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Try Amazon Alexa without an Echo – How?
Alexa, the digital assistant program of Amazon, will be available in your browser. It’s an interesting feature that moves Alexa to a browser from Echo.
Amazon decided to put a new online feature to a browser to make its virtual assistant program more accessible. Amazon Alexa, which was originally part of the Amazon Echo, can now be accessed by developers and users so they can play it on their browsers through echosim.io.
A lot of you may ask whether the new feature creates an ideal VA for customers that can open new tabs or control a smart home? Or even drive a Tesla? Unfortunately, it’s not. It’s primarily designed for developers.
“It started with Sam Machin’s brainchild, Alexa in the Browser. Born late last year at a hackathon, the project served as an inspiration for Echosim.io – a new online community tool for developers that simulates the look and feel of an Amazon Echo.
Echosim.io gives users the ability to experience a realistic interaction with Alexa capabilities and skills. Echosim.io lives in your browser, so anyone, anywhere can access it and test their Alexa skills. You no longer need an Alexa-enabled device to test your skills. Developers worldwide can use Echosim.io to experience Alexa.”
Alexa is the voice behind Amazon Echo and has evolved into a useful platform for voice-activated commands. When you use Alexa on Echo, you can access music streaming services, order pizza, control lighting, etc.
The digital assistant can do a lot more. Developers can create customized commands that the assistance can respond to, making it a significant strength of the platform. By attracting developers, Amazon’s Echo will have an edge over its rival tech companies, like Google’s Home.
echosim.io is a virtual alternative to having an Echo for developers. After the idea of having Alexa in the browser, several improvements were made allowing developers to see what its capabilities are. It also lets them test out new codes that will work with Alexa.
To try out Alexa on your browser, you should log into echosim.io as a developer or a regular Amazon account. When the program has a microphone access, you can click on the mic button. Then, you can start asking Alexa anything that you want. After asking a question, it will take a few seconds to process your request before responding.
For amateur coders, Amazon set up templates to create fact, how-to skills and other custom voice commands, which may further attract more new developers.
But if you’re not interested in learning to code, the browser simulator for Alexa won’t have a huge draw.
It’s not the first time that this digital assistant appeared outside Echo. Users have already seen it on a smartwatch. Amazon is keen to have this technology available on a wide array of devices in the future.
echosim.io might boost Alexa and Echo’s popularity and help compete successfully against Google Home, which will arrive later. Apple, on the other hand, is rumored to be creating another competitor of Echo.
Currently, Amazon Echo is only available in the US. If you can’t own an Echo yet, then echosim.io might be the best thing to test it out.
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