By will-buy
Amazon is making Alexa better at sharing devices with other voice assistants. The tech giant unveiled new Universal Device Commands (UDCs) and partnerships at Alexa Live on Wednesday that will make it easier for device makers and their users to have interaction with Alexa and other voice assistants embedded in one device.
Universal Alexa
Amazon introduced the new Universal Device Commands (UDCs) and related Agent Transfers (ATs) features for customers to give basic orders like 'stop' or 'lower volume' to a device with multiple voice assistants using a different wake word compared to one used to start the activity. For instance, a Sonos speaker owner could say, “Hey Sonos, be a musician,” but choose to power it down with the command, “Alexa, stop music.” Despite the change in wake word, the speaker will perform command to stop. The Agent Transfers feature within the same scenario might involve asking Alexa to perform a task just the Sonos voice AI are capable of doing. Alexa would recognize its limitation and automatically engage the Sonos AI to accomplish the job, instead of apologizing and reporting failure towards the user. It's similar to how Alexa custom assistants work when baked into non-Amazon devices.
Skullcandy's Native Voice
Amazon's other multiple voice assistant news at Alexa Live will engage wireless earbud maker Skullcandy and voice services provider Native Voice to include both Alexa and “Hey Skullcandy” use Skullcandy hearables, specifically the Push Active and Grind Series headphones. Wearers can select either wake word and voice assistant out of the box best appropriate. For example, Skullcandy's voice assistant is useful for controlling the audio media, answering calls, and related activities, while Alexa offers basically the same functions as an Echo smart speaker, only more flexible.
