{"id":70170,"date":"2019-02-12T12:07:10","date_gmt":"2019-02-12T12:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/?p=70170"},"modified":"2020-08-31T17:54:48","modified_gmt":"2020-08-31T17:54:48","slug":"amazon-alexa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/amazon-alexa\/","title":{"rendered":"All You Need to Know about Amazon Alexa"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>Amazon Echo is the Alexa-activated smart speaker of the Amazon. You can&#8217;t have Amazon Echo (Echo Plus or Echo Dot) without Alexa. So, Amazon Echo is widely popular as Amazon Alexa. If you are thinking to get Amazon Alexa, here is everything you need to know.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">When it comes to a little help in managing our homes and lives, smart home speakers come to great help. They are not here to only help with your routine tasks but to entertain you as well. You can call them your personal assistant, virtual assistant or smart speaker. We\u2019re talking about Amazon\u2019s very own smart product- Amazon Echo, popularly known as Amazon Alexa. Not to mention, the most versatile voice assistant and a smart speaker in the town.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Try Now: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/aws-certified-alexa-skill-builder-specialty\/free-test\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AWS CERTIFIED ALEXA SKILL BUILDER SPECIALTY FREE TEST<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">Moving further, let\u2019s first know about Amazon Alexa, and then we will explain how it performs,\u00a0 the function of Amazons Skills, Alexa certification, the comparison between Alexa Amazon and Google Home, market demand for Alexa, and the future of Alexa and much more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_76 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #ea7e02;color:#ea7e02\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #ea7e02;color:#ea7e02\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/amazon-alexa\/#What_is_Amazon_Alexa\" >What is Amazon Alexa?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/amazon-alexa\/#What_does_Alexa_do\" >What does Alexa do?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/amazon-alexa\/#Whats_the_Difference_between_Echo_Dot_and_Echo_Plus\" >What\u2019s the Difference between Echo Dot and Echo Plus?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/amazon-alexa\/#What_is_the_Function_of_Alexa_Skills\" >What is the Function of Alexa Skills?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/amazon-alexa\/#Alexa_Certification_%E2%80%93_Works_with_the_Alexa_Program\" >Alexa Certification &#8211; Works with the Alexa Program<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/amazon-alexa\/#Market_Demand_for_Alexa\" >Market Demand for Alexa<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/amazon-alexa\/#Amazon_Alexa_vs_Google_Home\" >Amazon Alexa vs Google Home<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/amazon-alexa\/#What_Should_You_Expect_from_Amazon_Alexa_in_the_Future\" >What Should You Expect from Amazon Alexa in the Future?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_Amazon_Alexa\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\">What is Amazon Alexa?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">Amazon Alexa, basically famous as Alexa derives its name from the ancient library of Alexandria. It is a virtual digital assistant based product designed by Amazon. Amazon Echo and Amazon Dot Echo speaker are Alexa Amazon\u2019s line of computing devices, which works as the voice control system of Amazon. Alexa allows you to convey your desires to an Echo smart speaker and watch them come true.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"s1\">It\u2019s the next generation Alexa-controlled smart speaker by Amazon, which is available with several derivative versions and is continually expanding its smart-home, music and digital assistant capabilities. However, it\u2019s first a wireless speaker, but it is capable of doing much more. You don\u2019t need to use anything but just the sound of your voice to search the web, play music, shop online, and control widely popular smart home products &#8211; while keeping your smartphone in your pocket.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-70211 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/whizlabs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/amazon-alexa-2ndgen.png\" alt=\"Amazon Alexa\" width=\"557\" height=\"430\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/amazon-alexa-2ndgen.png 557w, https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/amazon-alexa-2ndgen-300x232.png 300w, https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/amazon-alexa-2ndgen-544x420.png 544w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 557px) 100vw, 557px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">This may include at least the simple wishes or needs such as playing music tracks, voice interaction based music playback, streaming podcasts, setting alarms, creating to-do lists, dimming your lights, and offering real-time information like traffic, sports and weather. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">The Alexa Amazon was initially released four years ago and is compatible with the various platforms, including Amazon Echo, Fire TV, iOS, Android and Cortana. It is available in 6 languages, which includes English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">Alexa and Echo speakers are different from other first-generation voice assistants because of their responsiveness. It does not consist of any activation button that one could press. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">You need to simply speak the trigger word like \u201cAlexa\u201d, \u201cAmazon\u201d, \u201cEcho\u201d, or \u201cComputer\u201d followed by the activity you want the system to perform for you and get it done in no time. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">Everything will work fine if you\u2019ve used the correct command and set each of the things properly. Once you get familiar with the tricks, you\u2019ll realize that the functionality of Alexa is much more simple and natural than a phone-based voice assistant such as Apple\u2019s Siri. And thus, you\u2019ll notice that your phone usage will be less at home. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_does_Alexa_do\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\">What does Alexa do?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">Alexa developed a natural language interpretation system which is extremely easier to interact with. You don\u2019t need to request twice on asking a question or delivering a command. The success of Alexa depends on the highly sensitive microphones available in all echo devices. As mentioned earlier, Echo devices let voice streaming only when done on the cloud, and you ask it to do something. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">Your requests will appear on the top in the app, and you can erase them. Also, on speaking a magic word, the microphone will take everything you speak next and move it up for the quick analysis by Amazon\u2019s cloud computers. If there is a question like, &#8220;Alexa, what\u2019s the weather in Ontario today?\u201d Then an answer comes up from a female speaker in a slight computer voice. In case, you want music then the Alexa will look into the Amazon Prime Music or Amazon Music catalog as per the request of genre or artist.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-70207 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/whizlabs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/what-can-alexa-do.png\" alt=\"Amazon Alexa\" width=\"617\" height=\"401\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/what-can-alexa-do.png 617w, https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/what-can-alexa-do-300x194.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 617px) 100vw, 617px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">To perform such actions, you must have a prime account on Amazon to access the prime music. And in order to do that you first need an Amazon Alexa login. It can also play music from Pandora free or subscriber accounts, TuneIn internet radio stations, iHeartRadio, Spotify (Subscribe accounts) and Apple Music. If the request is for adjusting the thermostat or turning off the light, your thermostat temperature will adjust, and the light will turn off. This will happen only if you have made a correct request. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">Making daily tasks easier is one of the smart device key characteristics. Turning off your light with an app on your iPhone is simple. But, finishing a similar task with just a simple command without taking out your phone from your pocket is even easier. Alexa and Echo speakers are the ideal options for smart-home users who believe that even launching an app is even a tedious task for them. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">Apart from its built-in capabilities, Alexa provides over 3,000 \u201cSkills\u201d from Amazon and third-party integration applications such as IFTTT, Muzzley, and Yonomi. These allow users to extend the functionality of Alexa to automate and coordinate the interaction between other connected devices.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">Alexa Echo is a one-of-its-kind decent Amazon Echo speaker. But if you are a fan of music streaming, you can achieve better sound quality with other speakers. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Whats_the_Difference_between_Echo_Dot_and_Echo_Plus\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\">What\u2019s the Difference between Echo Dot and Echo Plus?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">However, all the devices by Amazon Alexa provide essentially similar functions. But, they are usually different in more than one way. So, you can\u2019t simply use the one in the place of others. Or you can also choose to have the cheapest option. Let&#8217;s find the difference between Echo dot and Echo plus.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">Amazon Echo Dot <\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">The 3<\/span><span class=\"s2\"><sup>rd<\/sup><\/span><span class=\"s1\"> generation of Amazon smart speaker has the feature to connect wirelessly to your preferred choice of sound system or speaker. The overall look of the new Dot is somewhat similar to tuna. It is also a little larger than the old Dot and includes a fabric cover like the main Echo. The Echo Dot also contains the microphone and volume buttons on top similar to a current Echo or an original Dot. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">The Dot offers you the complete control, search features, and a speaker that is great for listening to Dot\u2019s voice, talk radio and alarms. However, it\u2019s not a good option to enjoy music. So, for music, you can connect the Dot with any Bluetooth speaker or can also use a stereo jack of 3.5 millimeters for a wired audio connection. You can even hook up that into an audio receiver or a powered speaker.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-70201 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/amazon-echo-dot.png\" alt=\"Amazon Echo Dot\" width=\"608\" height=\"368\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/amazon-echo-dot.png 608w, https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/amazon-echo-dot-300x182.