Amazon Australia has thrown down the gauntlet against Google Assistant, debuting new ‘Alexa Blueprints’, in a bid to ramp up its digital assistant’s intelligence and heighten software customisation.
From today, Aussies can create their own personalised Alexa skills in just minutes – everything from unique audio notes for a babysitter/housesitter, personalised study quiz notes, custom jokes and more.
Amazon’s Alexa Skill Blueprints follows a web-based interface, offering simple templates for non-coders to create personalised skills with ‘the ease of a Word document’.
Custom skills can remain private, or be shared with friends and family via email, Facebook or message.
Over 30 Alexa Skill Blueprints are now locally available, with the library set to grow with time [full summary list available below]
Following a simple ‘fill in the blanks’ model, users can create their own personalised skills and responses for Alexa, via easy-to-use templates.
Amazon affirms there’s no limit to the number of skills a user can create, with simple editing via the Alexa Skill Blueprint website.
Created skills are instantly available on devices associated with a users’ Amazon account, and are viewable via the Alexa app too.
Further information and FAQs are available on Amazon’s Alexa Skill Blueprints website here.
Watch a few example applications of custom Alexa Blueprint skills below:
[Australian interface/options may differ slightly]
Alexa Skill Blueprints available at local launch include:
At Home
• Custom Q&A: Customise responses to your questions
• House Guest: Make your guests feel at home with quick access to important info
• Babysitter: Help your sitter find things, remember steps and get important info
• Pet Sitter: Help your pet sitter care for your favourite animal
• Whose Turn: Figure out whose turn it is to do something by having Alexa choose for you
• Flatmate: Help your roommates by providing them with all the important information they
should know
Fun & Games
• Family Jokes: Create a list of your favourite jokes for when you need a laugh
• Dad Jokes: Create a list of your favourite dad jokes
• Trivia: Create your own multiple choice trivia game on any topic
• Inspirations: Curate a list of your favourite inspirational quotes
• Family Trivia: Play together and brush up on family history
• Birthday Trivia: Play to see who knows the birthday girl or boy best
• Sledges: Roast your friends and family with light-hearted sledges
• Compliments: Flatter your favourites with a list of custom compliments
• First Letter: Play a game of categories starting with a certain letter
• World’s Best Mum: Celebrate mum with a list of customised compliments
• World’s Best Dad: Celebrate dad with a list of customised compliments
• Five Item Rush: Score your friends in this wacky categories game
• Sidekick: Alexa always has your back with these supportive and funny responses
• What To Do: Make choices fun and easy by having Alexa randomly choose an item from your
list
• Three Word Sort: Train your brain in this topsy-turvy sorting game
Storyteller
• Adventure: Write an adventure story where your child is the hero
• Fairy Tale: Customise an interactive prince and princess-themed tale
• Sci-Fi: Create an interactive story with a far-out theme
• Fable: Create a short narrative with a moral of the story
• Spooky Story: Create an interactive spooky story with your child as the main character
• All About Mum: Surprise mum with a personalised story
• All About Dad: Surprise dad with a personalised story
• Story Quiz: Create a story and test your memory
Learning & Knowledge
• Flash Cards: Study, test yourself, and master any subject by voice
• Facts: Keep a list of facts on your favourite topic, all in one place
• Quiz: Challenge yourself and others with a customizable quiz
• Listening Quiz: Listen and recall what you’ve learnt with this listening quiz skill.
