Alexa will trick or greet you with custom doorbells this Halloween

By Bruce Brown Published October 12, 2018

Your smart home’s cameras and doorbells can now make event-driven announcements via Alexa with new programming tools announced on Amazon’s developer blog.

For example, if a doorbell camera motion sensor detects someone approaching, an Alexa routine could turn on the lights, play some music, and even make a custom announcement such as, “Sorry kids, we’re all out of Halloween candy, but be sure to come back next year!”

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The new Amazon doorbell application programming interfaces (APIs) are now available in the U.S., with other areas to follow.

Developers can update their Alexa smart home skills toolkit with the new Doorbell Event Source API, the Motion Sensor API, or both. After developers update their devices, their customers can use the Announcements feature in the Alexa app’s device settings smart home section.

Amazon also announced that Ring and August have both already enabled the new APIs. Amazon purchased Ring, the smart video doorbell company, in April. August, a smart home door lock company, was an early Alexa-compatibility partner. If you already configured Ring or August devices to work with Alexa, updating the related apps and software should set you up to configure devices in voice announcement routines.

Amazon also announced a third new API set, the 2-Way Communications API. With the communications API update, developers can enable their smart cameras and doorbells to use voice for two-way conversations via Amazon’s Echo Show and Echo Spot.

If your smart home configuration includes a full-duplex camera and an Echo Show or Echo Spot, this new capability means you’ll be able to carry on a conversation with someone standing at your front door. If you have a half-duplex camera, you’ll have a push-to-talk capability.

According to Amazon, Ring already enabled the 2-Way Communication API and August will reportedly follow soon.

If it seems to you that Amazon Alexa skills and developer tools are coming in torrents, they are. The list of Works with Alexa and Alexa-inside device continues to grow with devices developed in-house and from third parties.

Amazon’s recent announcement of 12 new Alexa devices added smart plugs, a microwave and a clock, a subwoofer, amplifier, and receiver, new Fire TV, a new generation of Echo devices, and even a device for your car.

Contributing Editor

Bruce Brown Contributing Editor As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce…

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Smart Home

You might have to wait a little longer for Alexa’s AI upgrade

Echo Pop

Although Amazon is set to unveil its AI upgrades to Alexa at an event on February 26, the Washington Post reports the actual update might not arrive for at least a month after. An anonymous Amazon employee shared the information with the Washington Post, stating that the new version of Alexa wouldn't arrive until March 31.

The publication further confirmed that Amazon had originally planned to launch the new version of its smart assistant this month, but delayed the launch to address repeated "incorrect answers" given to test questions.

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Upcoming Amazon event invite teases a new AI-powered Alexa

A blue image that has the Amazon swoop and "Hi there." with the date February 26 listed below.

This week, Amazon sent out invitations to an upcoming event hosted by Amazon Senior Vice President Panos Panay and the Amazon Devices & Services team in New York City on February 26. As can be seen in the image above, the invite Digital Trends received had the signature Amazon swoop with "Hi there." front and center, and the date towards the bottom, all on top of a shaded blue background that included what on the surface looked like some attractive, curved design elements.

Sure, the design gave off a feeling of Amazon Alexa, but beyond speculation around what the event might be about, the innocuous email didn't seem to divulge any useful information. That is, until The Verge did some impressive sleuthing and discovered that there wasn't one email invite sent out, but five. That attractive, curved background was actually part of some cursive text that, when all five invitation were put together, spelled out "alexa." Pretty strong confirmation to those Alexa feels.

Smart Home

Everything you need to know before buying a space heater

A Vornado heater on a table.

Space heaters are a simple (and affordable way) to keep your home warm during the chilly winter months. Offered in a variety of sizes, you'll find models designed for small offices, sprawling living rooms, and everything in between. However, space heaters are also responsible for house fires and other accidents -- meaning you have to be careful with how you use them.

Before rushing out and adding a space heater to your home, here are a few things to consider. From checking available safety features and finding the right size to placing it in your home and avoiding smart plugs, here’s everything you need to know about these useful gadgets.
Check for crucial safety features
The most important feature to look for in a space heater is the tip-over switch. Products with a tip-over switch will automatically turn off when they're knocked over, making it an indispensable safety feature. It’s rare to find products without a tip-over switch nowadays, as all the best space heaters use them. But if you're shopping for older devices, be sure it has one of these. If it doesn’t, the heater will pose a serious fire hazard if it gets knocked over.