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">Consider, for instance, if you plug the Dot to your home theater receiver, you could enjoy the music from a 1,000-watt system. With an AV receiver, you can output the Dot across all the speakers. But, there is one downside to it. Your sound system or connected speaker must be turned on in order to hear Dot\u2019s voice responses. <\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\"> Amazon Echo Plus<\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">The Amazon Echo Plus is the 2nd generation of the Amazon smart speaker. It is the right choice for you if smart-home control tops your list of reasons for having an Echo. It is available in three fabric cover colors and is little wider than the Echo (we guess that\u2019s why it\u2019s given the name Echo Plus). This model includes support for a well-known wireless system- Zigbee that controls smart home device available at many smart-home places. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">The new Plus entails a temperature sensor as well, which functions really well in few smart-home device integrations. With an in-built Zigbee in an Echo, it means you can easily connect with Zigbee accessories that include outlet plugs, door locks, and smart bulb, without any need of an additional hub. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">The Echo Plus can work with most of the Zigbee smart devices, but not all of them. It works with a Philips Hue bulb, Philips Hue light strip, Samsung SmartThings Zigbee plug, and some Schlage smart locks. Echo Plus does not need the Hue Bridge, unlike other Hue systems. There is a lot of improvement in the Echo app with the latest Plus addition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-70202 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/whizlabs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/amazon-echo-plus.png\" alt=\"Amazon Echo Plus\" width=\"507\" height=\"557\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/amazon-echo-plus.png 507w, https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/amazon-echo-plus-273x300.png 273w, https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/amazon-echo-plus-382x420.png 382w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 507px) 100vw, 507px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">It has now become easier to control smart-home devices from inside the app while having the ability to control them with your voice as well. You may not get detailed controls in the Echo plus pairing with the app. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">You\u2019ll definitely save some money and time in complication set with Echo Plus instead of using a smart-home hub. It is slightly better than original, but most of the people who have basic smart-home needs may not have any issue in using the standard and cheaper Dot. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_Function_of_Alexa_Skills\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\">What is the Function of Alexa Skills?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">In the world of Alexa Echo, a skill and app are both similar. Skills are a small program that offers you a new ability when you add it to your Echo. Developers can build and publish Alexa Skills with the Alexa Skills kit called Alexa Skills. This kit was launched for the audience with basic programming knowledge to create the skills and add them to Alexa. Once the skills are added, you can use it on any Alexa device without any need of adding the skill to each device. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">These skills are developed by third-party which if published are available on Alexa-enabled devices. With Amazon\u2019s AWS Lambda service, it becomes possible to run skills completely in the cloud. Amazon released Blueprints in 2018 so as to allow individuals with a tool that helps them in building their skills for personal use. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">The Alexa app consists of more than 25,000 skills, and the number is increasing day by day. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">For smart-home enthusiasts, IFTTT skill is the first skill that one will want to add. The IFTTT is (if this then that), and it\u2019s an app and website that allows you to link different devices in the cloud. The app basically calls it recipes. Products that are designed using Alexa Voice service can get access to the growing list of Alexa capabilities, which includes Alexa Skills as well. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Alexa_Certification_%E2%80%93_Works_with_the_Alexa_Program\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\">Alexa Certification &#8211; <i>Works with the Alexa Program<\/i><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">Works with the Alexa program is a certification program that ensures your customers receives the best smart home experience by elevating the features like reliability, functionality, and responsiveness. When as a seller, your product receives the certification, your products become eligible to carry the badge of \u201cWorks with Alexa Badge\u201d on product packaging and in the Amazon Smart Home Store. This would lift the customer confidence that the products you are selling possess seamless integration with Alexa.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-70203 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/whizlabs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/works-with-alexa.png\" alt=\"Works with Alexa\" width=\"549\" height=\"119\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/works-with-alexa.png 549w, https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/works-with-alexa-300x65.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 549px) 100vw, 549px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">This, as a result, will increase the traffic to your products in both the offline channels and Amazon Smart Home Store. But for this, your product must fulfill some product and eligibility requirements as per the guidelines defined by Works with the Alexa Program. Once you are done with thorough testing of your product, you can register your product for certification in the console panel of \u201cWorks with Alexa.