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Samsung makes ads on smart fridges official with upcoming software update

arstechnica.com

11–20 of 535 posts

Re: Samsung makes ads on smart fridges official with upcoming software update

#11
> Samsung fridge owners can also opt to avoid the latest software update altogether. However, they would miss out on other features included in the software update, such as a UI refresh and the ability for the internal camera inside some fridges to identify more fruits and vegetables inside the fridge.

The level of absurdity here with respect to "miss[ing] out on other features" strains credulity.

Re: Samsung makes ads on smart fridges official with upcoming software update

#12
This guarantees I'll never buy a Samsung appliance. If they're this willing to screw with their customers today, they'll do it again tomorrow.

Sadly, I'm including their TVs in this. I have one today, displaying the output of an Apple TV and not directly connected to the Internet because hah, no way, but I'll be shopping around when it comes time to replace it.

Pity. They make nice stuff. Not nice enough that I'm willing to tolerate their anti-customer shenanigans, but otherwise decent quality.

Re: Samsung makes ads on smart fridges official with upcoming software update

#13

> Samsung also said that its fridges will only show contextualized ads, instead of personalized ads, which rely on collecting data on users. What is a contextualized ad?

Probably ads for things that you would think of buying when you're standing near the fridge in the kitchen. So not Clash of Clans but La Croix.

Re: Samsung makes ads on smart fridges official with upcoming software update

#14

This guarantees I'll never buy a Samsung appliance. If they're this willing to screw with their customers today, they'll do it again tomorrow. Sadly, I'm including their TVs in this. I have one today, displaying the output of an Apple TV and not directly connected to the Internet because hah, no way, but I'll be shopping around when it comes time to replace it. Pity. They make nice stuff. Not nice enough that I'm wil…

Same they are off my list as well though I generally have less than zero interest in smart devices, I also have a Samsung "smart" TV as well, it asked for Wifi first time I turned it on, said "nope" connected a HDMI to a Fedora box and just use that.

I control what devices in my house connect to the internet.

Re: Samsung makes ads on smart fridges official with upcoming software update

#16

> Samsung also said that its fridges will only show contextualized ads, instead of personalized ads, which rely on collecting data on users. What is a contextualized ad?

Personalized ads are based on your user profile (ads for motorbikes because you're tagged as someone who loves motorbikes). Contextualized ads are based on where and when they're being displayed (ads for food delivery on the fridge late at night) but not on your user profile. This is the advertising industry, so they're probably lying, or they're not lying yet but they plan to add personalized ads later.

Re: Samsung makes ads on smart fridges official with upcoming software update

#17

> Samsung fridge owners can also opt to avoid the latest software update altogether. However, they would miss out on other features included in the software update, such as a UI refresh and the ability for the internal camera inside some fridges to identify more fruits and vegetables inside the fridge. The level of absurdity here with respect to "miss[ing] out on other features" strains credulity.

Well, I wouldn't say I was missing them.

I don't know why I would connect a fridge to the Internet at all. Maybe there is a use case where you can get a picture of the contents of your fridge on your phone when you are out and about? Like you're at the grocery store and can't remember if you need to pick up milk or not?

Re: Samsung makes ads on smart fridges official with upcoming software update

#18

> Samsung also said that its fridges will only show contextualized ads, instead of personalized ads, which rely on collecting data on users. What is a contextualized ad?

Ads for things it overheard you talking about recently.

Re: Samsung makes ads on smart fridges official with upcoming software update

#20
post #3

Why is this the best business model we can collectively execute on? Whether it is AI, home cameras, or fridges it seems to just come back to, welp, lets slap an ad on it.

Because simply selling a refrigerator isn’t good enough anymore. How else do you fuel infinite economic growth?

If it was legal to kill for money they would do that too. In some ways that already occurs.

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