Amazon Lets you test Alexa Apps in your Browser with Echosim.io

2017-06-13 | By Maker.io Staff

If you have heard about the Amazon Echo, which I’m sure that most of you have by now, some of you might be wondering what its actually like without committing to a purchase. Now Amazon has created an online simulation tool that lets you test it out as much as you want right from your web browser, hassle free. This simulation is called Echosim and all you need to be able to use it is an Amazon account to login. This Echosim is prefect not only for new users but also developers who are creating apps and widgets for the Amazon Echo devices.

Once you have logged in to Echosim, you can use your mouse to click and hold the button on-screen while asking Alexa a question. You will, of course, need a microphone on your computer to be able to ask it commands. You don’t need to use the command name “Alexa”, you can just ask it a question right away when you press the on-screen button. You will almost certainly get a quick response from Alexa with the answer to your question, just like you would if you used a real Amazon Echo device.

Echosim Web Interface

The voice and responses are identical to what you would experience when using a real Amazon Echo device, making this Echosim the perfect tool to experience the real thing without committing to a purchase just yet. The idea behind Echosim is to entice users into purchase an Amazon Echo, once you have a taste of the technology behind it your definitely more likely to make a purchase of the real thing.

The actual idea behind it came from a hackathon by UK based Sam Machin and has already attracted the interest of the like of Google and Apple to create a testing tool very similar to the Echosim. Amazon has since been taking great strides in turning the Alexa into a platform that goes beyond just the hardware and this has been seen recently over that last 6 months with a number of updates to the SDK and APIs in the dev center. Software developers can now integrate the Alexa voice search into their own products and services. This was also seen at CES 2017, where Ford Motor car company has built-in the Alexa voice into the car audio system to allow the driver to be truly hands-free whilst driving, creating a safer environment to drive in.