Six Awesome Amazon Alexa Skills You Might Not Know

Are you getting the most out of your Amazon Echo?

Amazon’s Alexa service has the most skills to enable and have fun with, but that doesn’t mean it is easy to find the good ones. There are a lot of duplicate skills from multiple developers all claiming to offer the same basic features, which makes finding the truly great skills difficult. It’s the kind of think you’d need to spend way too many hours talking to Alexa all by yourself to find out, which is why we did all of the chatting for you. Alone. With no one around but Alexa. Alone.

Anyway, what we have here is a collection of hidden gems we’ve unearthed in the Alexa Skill store. These aren’t the most popular skills you’ll find, but they’re unique and you’ll probably find at least one worth enabling for yourself.

See at Amazon

Find your missing phone

While your phone has its own “Find My Phone” service, it’s nowhere near as easy to enable as just using your voice. Being able to call out to Alexa for help when you were supposed to leave ten minutes ago and just need to find your phone is a real lifesaver, and it’s the kind of thing you’ll be able to enable and forget about until it’s important. Give it a try!

Check out the Find Phone Skill

Tune your instrument

Who needs an actual pitch pipe when you have Alexa around? Tune your instrument by calling out the individual notes you want to tune to, and never worry about needing to carry around extra hardware.

Check out the Pitch Pipe Skill

Store your Wi-Fi password

You went through the trouble of creating a password-protected network you’re alright with letting friends and family use, but having to stop what you are doing to enter that password in for them every time is a hassle. This skill lets you store your Wi-Fi password so your friends can just ask Alexa when they need it.

It’s probably not a good idea to use this skill on a Wi-Fi network with important things, but if you have a guest network in your home and you want to make things a little easier on yourself this is a nice feature to have.

Check out the WiFi Password Skill

Air quality in your area

Not everyone thinks about the quality of the air until it’s too late. This skill will get you in the habit of checking to see if it’s going to be so humid out you feel like you’re breathing water, or so dangerously dry that you should make extra sure that bottle of water is full before heading out. Either way, make sure you’re covered with this skill.

Check out the Aether Air Quality Reporter Skill

Headlines from way back in time

A nice way to start the day is peering back in time and seeing how things were before you were even born. Time Machine picks a random year from 1851 onward and reads you headlines from that same day. It’s a fun add-on for history fans, and a great way to get kids interested in learning over breakfast.

Check out the Time Machine Skill

Play a game

Easily the most undersold feature to Alexa is the ability to play games. Alexa becomes the storyteller, the dungeon master, whatever you want to call it, and walks you through interactive stories that require your participation to complete. There are quite a few of these games out there, some of which have been designed around hit movies and shows to give you some additional insight before you watch. Here are some of my favorites, enjoy!

Check out the Earplay Skill

Check out the RuneScape Quests Skill

Check out the Wayne Investigation Skill

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Amazon FreeTime for kids comes to Android phones and tablets

Amazon’s child-friendly content portal, Amazon FreeTime, is now available as an app from the Google Play Store, making it available on Android phones and tablets. FreeTime is already available as a service on Amazon’s own Fire and Fire Kids Edition tablets, but this is the first time it’s been available on a phone.

• Tablets for kids: How to setup an Amazon Fire tablet for children

FreeTime gives access to over 40,000 YouTube videos, hand-selected websites and full parental controls to make sure children stay safe when they’re surfing online or watching videos. Everything that’s made available to view through the app is age appropriate, so parents can be safe in the knowledge that their kids are only viewing the content they should be.

For further peace of mind, parents can personally select books, videos, apps and games to add to available content within the FreeTime app. The Learn First feature will hide access to various types of content until daily educational goals are met, and Bedtime will automatically prevent access to the FreeTime app at night, and will only be accessible in the morning at a time set by parents.

Extra content from third-party content partners can be yours for a $2.99/month subscription fee as part of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited. Brands including Disney, Nickelodeon, Amazon Studios, PBS Kids, HarperCollins and Simon&Schuster have all provided videos and books to the Unlimited service.

A recently introduced feature for Amazon’s Fire tablets has made the jump to Android too. Discussion Cards help parents to interact with their children, based on the content they’ve viewed. They provide open ended questions to ask children and get them thinking and talking about what they’ve seen.

