10 new things you can try with Alexa

If you have an Amazon Echo smart speaker or any other Alexa-enabled device, you may already enjoy playing your favourite chartbusters or listening to your personalized selection of the daily headlines with Alexa skills by news providers. Alexa has become a great hands-free solution for music and information but did you know that Alexa could be your round the clock assistant!

Alexa can be a helpful, clever, quirky and entertaining assistant with an array of skills ranging from funny delighters like “Alexa, kya bolti tu” to general knowledge like “Alexa, what is Deja vu?”.

We've rustled up some informative and fun ways in which Alexa can help you and your family at home. Here are some things to ask and say to Alexa:-

In addition to asking for songs by its title, actors, movie, genre, or singers you can also ask for songs by lyricists and music directors, just say “Alexa, play songs by Javed Akhtar” or “Alexa, play songs by Pritam”. You can also ask for songs by language just say “Alexa, play Tamil songs” or “Alexa, play Marathi songs by Shankar Mahadevan”.

You can also listen to popular music across the country by asking “Alexa, play music that is trending in Bangalore”; “Alexa, play songs I haven't heard in a while” and “Alexa, play songs I heard in February” to rekindle memories; and “Alexa, who is the singer of this song” to start exploring other songs by them.

Spending time with your family can be a time of rest and real connection while staying at home. Alexa can help you maximise family-fun time with some fun games. To have a crazy family game time with Alexa just say “Alexa, open Akinator”, “Alexa, play impossible bollywood quiz”, “Alexa, open Number Guessing Game” or “Alexa, play true or false”.

Alexa can help you with your daily dose of laughter with a variety of delighters and Easter eggs. To get started say “Alexa, it’s the time to disco”, “Alexa, tell me a joke” or “Alexa, beatbox for me”.

To lighten your mood with a good laugh, turn to Hindi Jokes that you can enjoy with everyone around. Just say “Alexa, open Hindi Jokes”. You can also ask Alexa specific jokes to crack up your family, say “Alexa, tell me a Rajnikant joke” or “Alexa, tell me an engineer joke”.

Alexa can be your daily gyan guru by teaching you a new fact every day. She can help you with facts about cricket, science, history, space, as well as general knowledge questions. To get started, ask “Alexa, name five movies starring Amitabh Bachchan”, “Alexa, tell me about the Mughal Dynasty”, “Alexa, who is the God of cricket?” or “Alexa, give me a science fact”.

If you are not sure about what to ask, just say “Alexa, I'm curious” and Alexa will help you learn something new.

Echo devices are even more useful in the kitchen. Simply ask Alexa for step-by-step cooking instructions by saying “Alexa, give me the recipe for Palak Paneer” or “Alexa, let’s bake cookies”, and Alexa will walk you step-by-step through popular recipes curated by star chef, Sanjeev Kapoor.

To get the best experience customers can use instructions like “Alexa, pause”, “Alexa, play”, “Alexa, next step” and “Alexa, repeat step” — removing the need to manually reference recipes while hands are occupied with food preparation. You can also set a timer or ask for nutrition information of food items, for example "Alexa, what is the nutrition in banana?" or "Alexa, how many calories in a mango".

Waking up to your favourite tunes can boost your mood in the morning and kick start your day with positive energy. Alexa can help you set your favourite song or genre as your alarm tone. Just say “Alexa, wake me up at 6 AM to Kishore Kumar Songs”, “Alexa, wake me up at 9:30 AM to Please don’t stop the music by Rihaana”, or "Alexa, set an alarm for 5 AM to devotional songs".

Regular exercise is essential for supporting healthy immune function, preventing weight gain, boosting your mood and keeping you as healthy as possible at home. Alexa can help you stay fit, just ask “Alexa, play Bollywood workout playlist”, “Alexa, help me do yoga”, “Alexa, open Daily Stretch” or “Alexa, start five minute plank”

Remember your grandmother narrating the Ramayana to you? The mega epic that Indians have been holding on to for lessons, inspirations and learnings for years. Mega stars like Nasseruddin Shah, Om Puri, Anupam Kher and Ratna Pathak Shah have recreated the magic of Ramayana in the form of an audio story. To listen just say “Alexa, start Ramayan Katha”.

Alexa can also help you summon a spiritual experience at home. To get started just say “Alexa, start Hanuman Chalisa”, “Alexa, play devotional songs” or “Alexa, play morning bhajans”.

Alexa can help if you are having a stressful time. With the Headspace Alexa skill, you can build a daily meditation practice, create the conditions for a better night’s sleep, or go on guided walks and runs. To get started just “Alexa, open Headspace” and make it an everyday habit, just say “Alexa, tell Headspace I'm ready to meditate”.

You can also ask “Alexa, help me relax”, "Alexa, help me meditate”, "Alexa, help me sleep” or Alexa, play soothing music”.

How often do you switch off your TV but still want to catch up on that one last episode before sleeping! Or fight with another family member for the remote! Use your Echo devices with screens to catch up on movies and shows by asking for a movie title, movies of a certain actor, a specific TV show, or a genre of content such as kids. To get started say “Alexa, play Kuch Kuch Hota hai from Prime Video”, “Alexa, start the movie Parasite”, “Alexa, show Kareena Kapoor movies” or “Alexa, play Peppa Pig”. “Alexa, resume Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”.