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Joseph Jaquinta
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How To Program -- Amazon Echo: Design, Development and Testing Alexa Skills Kindle Edition

by Jo Jaquinta (Author), Stacy Colella (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 136 ratings
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Creating a compelling Alexa skill has many unique challenges not seen in other software development. This book goes beyond the documentation in the Alexa Skills Kit and covers the special considerations an audio interface presents for design, development and testing.
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  1. Print length
    85 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    July 12, 2015
  4. File size
    1447 KB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
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  8. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B011J6AP26
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ TsaTsaTzu; 1st edition (July 12, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 12, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1447 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 85 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 136 ratings

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Joseph Jaquinta

Joseph Jaquinta

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Customer reviews

3.6 out of 5 stars
136 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book enjoyable and enlightening. However, opinions differ on the information quality. Some find it great with good information and interesting points, while others say it's too technical for the average user.

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EnjoymentInformation quality
3 customers mention "Enjoyment"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable and enlightening.

"...glossing over, grab a copy of this book and go treat yourself to an enjoyable, enlightening read of original content that will definitely augment..." Read more

"...It's geeky and has a great entertainment value too." Read more

"Good book, now I have to put it to work and see how good it is" Read more

10 customers mention "Information quality"6 positive4 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the information quality of the book. Some mention it's great with good information and provides a good overview of the general software development environment. However, others say it's too technical for the average user, elementary, and not well-organized.

"The book is great with good information but so busy that I had a hard time following." Read more

"Too elementary. Would recommend online courses on aguru or udemy and the sdk to get going...." Read more

"...of this book and go treat yourself to an enjoyable, enlightening read of original content that will definitely augment your understanding of what..." Read more

"Too technical for the average user , not clear and way too much history. The app is clearer . I would return it but it's .99 cents" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Lora Liles
5.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2016
Verified Purchase
The book is great with good information but so busy that I had a hard time following.
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MPE
3.0 out of 5 stars A commentary on Alexa Skill Development
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2017
Verified Purchase
This book is basically a commentary on Alexa Skill Development. It describes the what the flow of conversation and interaction should be like in the skill code being developed. It is not a guide on how to actually develop the alexa skill code. It will not guide you through setting up the infrastructure, security certificates, and online tools, needed to support your alexa skill. It also doesn't have a complete code example. It does have a partial example in Java, but none in node.js. At a high level, it will suggest how to pattern the conversation between the user and the skill code to get a more natural feeling interaction.
3 people found this helpful
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jlguinn
4.0 out of 5 stars The first Amazon Echo/Alexa Skills Development book to Market (that I can find)
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2015
Verified Purchase
I am not far enough along in my own journey to vouch for the code examples included, but after reading this in one sitting over dinner I do feel much more enlightened and maybe a little less disoriented. The text, itself, could use another round of editing, but it's worth tolerating some typos just to know such a book exists this early after the Echo's launch. Keep in mind, the public announcement of the SDK was literally days ago.

Rather than focus on a single component of Echo programming, the author overviews design, development and testing. The text offers strategies for approaching the unique user interface that the Echo offers, which is one of only voice interaction under normal operation. (The author also touches on the potential of coordinating and synchronizing online web functionality--apart from the companion Echo app).

If you are interested in programming the Amazon Echo, start at http://developer.amazon.com, click the Alexa category, and be prepared to do a lot of digging. When your eyes start glossing over, grab a copy of this book and go treat yourself to an enjoyable, enlightening read of original content that will definitely augment your understanding of what Amazon Echo is capable of, and what approach you might consider to delving into development of this new technology.
23 people found this helpful
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RBM62
1.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't go in depth
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2017
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Too elementary. Would recommend online courses on aguru or udemy and the sdk to get going. This book isn't for a programmer but someone who us just interested.
One person found this helpful
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Lakshmi Prayaga
5.0 out of 5 stars Even my 3 year old niece can ask Alexa to play her favorite music and starts to dance
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2016
Verified Purchase
Alexa smashes all competition for user-friendliness. Even my 3 year old niece can ask Alexa to play her favorite music and starts to dance. It's geeky and has a great entertainment value too.
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Jaykalish
2.0 out of 5 stars Too technical for the average user, not clear and ...
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2016
Verified Purchase
Too technical for the average user , not clear and way too much history. The app is clearer . I would return it but it's .99 cents
9 people found this helpful
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Alberto González Martínez
3.0 out of 5 stars In my opinion like most of the first development books of any gadget ...
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2015
Verified Purchase
Simple text to learn how to program amazon echo. In my opinion like most of the first development books of any gadget is pretty simple and it takes you a while to hop onto the learning curve. I feel it is easier if you already understand some concepts of Amazon AWS or at least some node.js concepts. Overall as I say is not bad, but probably better title will come out in the near future.
7 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A new best friend
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2017
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I am enjoying Alexa totally. It is so great to tell someone what to do and they do it.
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Top reviews from other countries

fuzzybill74
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in Canada on May 20, 2017
Verified Purchase
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get into the Alexa skill development. Mostly for beginning and intermediate programmers.
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djr
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 4, 2017
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Really good found a lot of good info
One person found this helpful
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Richard King
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2018
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This is ok
One person found this helpful
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DRP
4.0 out of 5 stars Useful introduction to conversational interfaces and development of skills
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 23, 2016
Verified Purchase
This is a quick read and provides a succinct overview of the challenges in designing a conversational UI. It also gives some of the basics of developing Alexa skills in JavaScript and Java. I haven't put it to the test yet but plan to do so.
3 people found this helpful
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MasterMantik
1.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother with this!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 7, 2017
Verified Purchase
utter tripe! glad it only cost 99p!
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