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Amazon’s Alexa becomes more capable, learning a new skill called Twitter Reader to tell users what’s trending on the social media platform.
As everyone may have figured out by now, owners of an Echo speaker or any other Alexa-supported device can ask it about what’s up on Twitter and even items from their personal accounts.
Needless to say, Twitter announced the big news with a tweet, informing everyone that they can just ask Alexa for important updates.
New on Amazon Alexa! Use the Twitter Reader skill to hear trends, top Tweets, notifications & more! Just #AskAlexa. pic.twitter.com/BvXRS4NiQu
— Twitter (@twitter) September 9, 2016
To get in on the action, users have to first authenticate their Twitter accounts, and after everything’s set up nicely, they can get started with the new feature by saying, “Alexa, open Twitter.”
Of course, there’s a small learning curve to it. Users will have to memorize a couple of voice commands to make the most out of the new feature, but it’s easy. Basically, the formula of sorts goes like this: “Alexa, ask Twitter …”
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On that note, Alexa can read out content on the Timeline, including Retweets, Mentions and Likes. On top of that, the voice assistant can also provide the current and local trends. Here’s a short list of what’s in store, according to Sarah Perez of TechCrunch:
“Alexa, ask Twitter for my Mentions.”
“Alexa, ask Twitter has anyone retweeted me?”
“Alexa, ask Twitter for my own tweets.”
“Alexa, ask Twitter for what is happening.”
“Alexa, ask Twitter for trends in Seattle” or any other location, for that matter.
To boil things down, Twitter users will now have an easier time staying on top of the latest goings-on and scoops on the platform without the need to lift a finger.
Before wrapping things up, it’s also worth mentioning that Alexa has started becoming more or less omnipresent across numerous devices. First off, the virtual assistant landed on the Fire HD 8 tablet recently, and that’s just the beginning, as there’s a possibility that it’ll also arrive to the PC if the plans between Amazon and Lenovo kick off without a hitch.
What’s more, it also got beefed up on the Fire TV, allowing users to simply issue voice commands to rewind or advance an Amazon Prime Instant Video.
Now that everything’s said and done, what do you think of the new feature? Feel free to hit us up in the comments section below and let us know, especially about whether or not you’re going to use it frequently.
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