Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Amazon Echo Dot

amazon.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

401–410 of 410 posts

Re: Amazon Echo Dot

#401

Post by qznc »

awqrre wrote: post #400
xigency wrote: post #317

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being overheard isn't the only privacy concern. Most of these solutions offload the speech recognition and language parsing functions to corporate servers. I like texting with Siri but I'm not exactly keen on having Apple record everything. It also seems limiting in that I can't use voice commands without a network. It would be nice for voice recognition platforms to start being built in. I know there's training data…

And devices that listen to you 100% of the time is yet another privacy concern... even if they don't send everything to a remote server.

If you have a human assistant who does that job, he also listens 100% of the time.

Re: Amazon Echo Dot

#402

Post by flavor8 »

qznc wrote: post #401
awqrre wrote: post #400

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And devices that listen to you 100% of the time is yet another privacy concern... even if they don't send everything to a remote server.

If you have a human assistant who does that job, he also listens 100% of the time.

But he or she is less vulnerable to being automatically hacked by a three letter agency, foreign government, and/or hacker gathering data for identity theft.

The privacy concern _isn't_ necessarily about having something to hide. It's about the consistent hacking of major systems, and exposure of personal data.

Re: Amazon Echo Dot

#403

Post by kbutler »

qznc wrote: post #401
awqrre wrote: post #400

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And devices that listen to you 100% of the time is yet another privacy concern... even if they don't send everything to a remote server.

If you have a human assistant who does that job, he also listens 100% of the time.

And you don't think there are privacy concerns with that? It is a /very/ intimate relationship, and generally requires some ritualized/formalized interaction, and a very high degree of trust.

Re: Amazon Echo Dot

#404

Post by dragonwriter »

nl wrote: post #385
dragonwriter wrote: post #346

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What's missing for me is spotify/app specific integration. For that to really happen in a robust way, I think Google needs to open up Custom Voice Actions. [0] https://developers.google.com/voice-actions/custom-actions

"Ok Google.... Play on Spotify" works for me. I agree discovery of these magic phrases needs work.

Yeah, there's some that can be done through system actions (which I think that is) and it sounds like custom actions have been implemented by selected partners, I just mean they need to open up custom actions to enable more general app-specific integration.

Re: Amazon Echo Dot

#405

Post by jordache »

dionidium wrote: post #353
jordache wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"computer lights on" "dimmer" no thank you.. i will use my hand

A device to change the channel on my TV? No thanks; I'll just use the dial on the TV.

let me pick up my phone, open the app for light control, dial in some setting, and hope the app doesn't crash.

TV remotes are awesome because it has physical buttons, and it's fairly dumb... almost no chance of issues.

Re: Amazon Echo Dot

#406

Post by jordache »

prawn wrote: post #334
jordache wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"computer lights on" "dimmer" no thank you.. i will use my hand

And if you're on the couch watching a movie and the light switch is on the other side of the room? Or you want to switch on the porch light for guests. Or switch off outside lights?

i get my non-lazy ass up.

For the few times where I may need to walk additionally around the house, it's a non issue

Re: Amazon Echo Dot

#407

Post by icco »

xauronx wrote: post #268
danesparza wrote: post #6

There is something delightfully ballsy about making this only available to users of Alexa Voice shopping: "Echo Dot is available in limited quantities and exclusively for Prime members through Alexa Voice Shopping. To order your Echo Dot, use your Amazon Echo or Amazon Fire TV and just ask: "Alexa, order an Echo dot" Also, this makes me sad. I'd kind of like to try this out, but I have no Alexa voice service currentl…

Even though I own an echo, I wanted to get in early. Here's a link until they remove it: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00VKTZFB4/

That link still works for ordering :)

Re: Amazon Echo Dot

#408

Post by jegutman »

hyperbovine wrote: post #368
jegutman wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But phones don't have a microphone on them do they? :-)

Uhm, what?

Sorry, I thought the smiley face would've been enough to give away the sarcasm. For some reason the /s felt like it removed the infinitesimal amount of comedy from my post.

Re: Amazon Echo Dot

#410

Post by jsalit »

jordache wrote: post #406
prawn wrote: post #334

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And if you're on the couch watching a movie and the light switch is on the other side of the room? Or you want to switch on the porch light for guests. Or switch off outside lights?

i get my non-lazy ass up. For the few times where I may need to walk additionally around the house, it's a non issue

and what if you weren't so mobile?
Post reply on HN