\u201d If your product holds a certification, you can make use of Works with Alexa badge as per the guidelines of trademark usage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Also, Amazon Web Services has recently launched an Alexa certification i.e.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/aws-certified-alexa-skill-builder-specialty-beta-exam\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder specialty beta exam<\/a>.\u00a0The AWS Alexa Skill Builder Specialty exam tests and validates the expertise of the candidate in building, publishing, certifying, and testing Amazon Alexa skills. So, if you are a skilled Alexa developer who wants to demonstrate his Alexa skill-building experience, this certification is for you.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Market_Demand_for_Alexa\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\">Market Demand for Alexa<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">In 2018, Amazon\u2019s Alexa saw a whopping rise with 40,000 developers in India alone, as the U.S retail giant put its best forward and captured the smart speaker market in India. The Alexa has left no stone unturned to seek the attention of developers and companies and achieve victory over Homepod powered by Apple Siri\u2019s, which are slowly gaining a strong foothold in the market.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>From e-commerce and cloud to music and entertainment, Amazon is doing every bit to make it an extension of its product offerings. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This is evident from a <a href=\"https:\/\/voicebot.ai\/2019\/02\/05\/cirp-reports-that-u-s-smart-speaker-installed-base-rose-to-66-million-in-2018-with-amazon-holding-70-share-compared-to-google-and-apple\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">recent CIRP report<\/a> released on February 5, 2019, Smart Speakers has hit 66 million installed base hits in the US while Amazon holds 70% share as compared to Google and Apple.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This means smart speaker owners make their purchase decision based on voice and also shows their loyalty to the company from where they bought their smart speaker, particularly Amazon. Also, Amazon\u2019s smart speaker market share in the U.S. was 70% last year, and it still dominated over three-quarters of the market in the U.S. Let&#8217;s have a look how the google trends changed for the Amazon Alexa in last 5 years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"s1\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-70204 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/whizlabs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/amazon-alexa-google-trends.png\" alt=\"Amazon Alexa Google Trends\" width=\"553\" height=\"374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/amazon-alexa-google-trends.png 553w, https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/amazon-alexa-google-trends-300x203.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 553px) 100vw, 553px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">There are 12,000 Alexa-enabled connected smart home devices from 2,000 unique brands. Furthermore, the number of consumers speaking to Alexa devices with third-party skills increased by around 75% in 2017. So, by 2020, most of the brands will demand a voice strategy of some form.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Amazon_Alexa_vs_Google_Home\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\">Amazon Alexa vs Google Home<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">One thing which is crystal clear in the smart home market &#8211; Amazon and Google are long-term contenders fighting for supremacy. Amazon today is leading the market with high sales and a huge platform wherein third-party providers can create solutions for its well-known Alexa Echo products. However, Google has also expanded its partnerships with several companies to boost its Home\u2019s appeal with better smart home devices. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">For people who wish to transform their boring home into a smart home, it becomes difficult to choose between Google Home and Amazon Echo. Let\u2019s see the basic differences between them i.e. Amazon Alexa vs Google Home.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">Amazon Alexa features volume controls and a mute button on the top. There is not only a single way to access Alexa. Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Spot, Echo Show, Amazon Echo Plus and Echo Dot Kids Edition are some of the multiple Alexa-enabled devices. It is also possible to access Alexa with the Alexa app such as Fire TV Stick (remote), Fire TV, and Fire TV Cube (hands-free). There are also many other third-party devices.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-70212 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/whizlabs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/google-home-vs-amazon-alexa.png\" alt=\"Amazon Alexa vs Google Home\" width=\"427\" height=\"340\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/google-home-vs-amazon-alexa.png 427w, https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/google-home-vs-amazon-alexa-300x239.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 427px) 100vw, 427px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">Google Home includes a swappable base, mute button on the back and a touch interface. Similar to Echo, it also consists of multiple versions like Google Home, Google Home Mini, Google Home Max and Google Home Hub (video screen). Google Home does not allow to stream music from the camera, and you can only ask the questions in it. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">To this end, Amazon Alexa is very powerful. It helps in a variety of tasks for you. Plus, it is also a dominating leader when it comes to using it in different ways. As said earlier, Alexa Amazon comes has over 25,000 skills. On the contrary, Google Home does not provide a similar level of third-party support as Alexa. