Image used with permission by copyright holderLast fall, voters in the U.S. were able to stay updated on election news and results by way of Alexa, and now, that same skill is crossing the pond. With elections in the U.K. slated to take place in just three short days on Thursday, June 8, Amazon is doing its part to ensure that the electorate is educated. As such, you can now ask your Amazon Echo to fill you in on all the latest happenings in the political arena, by asking questions like, “Alexa, what’s going on with Theresa May?”
An Amazon spokesperson told The Independent that Alexa’s answers will be sourced from the virtual assistant’s knowledge graph, and will span quite a wide breadth of topics. And perhaps most importantly is the tool’s promise to bring voters information in near real-time, which may prove key in a close race, where results can vary on a minute-by-minute basis. But as The Independent reports, Alexa ought to be able to tell engaged citizens what the polls are currently predicting, when the debates will be held, and who is eligible to cast a ballot.
Recommended Videos
Potential questions include, “Alexa, what is the polling like?” or “Alexa, what’s the latest with The Labour Party?” or “Alexa, what’s the latest with the election?” And as polls close and the official results start rolling in, Alexa will be able to keep the U.K. informed. At that point, if you ask, “Alexa, who is winning the election?” the assistant should tell you which party appears to be on top, the number of seats that party has won, the total number of seats currently declared, and the number of seats won by the parties in second and third place.
7 things you didn’t know your Amazon Alexa smart display could do
Everyone knows the Echo Show can walk you through recipes, drop-in to chat with relatives, and let you control your smart home with just a few taps of a button. But did you know that it has a lot of lesser-known features, too?
While these aren't exactly hidden features, they aren't as well-known as many of the mainstream features the Echo Show is capable of. You might find that your Amazon Alexa smart display is can do much more than you thought.
Alexa can make restaurant reservations
You don't have to navigate complicated audio menus or wade through incomprehensible websites to secure a table for date night. Thanks to the OpenTable Skill with Alexa, you can make restaurant reservations straight from your Echo Show.
7 things you didn’t know Alexa could do on an Amazon Echo smart speaker
There's no doubt that an Alexa-powered smart speaker is useful. After all, the ability to control your smart home, play games, and choose music with your voice is phenomenal -- but did you know there are a lot of abilities that go overlooked?
Alexa is jam-packed with features that don't get as much time in the limelight. Some will keep you entertained, while others can help you give back to the world around you.
Alexa can make charity donations
If there's one thing the past year has made abundantly clear, it's the importance of looking out for one another. Alexa can simplify that by making charity donations for you -- just say, "Alexa, I want to make a donation."
Got a song you love on your Echo? Alexa users can now share it with friends
How often are you listening to the radio when a song comes on and you think, "My best friend would love this?" Thanks to Alexa's new music sharing feature, you don't have to try to remember the name of the song. If you're listening to music through Alexa and hear a song you know someone would like, just say "Hey Alexa, share this song with ____."
Provide Alexa with the name of a contact and she will send the song to that person. They can then listen to the music through their own Echo device or through the Alexa app and send a reaction to let you know what they thought of it.
