"Amazon echo" - Google News - Wednesday, December 12, 2018 at 9:48 AM
Amazon rolling out new features and functionality for Alexa - Business Insider
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Amazon will start rolling out new features and functionality for Alexa in the
coming weeks,
per<https://e.businessinsider.com/click/15381742.2/aHR0cHM6Ly90ZWNoY3J1bmNoLmNvbS8yMDE4LzEyLzEwL2FsZXhhLWdhaW5zLXN1cHBvcnQtZm9yLWxvY2F0aW9uLWJhc2VkLXJlbWluZGVycy1hbmQtcm91dGluZXMtY2FsbGluZy1mZWF0dXJlcy1tb3JlLw/5adde55340f86675182a51c9B3d64b01b>
TechCrunch. The features, which were originally
announced<https://e.businessinsider.com/click/15381742.2/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnVzaW5lc3N3aXJlLmNvbS9uZXdzL2hvbWUvMjAxODA5MjAwMDU4MDcvZW4vQWxleGEtU21hcnRlciVFMiU4MCU5NE5ldy1GZWF0dXJlcy1FdmVyeWRheS1MaWZlLUNvbnZlbmllbnQtU2FmZQ/5adde55340f86675182a51c9B3faa9b86>
this past September at Amazon's Echo event, aim to improve Alexa's usefulness
across various areas, from communication to household chores.
Business Insider
Intelligence<https://static.businessinsider.com/image/5c1117d8250abd2e3464e0a2-750.jpg>
<https://static.businessinsider.com/image/5c1117d8250abd2e3464e0a2-750.jpg>
As the race to offer the most intelligent and convenient voice assistant heats
up, it's crucial that Amazon continues to roll out such updates and further
encourage consumers to turn to Alexa as their go-to assistant throughout the
day.
Here's an overview of the new Alexa functionality updates that will start
rolling out in the coming weeks:
* Alexa can communicate with others via email. Users with Alexa-enabled
devices can ask Alexa to check, read, delete, and reply to emails on Gmail,
Hotmail, or Outlook accounts. Previously, users could only use Alexa to
communicate with others via voice calls, video calls, or SMS messaging.
* The voice assistant can also call local businesses. Alexa-enabled devices
can directly call local businesses, building on their previous ability to
identify information about those businesses, such as their hours and phone
numbers. A user looking to see whether any grocery stores nearby sell a certain
brand of cereal could ask Alexa to identify the nearest Whole Foods, and, with
the new ability, call that location from the Alexa device by saying "call them."
* Alexa can begin Routines based on a user's location. To set up
location-based Routines, users have to enable location sharing in the Alexa
smartphone app; then, when users cross a designated geographical location with
their phone, a custom routine is triggered. Once a user leaves home, for
instance, the Alexa app could detect that and trigger the connected lights in
the house to turn off and the smart door to lock.
Alexa's new email-checking, business-calling, and location-based Routines
features will likely spur more frequent usage of the voice assistant among US
consumers.The emailing and business-calling functionality enables more
flexibility in communicating via Alexa — an area US voice assistant users are
looking forward to most.
Additionally, the location-based Routines functionality will make Alexa more
useful for a variety of popular voice assistant activities, including
controlling TV functions, texting, and making a reservation. With
location-based Routines, users could set up Alexa to automatically turn on
their TV, make a reservation at their favorite restaurant, and send a text to a
spouse once they're a mile from home.
<https://static.businessinsider.com/image/5c1117d8250abd2e3464e0a2-750.jpg>
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David Goldfield
Assistive Technology Specialist
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