Amazon opens up the Echo smart speaker to third-party developers - CNET

Also see Amazon wants the Echo to be your personal robot butler (The Washington Post)

"Days after making its smart speaker available to the masses, Amazon is opening Echo up to developers, too, with a new set of free tools called the "Alexa Skills Kit," named for the cloud-based voice service that controls the device.

The nation's largest online-based retailer, Amazon is hoping third parties craft new voice-powered capabilities for Echo, bringing new web services and gadgets under Alexa's control and making it a more valuable device in the home. The move comes as the current glut of connected home gadgets drive demand for a singular system capable of tying everything together with a simple interface."

Amazon opens up the Echo smart speaker to third-party developers - CNET