We recently updated the Developer Portal to better serve the AVS community’s growing and diverse needs by making new self-service content publicly available, simplifying product capability management, adding new Analytics tools, and refreshing our overall look and feel.

We collaborated with CareerFoundry to create a comprehensive course on designing compelling voice experiences. The course, Voice User Interface Design with Amazon Alexa, is now open for enrollment. 

Today AWS announced that developers can now export their Amazon Lex chatbot schema into an Alexa-compatible format for use in an Alexa skill.  This enables developers to offer users even more ways to interact with Amazon Lex powered conversational chatbots.

In May, we announced new permissions features that allow you to read, add and delete items in Alexa’s Shopping and To-do lists from within your skill. This allows customers to use your skill to keep track of their important tasks and shopping needs.

Today we are excited to announce that developers can now programmatically manage and test their skills with the Alexa Skill Management API (SMAPI) and the Alexa Skills Kit Command-line Interface (ASK CLI), new features in the Alexa Skills Kit.

We’re excited to announce two new developer tools that bring enhanced music experiences to wireless and connected speakers. Devices makers can leverage these toolkits to offer customers rich voice-forward music experiences.

Introducing the AVS Device SDK, an easy-to-use SDK that provides C++-based libraries to add intelligent voice-control to connected products by including components to process audio inputs and triggers, establish persistent connections with AVS, and handle all Alexa-driven interactions.

Amazon Alexa is breaking out of the home. With the Alexa app on the HTC U11, you can bring the same voice control features you love at home on the road. By simply saying, “Alexa, turn on my air conditioning,” your home with will be nice and cool by the time you get home from work this summer. 

The Eufy Genie, a new far-field Alexa-enabled smart home device from Anker, hopes to be the key for customers who want to add hands-free voice control and cloud-based intelligence to every room in their home, connecting their favorite devices and services.

Today, we’re excited to announce we’re teaming up with Galvanize to train Alexa developers across the US in 2017. Galvanize will bring Alexa skills workshops to seven locations starting in August.

Today we introduce the Smart Life Roadshow, a traveling smart home that showcases the latest advances in intelligent voice technology. The roadshow features a 30-foot trailer outfitted with products integrated with the Alexa Voice Service, Intel supporting technology, and much more.

We are happy to announce that lock control and query capabilities are now also available to developers building skills for the UK.

Today we are excited to introduce entertainment capabilities as part of the Smart Home Skill API. Now customers can easily control cloud-connected TVs, AV Receivers, IR Hubs and even connected speakers without invoking a specific skill.

Today we announced that we now enable companies to control entertainment devices with the Smart Home Skill API in the Alexa Skills Kit. Here is an overview of how to connect your TVs, AV Receivers, IR Hubs, and even connected speakers to Alexa.

We’re excited to announce that Cirrus Logic has released its Voice Capture Development Kit for the Alexa Voice Service (AVS), designed for the development of Alexa-enabled smart speakers, portable speakers, and compact audio devices.