Amazon Alexa voice assistant on Echo, Fire TV updated with Uber ordering

Amazon has updated its Alexa voice assistant software on the Echo connected speaker and Fire TV to not only include Spotify Premium, but integration with on-demand car service Uber and Dominos pizza delivery.

With the Alexa software, you can simply say "Alexa, order me an Uber" and the Amazon Echo or Fire TV will have an Uber car on its way to pick you up -- all without having to pull out your phone.

To enable the Uber integration, Echo users can set their location in the "Settings" section of the Alexa app available on iOS and Android and enable the Uber skill in the "Skills" section of the app to link an Uber account.

For Dominos pizza delivery it's not as easy. You have to preset an order in the Dominos app and speak the specific phrase "open Domino's and place my EasyOrder" -- something Amazon will need to improve going forward to make it more seamless. It needs to be able to recognize broad statements and not specific action items.

"The magic of ordering pizza without lifting a finger and just using your voice is now a reality with Alexa and Domino's," said Rob Pulciani, director, Amazon Alexa. "We've made it easy for companies like Domino's to use the Alexa Skills Kit to create more natural, intuitive ways for customers to interact with their services.

This is yet another stellar innovation from Amazon for its connected home products. The idea is you never have to get up from your couch or even whip out a device for simple home automation tasks. Not only will the Echo hardware and Alexa software do things like Uber and Dominos, it can access Wikipedia pages tell you the weather, set timers and alarms, read news, record shopping/to-do lists, and more.

Amazon is heavily promoting the Echo as its premier connected home product. The Seattle-based company plans to run a series of Super Bowl advertisements pushing the ecosystem this "Super Bowl Sunday".

The Echo is one of the most highly-rated hardware items on Amazon, costing $179.

See also:

• Amazon Echo: It's the most used gadget in my home
• Alexa can now read Kindle books aloud from an Amazon Echo for free
• Amazon Echo: It sucks. It's awesome. It sucks. We want two more