Below is a list of five Alexa skills worth trying, selected from the Top Enabled, Customer Favorites This Week, and New Skills categories in the Alexa Skills Store on Amazon.com.
In Alexa news this week, you can now set reminders and name your countdown timers. iCloud users also gained the ability to integrate their calendars this week.
Alto
Alto is part of a trend of new email apps that can tell you more particular, practical things about your inbox — like when an actual person has emailed you or when a package is scheduled to arrive.
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It’s made by AOL, but don’t think of it as AOL Mail only. Alto also supports Gmail, Outlook, and a lot of other email clients.
The Alto Alexa skill can tell you about your incoming packages or your next flight, but say “Alexa, ask Alto about my day,” and you’ll get a digest that includes the day’s events, any packages arriving, flights or hotel reservations for that day, and pending invites.
Also out recently: the Astro Alexa skill. Astro does a lot of the same things as Alto, but it comes with a bot that suggests which emails to make VIP and which to archive or send straight to archives.
My ETA
If you live in a congested city or urban area you may find this skill especially useful.
My ETA tells you how long it will take to get where you’re going, whether you’re driving a car, riding a bike, or taking the bus or a train. Perhaps the best part is that My ETA will calculate how long the trip will take based on when you’re leaving.
It’s also helpful whenever a friend asks where you are and how long it will take to reach them. This feature is built into a lot of apps today, perhaps most notably Google Maps, as well as ride sharing apps like Lyft and Uber. Still, this looks like a pretty practical skill.
National Geographic Geo Quiz
This skill features the iconic National Geographic theme music and asks six quiz questions daily. The National Geographic Society releases questions like “What’s the largest country in Africa by area?” (Algeria) or “Mount Rushmore is located near Rapid City in which state?” (South Dakota).
Hunt the Yeti
Hunt the Yeti is exactly what it sounds like. In the game you can move your hunter north, south, east, or west in a 5×5 game. Say “throw the spear” anytime, but keep in mind you only get one spear in a game, and once you throw it the game is over.
Lie Swatter
This skill brings a game show host voice-over to seven true-false trivia questions around a specific subject.
