Microsoft Says Skype Will Soon Be Available On Alexa Devices

Microsoft is bringing Skype to Amazon's Alexa products, the company has announced, enabling Echo product owners to make video and voice calls. As with other Alexa products, the new integration is entirely voice-based — simply tell the personal assistant to call a specific person and it will take care of the rest.

Microsoft revealed the new support today, saying users can utilize the feature with voice commands like, "Alexa, call Jimmy on Skype." In the same way, Skype users can receive calls through their Alexa product, answering them via a command like, "Alexa, answer." Skype, of course, supports both video and voice calls.

Amazon introduced a variety of new products earlier this week, including an updated Echo Dot and a new Echo Show, the latter of which features a 10-inch high definition display. With the Echo Show, users can engage in a video call using Skype or other similar apps, as well as watching videos and accessing online content.

Amazon had a bunch of Alexa-based products to launch, including a microwave with its personal assistant baked in, a smart plug that turns "dumb" objects into devices that can be voice controlled, a new security camera, the Fire TV Recast DVR, Echo Auto for in-car assistance, and more. The entire new product line can be found here.

SOURCE: Skype Blog