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Amazon Echo

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Re: Amazon Echo

#71

Post by rickdale »

andrewstuart2 wrote: post #4

> With enhanced noise cancellation, Echo can hear you ask a question even while it's playing music. I read: "Our cloud servers can hear you, no matter what." It's a killer idea. It's too bad privacy concerns might lead it to an early grave.

I agree completely. At least this isn't the microsoft kinnect yet, that can basically scan the room for every little detail and is always listening. The first time I saw the kinnect, I thought, hm, I wonder how other companies will get this technology into the living rooms of every family.

To me, everything these big companies do is just a play to get information on people. Putting the kinnect in my living room and always have the mic on and it connected to my cable television and my internet, and constantly listening even when the xbox is off is freaky; just like this new echo. It's scary, but I bet personal recognition features are coming to this echo soon. Also, I can imagine being like, echo order me some stuff off of amazon, and then magically it appears from a drone in the sky.

Re: Amazon Echo

#72

Post by charlie_vill »

... request an invitation? Please, who do they think they are, Google? Or maybe expecting super long lines at their upcoming retail stores in NY?

Come on Amazon, do yourself a favour and come up with things that matter.

Re: Amazon Echo

#73

Post by shittyanalogy »

You're sitting around talking to a friend, you ask some small questions like, "is it supposed to rain tomorrow?" or "what was the name of that guy in that movie with the thing?" and your technology responds before your friend can. Especially if your friend is named Alexa.

Re: Amazon Echo

#74

Post by tindrlabs »

spacefight wrote: post #48
tindrlabs wrote: post #3

I'm a little frustrated at the moment -- The future is arriving with voice controlled devices, yet I don't trust any of these companies with my words.

Same sentiment. We all know, that the existing cloud voice recognition features such as Siri, Samsung Smart TVs and upcomoning feature etc etc will eventually hunt some uf us (or all of us) down. We must build new tech concepts, where privacy and _full_ controll and 100% ownership of our data is controlled by us. From the ground up. Not sure if SV and HN is the best location to put such a statement - but I do hope I'…

I feel like this is a UX issue that touches on our natural desire to have private and public conversations.

If I'm talking to a device, I consider it to be the same kind of conversation I would have with a close friend. One that I would naturally want to keep between to two of us. You wouldn't find me screaming it for everyone to hear and think about.

Re: Amazon Echo

#75

Post by ck2 »

An always-on microphone with an ip address?

I'm filing this under "what could possibly go wrong".

Re: Amazon Echo

#77

Post by Brian-Puccio »

joezydeco wrote: post #10

So the product is named "Echo" but you ask it questions by calling it "Alexa"? That's just odd.

So the product is named "iPhone" but you ask it questions by calling it "Siri"? You don't buy a Cortana either, you buy a product named "Windows Phone" (?).

What's odd to me is that Alexa is way more common name for humans than Siri is. I wonder what false positives will do for households with a human Alexa.

Re: Amazon Echo

#78

Post by skorgu »

Someone1234 wrote: post #59
andrewstuart2 wrote: post #4

> With enhanced noise cancellation, Echo can hear you ask a question even while it's playing music. I read: "Our cloud servers can hear you, no matter what." It's a killer idea. It's too bad privacy concerns might lead it to an early grave.

I grow tired of this pathetic baseless fear mongering every single time anything is posted with voice control. You people completely ignore the mode of operation and start making idiotic claims about "well NSA!" In this case, as the website makes clear, you have to say the word "Alexa" for it to start listening. If you had been paying attention to the mobile scene even a little bit you'd know that this is on-chip lis…

The website makes clear that the listen-and-answer /behavior/ isn't activated unless triggered. That's absolutely not evidence in either direction for what happens in the non-triggered case.

For example the idea that there's a debug mode that dumps the whole audio stream for troubleshooting isn't exactly tinfoil-hat paranoia.

Re: Amazon Echo

#79

Post by giarc »

Interesting how in the video the family has the Echo placed in about 3 or 4 different rooms (kitchen, living room, dining room, bedroom). Are they expecting people to buy multiple units or move it around the house?

Re: Amazon Echo

#80

Post by SideburnsOfDoom »

Someone1234 wrote: post #59
andrewstuart2 wrote: post #4

> With enhanced noise cancellation, Echo can hear you ask a question even while it's playing music. I read: "Our cloud servers can hear you, no matter what." It's a killer idea. It's too bad privacy concerns might lead it to an early grave.

I grow tired of this pathetic baseless fear mongering every single time anything is posted with voice control. You people completely ignore the mode of operation and start making idiotic claims about "well NSA!" In this case, as the website makes clear, you have to say the word "Alexa" for it to start listening. If you had been paying attention to the mobile scene even a little bit you'd know that this is on-chip lis…

> Nothing will be transmitted to the cloud unless it is the word "Alexa"

You can't be certain that there's no way to activate it remotely without you knowing. Seven mikes in your lounge is an attractive nuisance.

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