Amazon is announcing a new program today that will allow people to create their own games and other programs for their Alexa-powered devices.
Why it matters: The move — part of Amazon's ever-growing expansion plans — could both boost loyalty to Amazon's platform and help people make their own devices more useful.
The details:
The so-called "blueprints" can do things like have recorded info for babysitters or house guests, create flash cards and play customized trivia games.
Developing traditional Alexa skills requires some amount of coding. At a briefing last month, I was able to write a basic Alexa skill — with some help — in a couple of hours. By contrast, these blueprints allow people to have custom apps in minutes — no coding required.
