New Alexa Away Mode Skill Aims To Scare Off Burglars With Goofy Audio

Among the many tricks homeowners can use to deter break-ins while they're away is to leave things like lights or a radio/TV on, in turn making burglars think that someone is home. But there's a new skill for Amazon's Alexa that puts an interesting twist on this idea. Dubbed "Away Mode," the skill will play audio recordings of lengthy conversations, once again to make it seem like someone is home, but the actual context of these conversations are ridiculous and hilarious.

There are seven tracks in total, each recorded with real people, and the best part is that they were written by a group of comedy writers from Saturday Night Live, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and UCB. This means they all play out like something you'd see in a SNL sketch.

Among the conversations are "Couple Has Breakup While Also Trying to Watch TV," "Mom Walks Daughter Through Assembling a Malm Dresser Over the Phone," and "Two Average Guys Brainstorm What's Unique About Themselves So They Can Start a Podcast About It."

Each of the tracks is only about an hour in length, meaning the Away Mode skill is better designed for an afternoon of errands than a multi-day trip out of town. As a free tool, Away Mode offers an interesting take on theft deterrence, but it's not going to replace a dedicated security system.

SOURCE Amazon