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The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

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Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#21

Post by mulletbum »

gruglife wrote: post #15

Am I the only one that thinks these are useless? I got one last Xmas and stop using it after a month or so.

I got new tires, but didn't buy a car, so they are worthless.

That is basically what you are saying here. We both agree, it will tell you the weather, your commute, and play some music. Those are the things you grew tired of, but many people have their entire homes wired to these devices (me included). I don't use them daily, I use them hourly at home. It runs my sprinklers, lawn mowers, vacuums, lights, alarms, timers, starts my car, on and on. You have to invest in things to get the most out of them.

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#22

Post by QAPereo »

paultopia wrote: post #2

That happens when you lower the crap out of the price. For 30 bucks with a freebie, I even bought one. And a google home mini. In the same room.

Maybe it’s just me, but I find these products creepy and intrusive. When I think of entities I’d trust with a networked mic in my home, giant multinationals don’t readily spring to mind. Price is not the issue, much like price isn’t the problem with FB.

...Then again I have a cellphone...

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#23

Post by adjkant »

fermienrico wrote: post #7

Google is miles ahead in terms of a conversational assistant. There is a lot of friction in using voice activated services. If I have a choice of typing "Weather in XXXXX zip" in the address bar vs. asking an assistant, I choose the former. Therefore, every time I use anything else but Google, I am afraid it won't recognize my command and I immediately feel like throwing that thing out of the window. I need to be 100…

When I'm rushing out of the house and would prefer to multitask tying my shoes and checking my phone, my new Google Home makes two things incredibly easy: weather and train times. That along with a good speaker connected to Spotify has been super worth it. Bonus points for connecting to Chromecast.

I'm an iPhone / Mac person and the Chromecast / Home combo has made me consider what a life in the Google ecosystem would look like. Not yet ready to switch but it's priming me. Then I remember how terrible an Android is for my current setups. If they solve that issue for me, they have me.

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#24

Post by smileysteve »

fermienrico wrote: post #7

Google is miles ahead in terms of a conversational assistant. There is a lot of friction in using voice activated services. If I have a choice of typing "Weather in XXXXX zip" in the address bar vs. asking an assistant, I choose the former. Therefore, every time I use anything else but Google, I am afraid it won't recognize my command and I immediately feel like throwing that thing out of the window. I need to be 100…

I got a google home solely because it came w/ a hue package and tried to show it to my family. The Home couldn't hear me over itself (music) across the kitchen...

My alexa can hear what I'm saying down the corridor with the shower on and much louder.

It was embarassing

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#25

Post by eropple »

rubatuga wrote: post #19
gruglife wrote: post #15

Am I the only one that thinks these are useless? I got one last Xmas and stop using it after a month or so.

They have uses, but some people delude themselves into thinking they make a significant difference in their lives

Alternatively, maybe they do make a significant difference in those people's lives. I mean, seriously--who do you think you are to be the arbiter of that for them?

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#26

Post by melling »

icelancer wrote: post #14
neves wrote: post #4

Ok, it is cheap. It is also cool. But does the techies here find it really useful? If so, why?

It gets OK use I've found from people who are between 28-40 adopting new technology like voice commands. I have two kids. You should see how they use Alexa. A ton. Like we adopted technology in ways the generation before us could never imagine, so will the next. Never forget that we have decades of bias cooked into our souls; the mouse and keyboard being the primary instruments of UI and email being the main method o…

Must be a small window of people. I’m over 50 and have no problem wanting to use voice.

I started with computers as a teenager before the Mac was released. Growing up watching the original Star Trek in reruns, I thought we’d all be talking to computers by now.

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#27

Post by gh02t »

StevePerkins wrote: post #6
melling wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Someone put an Echo Dot in my stocking. I’ve been ranting about these devices for a while and even recently wrote a little blog post: https://h4labs.wordpress.com/2017/12/13/voice-as-a-user-inte... Is it worth getting a Google Mini too? I’m told that it’s actually smarter. I’m going to set up my Echo so I can reorder all the stuff I hate to shop for. We’ve been waiting half a century for “Voice as a User Interface”.…

I would say that the Amazon Echo is generally better at DOING STUFF (e.g. setting alarms and reminders, playing music, adding stuff to your Amazon shopping cart ( of course ), controlling your TV if you have a Fire stick, etc). Supposedly controlling smart home gear, although I haven't dipped my toes in those waters yet. The Google Home is generally better at ANSWERING QUESTIONS and providing information. Random quer…

I actually find ghome to be better for smart home use. The app is a little more intuitive with organization and it is a lot better with recognizing the names of your stuff. Alexa would have trouble recognizing arbitrary names while ghome almost always gets it right.

I started with Echo but ended up replacing it with Google Home because I like it so much more.

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#28

Post by throwaway30yo »

mulletbum wrote: post #21
gruglife wrote: post #15

Am I the only one that thinks these are useless? I got one last Xmas and stop using it after a month or so.

I got new tires, but didn't buy a car, so they are worthless. That is basically what you are saying here. We both agree, it will tell you the weather, your commute, and play some music. Those are the things you grew tired of, but many people have their entire homes wired to these devices (me included). I don't use them daily, I use them hourly at home. It runs my sprinklers, lawn mowers, vacuums, lights, alarms, time…

That is the creepiest thing ive ever read on HN. I am 25 so maybe I am just getting jaded but that seems incredibly intrusive.
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