Alexa is Amazons cloud-based voice service available on more than 100 million devices from Amazon and third-party device manufacturers. It is a virtual assistant technology largely based on a Polish speech synthesizer named Ivona, bought by Amazon in 2013. Alexa is accessed through a growing number of smart speakers and other Alexa-enabled devices. Here are some key features of Alexa:
-
Voice control: Alexa is a voice-controlled virtual assistant that can help you complete basic tasks, play audio, control your smart home, answer questions, and engage your favorite services to keep you organized, informed, safe, connected, and entertained.
-
Skills: Alexa includes many skills out-of-the-box, while others can be enabled by choice. Amazon’s skills collection already exceeds 25,000, including many from brands you use frequently. That collection grows by the day.
-
Smart home integration: Alexa can interact with devices from several manufacturers, including smart hubs, smart thermostats, smart lightbulbs, and home security cameras. Developers are able to create their own smart home skills using the Alexa Skills Kit.
-
Alexa Guard: Alexa Guard is a helpful security feature that carefully monitors the perimeter of your house and the activity inside your home when you’re not there. If your Echo speaker picks up on unusual sounds, like breaking glass or another mysterious noise, Alexa will quickly alert you with a notification to check things out.
Overall, Alexa is a virtual assistant that can help you with a variety of tasks and is available on a wide range of devices.