• Amazon’s new Parent Dashboard and Discussion Cards will keep you engaged with your child’s development
• Kindle FreeTime arrives on Kindle Paperwhite: Helps parents encourage children to read

Amazon FreeTime for Android is currently only available in the US, but we’ll keep an eye out to see if and when it will be available in the UK.

Seriously: Amazon should make the Fire Phone for Kids

Everyone remembers the Amazon Fire Phone and probably not for the right reasons. It was 2014, smartphones were superhot, but the Fire Phone didn’t catch on. In fact, it was unilaterally derided, and its light only burned about a year before it was extinguished.

So the Fire Phone for adults sucked, leaving a Fire Stick, plenty of Fire Tablets, Kindle and the recent darling, the Echo, to continue the Amazon hardware story. But seriously, now would be a great time for Amazon to launch the Fire Phone for Kids.

We don’t mean the whole Fire Phone experience, but we mean extract the goodness from the Fire for Kids story and inject it into a phone. A lot has happened in the last few years that puts Amazon in a great position when it comes to providing content for kids through its Fire Tablets, but also through the Fire for Kids/FreeTime experience that’s now expanding to more Android devices.

One of the great things about this experience is control. More and more, we get the sense that Amazon has considered how families will share content, share Amazon accounts and control devices and content. 

In working to ensure that parents are happy that kids get access to appropriate content on a Fire Tablet, Amazon are also laying the foundations for applying that to the next device, the smartphone, by giving parents confidence in the services that Amazon offers.

•  Tablets for kids: How to setup an Amazon Fire tablet for children

My first smartphone

While providing an entertainment device is one thing – and well executed with regards to Kindles and Fire Tablets – the biggest question that parents are likely to face from children getting older is whether they can have their own phone.

It’s something we get asked here at Pocket-lint a lot – what phone should I buy for my kid? 

The answer, generally, goes along the lines of something that’s not too expensive, because it’s likely to get dropped, lost and might get stolen. But at the same time, there’s a very good reason for giving your phone a child, especially as they become more independent, heading off to school on their own, or are spending more time at other people’s houses. 

Let’s also not forget that smartphones are pretty much the centre of the universe these days and knowing how to use one is becoming a life skill. 

At the same time you don’t want to be handing over a device that gives unilateral access to the whole world of evil that smartphones offer. There are lots of ways to restrict or manage phones, but with Amazon building itself a great reputation for considering kids, this marriage makes sense, it’s a natural evolution of what’s already happening. 

Alexa, where is my child?

An Amazon phone for kids could saves parents a headache, because you could manage this phone in the same way you might manage a Kindle or Fire Tablet, you just have the shift the emphasis away from buying stuff from Amazon (which is what the original Fire Phone felt as though it was designed for) and into the realms of this being a safe device to choose as the first phone for your kids. 

Sure, some parents will have weaned their kids on an iPad and send them off to school with the latest iPhone, but Amazon has a lot to offer: a phone designed for the rough treatment kids will subject it to, access to safe and secure apps, access to content to read and watch from Amazon’s huge library and a dab of Alexa so that you, the parent, can ask your Echo where your child is.

Doesn’t that sound like something that should happen?

At internetmatters.org parents can find all the advice they will need to keep their children safe online. Designed specifically for parents, the site offers a wealth of up-to-date, unbiased information and advice about how to deal with online safety. Parents can learn about the latest issues and technologies, get great tips on how to talk about online safety with their children and get the best advice on dealing with issues and taking action. Created with experts, Internet Matters provides detailed information, but also signposts to best-in-class resources from individual expert organisations. Our goal is to ensure parents can always access the information that they need, in a format that is clear and concise.

Hulu Live TV beta launches: $40 for 50+ channels and DVR

A year after announcing its plans, Hulu is finally ready to start streaming live TV with a beta that’s opening up today. Hulu with Live TV is a $40 bundle combining 50+ channels and 50 hours of cloud DVR space with the company’s existing streaming service, ready to take on incumbents like Sling TV, PlayStation Vue and DirecTV Now in the battle for cord-trimming customers. In “many markets” that includes the local broadcast channels (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) complete with live affiliate programming, but all customers can expect six individual profiles and up to two simultaneous streams at once.

Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins announced the launch this morning during the company’s annual Upfront presentation, mentioning that it will feature channels like ESPN, Fox Sports, FX, USA, Viceland, CNN, Fox News and more. Extra cost add-ons include boosting the cloud DVR with 200 hours of storage, or “unlimited screens” streaming that lets users watch video simultaneously on as many devices as they want at their home, as well as up to three devices anywhere else. Both features cost $15 per month on their own, or they can be had together for $20. Beyond that, no commercials on the Hulu library is still $4, while Showtime is a flat $9 add-on and other premium channels are “coming soon.”

The actual live TV experience is based on the redesigned Hulu UI we saw at CES. Like the rest of Hulu, it will eventually be available across living room and mobile devices, but at launch live TV will work on iOS/Android, Apple TV, Xbox One and Chromecast. Platforms specifically mentioned as coming soon include Roku, Samsung smart TVs and Amazon Fire TV.

The interface is driven by features like the Watchlist and recommendations Hulu has been pushing over the last couple of years. As the intro video (above) explains, while you’re watching, a simple push or swipe up on your remote control is enough to let you add the show that’s currently playing to your favorites, or search for something else. Mixed with TV channels, the algorithms can sort out your favorite shows or channels, and make sure they show up first. Like everyone else in the space, Hulu is trying to figure out the future of TV, and once it’s live we’ll be able to try it out.

Just on its stats, the service lines up well with the competition, which all have their own drawbacks. Cable or satellite TV is generally more expensive and restrictive, although it’s a mature platform and you know what you’re getting vs. this beta launch. DirecTV Now has plans that range in price from $35 to $70 per month, but it lacks a DVR feature entirely. A similar package from PlayStation Vue can range between $35 and $65, but to watch on TV you will need one of Sony’s consoles. Sling TV is probably the most flexible in terms of devices and subscription packages, but its DVR is still in beta and doesn’t work on every channel. The just-launched YouTube TV features a solid user interface and and unlimited storage for $35, but it only works in a few cities, has less channels than the competition and you’ll need a Chromecast to watch it on your TV.

To its advantage, Hulu has an established streaming platform and apps (though we’ll see how stable things are once it adds live video), a simplified pricing structure and a built-in video service with exclusives like The Handmaid’s Tale and The Path.

Anyone interested in signing up for the Hulu Live TV beta right away can do so on Hulu’s website, which should also have more details and a full channel listing.

Source: Hulu Live TV

Nissan imagines Faraday cages in cars will stop phone use

Despite the many tools developed to help us down our phones while driving — from the simple Bluetooth headset to apps that automatically reply to texts — it appears we just can’t stop fiddling with the things when we’re behind the wheel. And even if your eyes are fixed on the road, barking hands-free voice commands can still render you dangerously distracted. Simply ignoring your phone is the most sensible thing to do, and Nissan has come up with the most elaborate, over-engineered way of ensuring that happens: Putting a Faraday cage inside the driver’s armrest.

Using Michael Faraday’s 19th century discovery that a cage of conductive material will stop electromagnetic fields from crossing the threshold, Nissan created its concept “Signal Shield.” Masquerading as a driver’s armrest for a Nissan Juke, the cage surrounds the internal storage compartment. Slip your phone in there and cellular, Bluetooth and WiFi signals won’t be able to reach it, disconnecting it completely from the outside world and making the vehicle a “phone-free space” — though Nissan says you can still get at your tunes by feeding a USB or aux cable in there.

Smartphone distraction is a very serious issue, of course, but there’s a reason Nissan’s Signal Shield is unlikely to progress any further than the current concept stage. Because if people won’t go to the trouble of actually using their phone’s ‘do no disturb’ mode, then they’re just as unlikely to cut themselves off by way of armrest Faraday cage.

Via: The Telegraph

Source: Nissan

The next ‘Dots’ game is completely different, except for the dots

Dots, the studio behind a beautifully-designed series of mobile games (including Two Dots and last year’s Dots & Co), just announced its next game: Wilds. As the title suggests, this game will be a departure from what the studio has produced thus far — it’s the first game that doesn’t have the word “dots” in its title. And the announcement game via an odd, enigmatic video that shows a lone figure in the middle of a dark forest, dancing amidst trees and glowing orbs. Those orbs surely resemble the dots that you must connect in the studio’s other puzzle games, but there’s no other hint as to what players can expect when Wilds arrives.

Fortunately, David Hohusen (Dots’ VP of game design) was willing to shed some light on what differentiates Wilds from its predecessors. “Connecting dots, making squares, and a couple other existing gameplay mechanics are the only things that we took from our existing titles,” he says. “We’re moving into a completely new genre [for Dots] with a puzzle RPG.” That means that for the first time, players will be in control of a female avatar who travels with them through the world of Wilds.

