Amazon AVS and Echoism.io unleashed in the UK
Amazon today turned on two new services for developers who want to build new Alexa experiences for customers in the UK—Alexa Voice Service and Echosim.io.
Amazon has begun allowing developers to work with its Alexa voice assistant for British and German markets.
If you’re still unaware of what Alexa is, then the easiest way to describe it is as Amazon’s answer to Google Assistant, Apple Siri, or Microsoft’s Cortana.
Alexa had a strong presence at CES 2017 and it looks like it’s only going to get bigger
Build Alexa into any connected device with a mic and a speaker
The Alexa Voice Service (AVS) allows hardware makers to integrate Alexa into their Internet-connected devices, with only a few lines of code.
Using AVS, manufacturers can build Alexa’s intelligent voice control into any product with an internet connection, a microphone and a speaker, for free.
Word is that you don’t even need experience with natural language understanding or speech recognition. Bonus!
The launch enables manufacturers to build their own Alexa-powered devices for their UK customers. Expect a whole new range of devices that will be able to respond to your request.
The arrival of AVS follows the UK launch of the Alexa Skills Kit in September 2016. Manufacturers including Sonos, Invoxia and Logitech are among over a thousand developers planning voice-driven experiences.
More information on the launch of AVS can be found on the Amazon Developer Blog here. Developers can learn more and get started at: https://developer.amazon.com/alexa-voice-service/international/.
Echosim.io – access Alexa via your browser
In addition to the launch of AVS, Amazon also enabled developers worldwide to use Echosim.io to access Alexa in the UK.
Echosim is an independent online tool for developers that simulates the look and feel of an Amazon Echo. This hands users the ability to experience a realistic interaction with Alexa capabilities and skills.
Echosim.io lives in your browser. This means that anyone, anywhere, can access it to test Alexa skills without actually needing an Echo device.
Developers worldwide can use Echosim.io to experience Alexa, and its simplicity makes it easy for anyone to understand what an Echo is and what Alexa can do.
More information on Echosim.io is available on the Amazon Developer Blog here.
Developers worldwide can access Echosim and experience Alexa using their Amazon account at https://echosim.io.
