Countdown Conundrum

Countdown Conundrum is a simple yet challenging word puzzle game, where you have 30 seconds to unscramble the letters of a common word.  That’s all there is to it, but you’ll feel the pressure build as the seconds tick away.   Writing down the letters might help, but also eats into your time.  Good luck!

Update: (February 2019)  Countdown Conundrum just got a whole new word database, faster game play, score tracking, a new host (Brian) and some other nice additions.   On display devices, you can now see your scrambled letters, and quickly leave us suggestions, ratings or feedback just by scanning a QR code with your phone! 

This skill was inspired by Countdown, one of the longest-running TV game shows in the world.  It’s been running in the UK since 1982, and in France since 1965.

Availability: US, UK, Australia, Canada and India.

To get started, just find the skill using the link above for your local Amazon store,  enable it, then say to Alexa,

“Alexa, play Countdown Conundrum.”

Alexa will ask if you are ready to play.  Just tell her you’re ready and off you go.

Tips:

• Have a pencil and paper ready to write down the letters.
• If you can’t unscramble the word, say so and Brian (Alexa) will tell you.
• Look for suffixes, prefixes and other patterns, like -ING, -ION, etc.
• If you got a different word from the one Alexa was thinking about, take the points anyway!
• You can interrupt if you guess the word early.  Just say “Alexa, I got it”.
• If the current word is too frustrating you can interrupt and say “Alexa, I give up”.

When you’re finished, just say Stop to end the session.   If you have a display device you’ll see a QR code link on the credits page.  Scan the code with your phone to visit the skill’s page on your local Amazon site. We welcome suggestions, feedback and we would love your 5-star rating!

Get Countdown Conundrum from your local Alexa Skill store:

Australia: https://amzn.to/2CwNSBo
India: https://amzn.to/2CvVSTr
Canada: https://amzn.to/2CB7Lrj
UK: https://amzn.to/2Czp2AW
USA: https://amzn.to/2CA0MPh

 

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Kings over Aces

UPDATE: March 8th 2019. Kings over Aces has been selected as one of just 10 finalists out of 342 entries in the world-wide contest “Amazon Alexa Skills Challenge – Multimodal” !!

Kings over Aces is a game of risk and reward, based on the playing card guessing game Higher or Lower. It also contains elements of TV shows such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

Gameplay is straightforward: you are dealt playing cards one at a time, and you must guess whether the next card is higher or lower than the previous one.

Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it?

But there are traps to catch the unwary (and the unlucky).   See the skill description for details.

Good luck!

To get started, just find the skill using the link below for your local Amazon store,  enable it, then say to Alexa,

“Alexa, open Kings over Aces.”

Alexa will ask if you are ready to play.  Just tell her you’re ready and off you go.

Tips:

• Just say Higher or Lower when presented with a card.  If you are right, you gain a point and keep going.
• If you’ve got a great score, think carefully!  Say Save Score to protect it but end the game, or play on and risk it all!
• Aces are low, Kings are high.  Hence the name!
• Two same-value cards in a row ends the game.
• Jokers, while extremely rare, also end the game.
• If you have a display device, you can use on-screen controls as well as voice.
• Say Check Score to check your current, and highest, scores.
• Say Help for instructions.  They will be read out, displayed on screen and sent to your Alexa app.

When you are finished, just say Stop to end the session.

Enable Kings over Aces in your Alexa app, or from your regional Amazon store using these links:

🇺🇲 https://amzn.to/2GdSOxF
🇬🇧 https://amzn.to/2GbboGV
🇨🇦 https://amzn.to/2GdTdAb
🇮🇳 https://amzn.to/2Ge7aOB
🇦🇺 https://amzn.to/2GhMRAb

Ambient Sounds: Snoring

Snoring Sounds is am ambient sound skill that simulates someone deep in a peaceful sleep, and gently snoring nearby.  It can…

• help you relax and get to sleep yoursele, especially if you normally have company but tonight you’re home alone
• make your home seem cosier and bring some comfort, when you’re the only one at home
• make people *think* you’re in, when you’re really out. (Use this super-power wisely!)
• trick a friend or sibling into thinking you’re asleep in your own room, when you’re hiding in theirs (who would do such a thing?)
• when played on two or more devices at different volumes, give the impression of a whole family in an occupied home.

