Episode Summary: A deep dive into Amazon Alexa — how the voice assistant works, what it can do, how Amazon Skills and Flash Briefings function, and how to get a podcast onto Alexa devices via TuneIn.
What You'll Learn
- What Amazon Alexa is, how it works, and what the Echo and Echo Dot devices do
- The range of things Alexa could do in 2018: Q&A, streaming, smart home control, shopping
- What Amazon Skills and Flash Briefings are, and how to create one for your podcast
- How to get a podcast listed on Alexa devices via TuneIn
Pro tip for podcasters and livestreamers: mute the microphone on top of an Echo or Dot before recording — the button turns the ring red and stops Alexa from responding, which matters a lot when recording a podcast episode that keeps saying her name.
What Is Amazon Alexa, and How Does It Work?
Alexa is a cloud-based, voice-activated virtual assistant Amazon launched in 2014. The two most popular devices at the time were the Echo ($99, tall cylinder shape) and the Echo Dot ($50, hockey-puck shaped). Alexa uses AI to listen, understand, and answer most questions, with capabilities always updating automatically. You wake her by saying her name, then speak your request — she's always on and always listening. Settings are managed through the iOS or Android app.
Origin of the name: "Alexa" was chosen partly because the hard "X" consonant is easier to recognize accurately, and partly as a nod to the ancient Library of Alexandria — reportedly also inspired by Star Trek's computer voice system. If "Alexa" happens to be your name or a household member's, the wake word can be changed.
What Can Alexa Do?
- Questions and answers — much like Siri or Google.
- Streaming — radio, Amazon Prime Music, Spotify, podcasts, even bedtime stories.
- Productivity and tasks — alarms, timers, to-do lists, calendar checks, kitchen measurement conversions.
- Information and news — weather, news, sports scores.
- Calling — voice or message other Alexa device owners.
- Smart home control — lights, thermostats, and other compatible devices.
- Fun and games — jokes, songs, puns, trivia-style games like Jeopardy.
- Shopping — order directly from Amazon (and, in some markets, Domino's, Uber, or Starbucks), with parental/household restrictions available.
Amazon Skills and Flash Briefings
Amazon Skills expand what Alexa devices can do — think of them like iPhone apps, with thousands already available from third-party developers, enabled through the Alexa app or Amazon's website.
Flash Briefings are a special type of Skill delivering short news and information updates from sources including blog and podcast RSS feeds. Once enabled, a listener can simply ask Alexa for their flash briefing, or bundle it into a "Routine" alongside their to-do list, calendar, and weather.
How to Make a Flash Briefing
Read the complete show notes and resources on mikemurphy.ai.
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