In another first for the Dots series, Wilds will be a non-linear game. Previous entries set you on a path of levels you had to clear, but Wilds will let players pick paths through the world — and that means they’ll run into levels they can’t get past without clearing earlier challenges and leveling up their avatar’s powers first.

“Lots of Two Dots and Dots & Co. players ask each other ‘what level are you on?’” says Hohusen. “With Wilds, people will ask ‘what level is your avatar?’ It’s going to become less relevant how far you are in the game — it’s more about what can you do that I cannot do.” And it sounds like Wilds will let player directly compare their skills — Hohusen said that the game would contain “elements” of multiplayer competition and co-op. ” It’ll be a very engaging experience — when you play this game with your friends it matters, versus just playing with random people.”

It’s hard to envision exactly how these co-op and puzzle / RPG elements will work without seeing any game footage or screenshots. But Dots has a strong track record of creating unique and engaging puzzle games, so we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt while they wrap up work on Wilds. And Hohusen said that while there’s a lot new in Wilds, the game will retain what has become the company’s hallmark: beautiful visuals and a catchy, engaging soundtrack that both pull you into the game’s world. “We call the ‘over the shoulder’ test,” he says. “The idea is if i’m playing a game on a subway, it should be that someone looking at it over your shoulder can’t take their eyes off it, or they’ll ask you what you’re playing.”

Screenshots from Dots & Co.

Naturally, Hohusen believes Wilds passes that test. “Visually, it’s a very striking game,” Hohusen says. “It’s a game that really demands your attention, and the way players interact and experience this world is super intuitive.” As a studio focused specifically on building mobile experiences, Hohusen thinks that Dots has come up with a formula well-suited for people playing quick sessions on their phones as well as those looking for longer, more in-depth experiences.

But in classic Dots fashion, Wilds will be free-to-play — which means you’re going to run out of lives eventually and have to put the game down. Hohusen stressed that, as in the studio’s other games, you’ll be able to unlock and complete every part of the game without spending any cash. But those who want to keep playing or purchase power-ups to make levels easier will need to open their wallets. But the company has done free-to-play in a fair, non-obnoxious way in the past, so hopefully they’ll be successful this time out as well.

We’ll need to wait until later this year to find out, as Wilds isn’t going to launch until sometime this fall. There’s a lot of work still to be done, which is why we’re not seeing anything besides a few visuals on the game’s site and the aforementioned teaser video. In the meantime, the company is still regularly adding levels to Two Dots and Dots & Co. If you’re new to the series, those games will give you a good idea of what the Dots universe is like before Wilds launches for iOS and Android later this year.

‘The Defenders’ trailer unites Netflix’s Marvel universe

Five seasons of Netflix-Marvel goodness (or, in the case of Iron Fist, mediocrity) have all built up to this. Building on last month’s teaser, Netflix has released the first full-blown trailer for The Defenders. Like The Avengers movies, the project is a culmination of many interlocking ‘cinematic universe’ projects. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist — all four TV shows stand on their own, but share characters, lore and the occasional cameo appearance to bind them together. The Defenders, a team-up of New York’s street-level heroes, will prove whether Netflix can deliver such an ambitious crossover project in the streaming world.

The trailer shows Jessica Jones, played by Krysten Ritter, in an interrogation room with detective Misty Knight. Before the two can exchange vocal fisticuffs, Matt Murdoch (Charlie Cox) bursts into the room, explaining that he’s now Jones’ attorney. The teaser then cuts to Harlem hero Luke Cage (Mike Colter), who crosses paths with mystical martial arts expert Danny Rand (Finn Jones). All four are soon forced to work together against a greater threat, Alexandra (Sigourney Weaver). Plenty of Marvel-Netflix side characters make an appearance too, including Elektra, Daredevil’s teacher ‘Stick’ and she-only-saves-everyone Claire Temple.

It’s a fast, witty video that hints at the chemistry all four superheroes will hopefully share on screen. The mini-series will be released globally on August 18th, 2017, so you’ve got plenty of time to binge-watch the existing shows, should you have somehow managed to avoid them until now.

