Amazon Alexa Skills, Features, Tips: Voice Assistant Now Has 15,000 Skills in the U.S.

By Faith Baquirquir, Christian Post Contributor Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Amazon's impressive voice service Alexa has been progressing quite well in terms skill count.

In a report on VoiceBot, it is said that by the end of June, the number of Amazon Alexa skills has passed 15,000 for the first time in the U.S. alone. Globally, the number is believed to be nearing 20,000.

The publication also stated that the skill count for Amazon Alexa has grown 37 times faster than Google Assistant. Last month, users with Alexa-enabled devices were introduced to over 2,000 new skills while those with Google Assistant saw only 74 newly added skills. Microsoft Cortana, on the other hand, only had 7 new additions.

According to Tom's Guide, Alexa is helping users grab Amazon Prime member-exclusive deals, plan vacations using one's Kayak account, book Uber and Lyft rides, and order pizza from Domino's and Pizza Hut. It also assists users in checking the airport security waiting times, composing hands-free text messages, performing calls to other Alexa-enabled devices, checking for possible data breaches, checking stock prices, getting board game instructions, getting recipe ideas, and more.

Alexa also enables users to talk to a psychologist using ELIZA, a computer program that contains a script that is able to imitate a Rogerian psychologist. However, this is not meant to be a substitute for real therapy.

In other news, the HTC U11 is the first smartphone ever to be equipped with hands-free Amazon Alexa. Users can simply say "Alexa" and the voice service will launch right away, without having to press any buttons or opening any applications.

Even when the device is not in use, people can get Alexa to respond immediately with the help of the Always-On Microphone capability.

Devices primarily equipped with the Alexa voice services include the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Tap, Echo Show, Fire Tablet, and Fire TV. It is said that the developers are also trying to expand its reach to their devices, such as third-party speakers.