Posted on 06/26/2015 8:53:38 PM PDT by Mad Dawgg
The battle to win over the consumer living room is getting intense. From Apple to Google to Microsoft to Sony and Samsung, everyone is eyeing for a place in our living rooms. Taking the fight to the next level, Amazon just turned its voice-activated personal assistant, Amazon Echo into a platform. It achieved this milestone before Apple and Microsoft could effectively exploit their smart assistant technologies based on Siri and Cortana. This move strengthens Amazon’s position in the consumer IoT market.
Amazon Echo was announced in November last year with the initial release limited to a select few individuals and Amazon Prime members. Much like Apple Siri and Microsoft Cortana, Amazon Echo is a voice-activated personal assistant ready to talk to you. It can answer questions, play music from your Amazon music library, read audio books from audible.com, act as a Bluetooth speaker for your phone and can even control connected bulbs and smart switches. Of course, Echo lets you place orders from Amazon.com. Those are certainly an impressive set of features for a V1 product. The device comes with a companion mobile app that can hook up Echo to your home WiFi access point and other connected devices like Philips Hue bulbs and Belkin WeMo switches. The Echo comes with an optional remote control for directly controlling the device instead of using voice commands. The Bluetooth-based remote comes handy in noisy environments.
The deceptively simple Amazon Echo has the potential to become the cornerstone of Amazon’s IoT strategy. Behind the scenes, the product exploits the massively powerful Amazon Web Services combined with sophisticated machine learning algorithms. The device heavily relies on Alexa, a search and analytics service that is extensively used across various services including A9 and Amazon.com.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
I have one and I like it. There’s a lot of free music on Amazon Prime and as a member I’m taking advantage of it. Also, I listen to Rush streaming on it and the reception is great that way. The voice recognition so far has been the best I’ve used. Is it necessary? Absolutely not. But it’s a nice thing to have.
Don’t like it, don’t get one. My opinion is mine - yours means nothing to me.
I simply can’t get past having an open microphone in my house where everything it hears, personal conversation, financial telephone calls, radio, music, TV, etc. is sent out to a massive blackhole on the Internet where it may continue to live forever and its gate keepers are unknown.
That is a bridge too far for me.
If it ran on hardware in my house and I had total control of what left the building it would be pretty cool. Until then...
I want to buy a little land in the middle of no where, put up a log cabin and go off the grid. Get back to nature, perminatly.
Just wow. If I thought there were a possibility of everyone snooping on my conversations using the microphone on my computer, I’d freak out, then fix it. You’re clueless.
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How is this any different than saying ‘OK, Google’ to your phone and asking a question?
As I understand it, this technology listens to everything said and transmits the data to the web where it’s processed and possibly stored. As I understand it, programs like Siri won’t work if you don’t have an internet connection, because the actual AI resides in servers on the internet. Your home only has the client application. In other words, this technology literally creates an open mic into your home. If Big Brother isn’t exploiting that now, the temptation to do so must be immense. What better way to keep an eye on bible thumpers, gun clingers, and other terrorists?
While I think cell phones have the potential to do the same thing, Siri doesn’t (supposedly) listen to me unless I activate her. That doesn’t preclude malware, Apple Corp, or other entities from enabling the mic without me knowing, but they probably don’t (not that I don’t keep the possibility in mind).
Bottom line: modern technology creates the foundation for a Big Brother tyranny like never seen or possible before.
I'm through with them.
And don't kid yourself ALL cell and smartphones can be used by the NSA to spy on you there is no phone security when the NSA can command any company to do anything they want in the name of the Patriot Act. BTW it works with laptops also which have built in cameras and microphones.
LOL yeah Alexa’s hearing isn’t THAT good LOL but how the heck do you get rid of NPR being the news source are there other options
FWIW I don’t think Echo does anything until you say the wakeup word, i.e. Alexa or Amazon.
I just got mine Wed. Just got my friend of hue light strips today and will have them set up soon
Some outstanding comments on this thread, pro and con. Also, some great humor!Thanks for posting this.
I got my light strips in and hooked them up in the bedroom bathroom. Got it the right shade of blue and at night now I can call out bathroom light and it comes on but not so bright as to wake up my wife.
I just want to be able to pick my own wake word to "computer" or "Jarvis". Or bitch.
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