Source: Netflix (YouTube)

Hulu orders more ‘Handmaid’s Tale,’ nabs ‘House of Cards’ creator

Hulu’s adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale is getting a second season, the streaming service announced this morning. That’s not exactly surprising, given the rapturous critical praise for the series. At its Upfront event for advertisers, we also learned that Hulu has brought on Beau Willimon, the creator of Netflix’s House of Cards, for The First, a new series about the first manned mission to Mars. We don’t know much else about it yet, but it’s slated to premiere next year. Together with its new Live TV service, Hulu is giving viewers a lot to get excited about over the next few years.

As for other shows, Hulu announced that it’ll have exclusive streaming video rights to Atlanta and This Is Us. They’re both critically beloved series as well, but more importantly for Hulu, they also have dedicated audiences. The company also confirmed a full season order for Marvel’s The Runaways, which would give it some original superhero action to compete with Netflix’s. It looks like a fairly typical teen show so far, based on a short teaser. But given the quality of the original comic, there’s a chance it could end up being great.

Ecobee4 Smart Thermostat With Both HomeKit and Built-In Alexa Now Available to Pre-Order For $249

Ecobee today announced that its next-generation ecobee4 smart thermostat with built-in Amazon Alexa voice services is now available to pre-order for $249 on its website in the United States. Pre-orders are estimated to start shipping on May 15, the same day it will hit shelves at Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Best Buy.

Like the ecobee3, the ecobee4 continues to support Apple HomeKit, IFTTT, and Samsung’s smart home platform SmartThings.

While the ecobee3 also works with Alexa, it can only be controlled by voice using external devices such as the Amazon Echo. The ecobee4, in addition to having a touchscreen and smartphone control, has Alexa built right in with far-field voice technology so that it can hear you from across the room.

Alexa voice service allows customers to simply ask their ecobee4 to adjust the temperature of the home, in addition to the growing list of Alexa skills such as setting a timer, helping plan your commute, or playing the news. Through far-field voice recognition, ecobee4 will conveniently respond to voice commands from anywhere in the room.

The ecobee4 has a built-in speaker and microphone for Alexa, while its side profile appears to be slightly rounder than the ecobee3. Otherwise, it has identical features and tech specs as the ecobee3.

The ecobee4 comes with a wireless room sensor and supports up to 32 sensors. Ecobee said a companion smart light switch that can measure a room’s occupancy and temperature will be released later this year.

The ecobee4, like other smart thermostats, is designed to help homeowners save money by intelligently adjusting the temperature of a home. Room sensors help manage hot and cold spots of a home, and homeowners can easily adjust temperature and comfort settings from a paired iOS or Android device.

The ecobee3 remains available for $199 on sale and $249 regularly.

Tags: HomeKit, Ecobee, Alexa
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Sprint Announces ‘Magic Box’ to Improve LTE Data Download and Upload Speeds By 200%

Sprint today announced the “Sprint Magic Box,” a small plug-and-play device that the carrier said will “dramatically improve” LTE data services and connections for any Sprint customers in its range. The indoor consumer device is built to be placed near a window, and is free for qualifying customers, with no installation, labor, or rental costs attached to its use.

The Magic Box doesn’t require a router or Wi-Fi to use — Sprint also mentioned that it doesn’t interfere with established Wi-Fi networks — and it automatically connects to the nearest Sprint cell site to guide users through installation. Once it’s up and running, Sprint said that users will see a better data experience while streaming videos and surfing online, with up to 200 percent increases in download and upload speeds.

The carrier also said that the Magic Box will be additionally beneficial in cities, as one device will boost the densification of Sprint’s network for any Sprint user nearby.

So why did we name it Sprint Magic Box? Because the product is so simple, it just plugs in and works like magic to create a better experience by virtually eliminating hard-to-reach indoor areas. Within minutes customers see an average increase of 200% in download and upload speeds. The early feedback from thousands of customers who’ve been using Sprint Magic Box has been tremendous, and we’re excited for more customers to benefit from this amazing new innovation.

One Magic Box has more than enough coverage to provide faster speeds for any average-sized home or business. According to Sprint, this means the device can cover an indoor area of around 30,000 square feet, and reaches up to 100 meters of outdoor coverage, with up to 64 simultaneous user connections sustainable on one Magic Box.

Users interested can fill out a request form to see if they qualify for the Magic Box, which can be found on Sprint’s website. The form asks for a Sprint number and description of how users heard about the offer, among the usual name and email requirements.

Tag: Sprint
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