As more developers use the tool, you’ll be able to ask Alexa to open apps, run quick searches, view more info and access key functions. This will work through the Alexa app, Alexa built-in phones or mobile accessories like Echo Buds.

This could give Alexa an advantage over other voice assistants like Siri and Google Assistant because it will allow Alexa to cross the iOS-Android divide. But as The Verge points out, it could also be more work for developers. Many apps already work with both Siri and Google Assistant, and now they’ll have to work with Alexa too. 

Alexa for Apps is still in preview, and interested developers can request early access.

Look, if I had my pick of self-lacing shoes to own, it would be the 2016 Nike Mags. You know, the ones from Back to the Future. But, those were limited-edition and Nike only made 89 pairs total (and I’m not about to drop $75,000 to buy them on a resale app). The Adapt BB and Adapt Huarache cost $350 each, which is much less than the $720 HyperAdapt 1.0, Nike’s first consumer self-lacing sneakers. Even $350 is still a steep price to pay for kicks, but since Nike can’t keep the Adapt BB or Adapt Huarache in stock, clearly sneakerheads aren’t fazed.

We’ll see if Puma has the same luck with its “Fit Intelligence” self-lacing shoes, which are expected to arrive in spring 2020 for $330.

Similar to the Adapt BBs, the auto-lacing Huaraches can be controlled with an iOS or Android app. That said, if you want the most futuristic experience out of them, you’ll need an Apple device. I, for one, have Adapt Huaraches paired to my iPhone 11 Pro Max (terrible name, by the way, Apple), which lets me use voice commands to control my sneakers. With Siri Shortcuts, you can quickly adjust the laces or check the battery, all simply with your voice. You can have up to five different commands in the Nike Adapt app, which let you tell Siri to do things like “loosen my sneakers,” “check my sneaker batteries” or “switch my sneaker lights.”

Additionally, if you have an Apple Watch, you can tighten or loosen the fit right from your wrist — in case you don’t want to use one of the two physical LED buttons on the shoes. That, along with the Siri integration, make the Adapt Huaraches immediately feel like something out of a sci-fi film. Because it’s not every day that I can get ready for work, put my shoes on and, right before I walk out the door say, “Hey Siri, lace up my sneakers.”