These short top tips and skills for the Amazon Echo are for everyone who’s simply dotty about Alexa.
Andrea Barker (abarker15@msn.com) brings us two brilliant anti-intruder skills today. Scare off those potential burglars with everything from ferocious dogs to overly-aggressive washing up…
Listen to this famous Roald Dahl story as an audio book. Read by Kate Winslet, it's free on your Echo until the end of Sunday 19 Aug and runs for 4hrs 18mins. Happy squeezing-in!
Launched with "Stream Player", watch a wide range of free-to-view channels on your display devices or simply listen to the audio on your standard Echo or Dot. Definitely worth a look or, er, listen.
Rob and Juliet Winter are back with two brilliant HP-related demos - one to help you discover your patronus (were you to suddenly acquire magical powers and could summon one, of course) and a welcome revisit of the true or false trivia game about all seven books in the HP series. Thanks guys - magic.
Waaaay back in the dim mists of time (well, over a year ago now) we checked out this cool skill that takes spoken phrases and turns them into torturous ditties. Penny Golden (pengold2@gmail.com) isn't one to shy away from a bit of aural torture, though. No way, José!
If you like good food and you also like the BBC then this skill may be for you. Unfortunately the recipes aren't spoken by Stephen Fry or any other beloved BBC person - but the A-lady does a pretty good job. Happy cooking! Even better… happy baking!
After a lot of waffling about how to set a location for this skill, you may then want to rouse yourself for the actual demo about half way through. If you're still asleep towards the end, you'll most likely be rudely yanked awake with a bit of 'It's Raining Men'.
This one's a keeper. Grab a victim or two (in this case I nab Faith) and each try to estimate the nearest number in answer to random questions. You may be able to guestimate well if you haven't spent your whole life watching, say, a popular 80s TV show.
Penny Golden (pengold2@gmail.com) is back with two skills to inform and bemuse. Affirming aphorisms to female siblings are followed by entertaining and educational daily doses of data on random topics. Enjoy!
This really sweet skill simply serves up one joke or riddle after another. That's it. Great for all the family and nice sound-effects too. Here's hoping it knows hundreds of humorous hum-dingers rather than just a handful.
