Saturday, September 23, 2017

"Bible People": a new Alexa skill

I recently published an Alexa skill called "Bible People". This skill lets you take a quiz about people in the Bible or ask for information about a particular person. I'm a big fan of the Bible, and my hope is that this skill would promote Bible knowledge.

I had fun developing the skill, and I'm curious what other people think about it. You can comment on this blog post or post a review in the Alexa skill store. If you'd like to suggest that you friends and family try the skill, I'd appreciate the endorsement.

Alexa is Amazon's digital assistant technology (similar to how Apple has Siri, Microsoft has Cortana, etc.). You might already have an Alexa-enabled device (or you might have a device that could access Alexa with a little effort):
  • Alexa can be used from a dedicated device (such as an "Echo" or "Echo Dot" device from Amazon).
  • You can also use Alexa from an Android or iPhone device by installing the "Amazon Shopping" app (Google Play storeiTunes store). Once you install the app, you can click on the microphone button at the top to talk to Alexa (such as, "tell me a joke" or "launch Bible People" if it's enabled).
  • On a desktop (or laptop), you can use the Echosim.io website. Similar to the phone app, you'll need to click on the microphone button.

If you have an Alexa-enabled device, you'd need to enable the skill first. You can enable my skill by visiting the Alexa website (or if you have the Alexa app on your phone, you can search for "Bible People" by OlioEngr Development). To use the app, you would tell the device "Alexa, launch Bible People."

Besides "Bible People", I've released three other Alexa skills: