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Alexa Skills Projects

You're reading from   Alexa Skills Projects Build exciting projects with Amazon Alexa and integrate it with Internet of Things

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Product type Paperback
Published in Jun 2018
Publisher Packt
ISBN-13 9781788997256
Length 250 pages
Edition 1st Edition
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Author (1):
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Madhur Bhargava Madhur Bhargava
Author Profile Icon Madhur Bhargava
Madhur Bhargava
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Anatomy of an Alexa Skill

In this section, we will strive to understand what makes Alexa, the personal assistant bundled with Amazon Echo, so smart. The sole reason that Alexa can follow and understand a user's voice commands is because it has skills, and not just in a literal sense, but also in an actual sense.

An Alexa Skill is an actual piece of software code designed for a singular purpose; that is, to make Alexa accomplish a certain task. The following are some examples:

  • There is an Alexa Skill to order pizza from Domino's Pizza
  • There is an Alexa Skill to summon Uber
  • There is an Alexa Skill to order flowers
  • There is an Alexa Skill to listen to your horoscope

The number of skills available for Alexa has been steadily growing since 2016. As of early 2018, there are over 30,000 third-party skills available for Alexa in the US alone:

Figure 2.6: Growth...
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