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Amazon Opens Up the Software For Alexa-Controlled Smart Homes (cnet.com)
An anonymous reader cites an article on CNET: Amazon's virtual assistant Alexa has already grown into a viable platform for voice-activated smart home control. Now, Amazon is introducing new, open software that will make it easier for smart home gadgets to hop aboard that platform. The software is a new addition to the Alexa Skills Kit called the Smart Home Skill API. The API makes it faster and easier for device makers to build the Skills that sync their products up with Alexa, and it standardizes the vocabulary that they'll use, too. If I make a smart thermostat and sync it up with Alexa using the Smart Home Skill API, I'll be using common terminology that Alexa already knows. That means that Alexa will be able to control my thermostat with basic commands like, "Turn the heat up" or, "Set the thermostat to 70" without me needing to program any of it.
Agreed. Stuff for your home should be planned to be in place for 15-30 years. Most IoT and cloud crap sold today is likely to have more like a 1-3 year lifespan before lack of support, hard coded vulnerabilities, or shoddy quality kills it off. Wait for widely accepted standards and keep things simple. Otherwise you'll be spending your weekends and evenings ripping out the old crap when it dies sooner than you think.
Can you imagine if your washer and dryer bricked every couple years? Garage door opener?
Most of the stuff sold today are toys. Only buy it if it is for fun, it will likely be non-functional before the next decade.
Amazon seems only interested in hardware as far as it will suck you in to their content/shopping ecology.