Availability: US, UK, Australia, Canada and India.

To get started, just find the skill using the link above for your local Amazon store,  enable it, then say to Alexa,

“Alexa, start snoring sounds.”

Alexa might stretch and yawn, before settling down into to sleep and gently snoring.

The snoring sounds play for a few minutes before looping.  The skill continues to play and loop until you say “Alexa, stop.”

Get Ambient Sounds: Snoring from your local Alexa Skill store: US, UK, Australia, Canada and India.

 

 

Portfolio Update

Here’s a sample from our Alexa skills portfolio.   There are posts on most of these in the blog, with links to the skill in your local Alexa Skill store.

To try a skill on your own Amazon Echo or other Alexa device, just use the launch phrase shown, or enable it in your Alexa app first.

 

Pass Phrase

Pass Phrase generates memorable pass phrases to use in place of passwords for your online accounts.

UPDATE: [March 12 2019]  Pass Phrase now supports Alexa devices with a screen, such as Echo Show, Echo Spot and FireTV.   Check it out!

Availability: US, UK, Australia, Canada and India.

Pass phrases are considered safer than passwords by many security experts, including the author of this skill, because they can be very long yet still memorable.   The skill suggests phrases by generating short, memorable sentences and numbers.  You can use the phrase as-is, or if your online account requires it you can add or remove parts of it, or insert punctuation characters.

They are also much more user friendly than passwords, because most people can read, then remember a few words long enough to enter them into a login page, without having to constantly re-check their notes.

Don’t forget to keep your pass phrases safe just like you would a password. Pass Phrase doesn’t store it and can’t get it back.

Things you can say:

“Alexa, ask Pass Phrase to get me a new pass phrase.”

The skill generates a short four-word pass phrase, and a random number.

“Repeat my pass phrase.”

After saying your pass phrase, the skill remembers it just long enough so that you can ask for it to be repeated if you are writing it down or typing it in.  Once you’ve asked for another, or ended the session, it’s gone!

 

Get Pass Phrase from your local Alexa Skill store: US, UK, Australia, Canada and India.

 

 

Scottish Facts

Scottish Facts is a skill to help you learn more about Scotland.  Whether you live here or are planning a future trip, this skill has lots of unusual information about this wonderful small country.  It’s very popular for children working on geography homework projects.

Availability: US, UK, Australia, Canada and India.

 

Things you can say:

“Alexa, open Scottish Facts.”

The skill plays a brief piece of Scottish bagpipe music, and prompts you to request a fact.

“Repeat that fact.”

If the fact is long, or you missed some details, the skill will repeat the same fact again for you.

“Play the Scottish National Anthem.”

There isn’t an official national anthem for Scotland, because it is part of the United Kingdom.  However, the skill will play a short clip of Flower of Scotland, a rousing piece of bagpipe music widely used to represent Scotland at international events.

 

Get Scottish Facts from your local Alexa Skill store:US, UK, Australia, Canada and India.

 

 

Bedtime Prayers

Bedtime Prayers is a simple skill to encourage children and their families to include a short prayer in their regular bedtime routine.  To keep things interesting, the skill has a small library of short prayers, so children can anticipate which one it will be tonight, and also learn and develop favourites.

Availability:  US and UK.

Things you can say:

“Alexa, ask Bedtime Prayers for a prayer.”

The skill picks a prayer at random, and reads it out slowly so that children can join in.

“Say the same prayer again.”

Sometimes the prayers are new, so children might like to hear the same one again and join in.  You can repeat the same prayer as often as you like just by asking, or just say “repeat that prayer”.

 

Get Bedtime Prayers from your local Alexa Skill store: US and UK.