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Should_You_Expect_from_Amazon_Alexa_in_the_Future\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\">What Should You Expect from Amazon Alexa in the Future?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">Recently, the Amazon has started shipping new versions of Echo Plus, Echo Dot, and Echo Show. These devices include the latest convenience and security features like simple Wi-Fi setup that lets you connect smart compatible devices with your voice. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">As Amazon is building the smart-home capabilities of Alexa, it is making it easier for companies to develop compatible devices. This as a consequence is inviting more and more companies to declare their integration with Alexa. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">The future would see its ability to take the benefit of the Echo\u2019s Bluetooth connection to use it as a speakerphone. You can also expect it to have more in-built non-Amazon devices. Right now it works in a great way to answer the basic questions and play music from various streaming devices. But as the accessories are making themselves compatible with Alexa, it seems to lay a strong foundation for a smart home powered by Alexa. Alexa will let you control the accessories of your home with your voice which will be much more preferred than turning your lights on by poking your iPhone. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">Leading companies like Ford cars, Toyota are integrating Alexa into their products because it\u2019s an easily available open platform that the companies can build into. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">Over the passing years, the Echo has become more capable and powerful in streaming music from a wide number of music servers. You can call an Uber, order a pizza and control the function of your home using it. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">In the future, businesses can create efficiencies and improve their customer experience by using Alexa for business purpose. As Amazon is trying to make Alexa sound more like a human, it\u2019ll become a true assistant for all of your conversational needs. Amazon proudly captures 70% of the market of smart speakers as Alexa has been successful to work with more than 1000 products worldwide. From modular kitchen to door lock, Alexa is being used everywhere, and it\u2019s ready to take over the world of communication. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">In the coming years, Alexa skills will become an integral part of our lives as we\u2019re realizing the utility of these skills. Many of the Alexa skills like FitBit, Ted Talks are already being used, and in the future, it will become an inseparable part of the households. It will also become our assistant helping us in reminding us about appointments, creating song lists, booking flights, and doing various other activities that can keep the work on track without any added effort. With the continuing innovation and yet to be seen features, the possibilities of Alexa will go longer than what we all can imagine.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Final Words<\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"s1\">Amazon Alexa is capable of making work easier through the intelligent brain and adds on features, and this will make it the most demanded tool in every home. Who wouldn\u2019t want to have such essentiality which gives the comfort to get what you want just when you say it. Alexa Amazon is all set to conquer the market of voice speaker, and it will change the way people can interact with technology. If you the one preparing for the AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder Specialist exam, check your preparation level with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/aws-certified-alexa-skill-builder-specialty\/practice-tests\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AWS Alexa Skill Builder Specialty practice tests<\/a>\u00a0now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>So, which generation of the Amazon Alexa are you planning to get? If you already have the one, don&#8217;t forget to share your experience with Alexa in the comment section below.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Amazon Echo is the Alexa-activated smart speaker of the Amazon. You can&#8217;t have Amazon Echo (Echo Plus or Echo Dot) without Alexa. So, Amazon Echo is widely popular as Amazon Alexa. If you are thinking to get Amazon Alexa, here is everything you need to know. When it comes to a little help in managing our homes and lives, smart home speakers come to great help. They are not here to only help with your routine tasks but to entertain you as well. You can call them your personal assistant, virtual assistant or smart speaker. We\u2019re talking about Amazon\u2019s very [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":70180,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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Gumaste","author_link":"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/author\/pavan\/"},"uagb_comment_info":39,"uagb_excerpt":"Amazon Echo is the Alexa-activated smart speaker of the Amazon. You can&#8217;t have Amazon Echo (Echo Plus or Echo Dot) without Alexa. So, Amazon Echo is widely popular as Amazon Alexa. If you are thinking to get Amazon Alexa, here is everything you need to know. When it comes to a little help in managing&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70170"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71943,"href":"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70170\/revisions\/71943"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whizlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}