say, “Alexa, talk me down.” She’ll then say one of 31 phrases including, “Don’t give in to weakness,” “Fight for yourself. Defend your future.” Or, when those cookie cravings come calling again later, “You’re stronger than this. You’re smarter than this. You’re better than this.” Genius.
Whip you into shape
Alexa can command you to exercise, too, with one of more than 30 fitness-related skills. My favorites are the 5-Minute Plank Workout, which gives you six sets of various plank exercises with short rests in between. After you enable the skill, just say “Alexa, start 5-minute plank,” and you’re off. I also like the Five Minute Workout: Core and Cardio, for short blasts of exercise throughout the day, and the 7-minute-workout skill. If you say, “Alexa, start 7-minute workout,” Alexa suggests top-rated exercises based on various muscle groups.
Tell a personalized bedtime story
If you keep falling asleep reading Goodnight Moon long before your child even lets out his first yawn, let Alexa take over with a bedtime story. You’ll have to register with the BedtimeWeb site, choose the stories you want Alexa to read (or write your own) and set up the name. After that, enable the skill, and say, “Alexa, tell a bedtime story to Anthony.” Then you can keep sawing logs and soon he will be, too.
Wake you to your favorite tunes
Stop waking up to the same old blaring-alarm noise. Just ask Alexa to pick music from your favorite band to use as your alarm. Just say, “Alexa set an alarm to Humble by Kendrick Lamar at 6 a.m.
Check in on mom
If your mom has an Echo device, too, this one is awesome. Just say, “Drop in on Mom,” and Alexa will open a conversation channel, so you can chat with each other as if she were in the room with you. Or at least chat like you both had a speaker phone/walkie talkie.
Get flights. Fast.
Enable the Kayak skill and say, “Alexa, ask Kayak to book a flight to Acapulco.” Or, if you have to stick to a budget, “Alexa, ask Kayak where I can go for $600.” It’s fast and easy and will get you out the door and on a vacation before you know it. The skill works with some travel agents and cruise lines, too.
Call for a car
Once you have your bags packed, you’ll need a ride to the airport. If you enabled the Lyft skill on Alexa and connected your Lyft account, say, “Alexa, call me a Lyft.” The driver will know where you are, have your payment and pick you up.