Live data from Hacker News

Google Home

home.google.com

111–120 of 468 posts

Re: Google Home

#111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This entire keynote just keeps highlighting that one sentence from the end of Maciej's wonderful http://idlewords.com/talks/internet_with_a_human_face.htm "Yesterday ... I realized how long it had been since I looked at a new technology with wonder, instead of an automatic feeling of dread." EDIT: Speaking of Maciej, if you're not already following him on Twitter, today is the day to do that. He's having a field day…

> EDIT: Speaking of Maciej, if you're not already following him on Twitter, today is the day to do that. He's having a field day with this keynote. Is he? Last tweet I can find of his is from yesterday. Could you provide the link you're using?

@Pinboard on Twitter, not his personal account.

Re: Google Home

#112

Please, please, please be a completely open, extensible platform... I want to be able to control my Apple TV with my Google Home device. I want to be able to control my Phillips Hue and LiFX bulbs. I want to be able to build my own custom home automation server endpoints and point my Google Home commands at them. I want to be able to remote start my car with a voice command. I want to be able to control my Harmony re…

I have only two wishes:

> Please, please, please be a completely open, extensible platform...

That's one. The second one is, please make it self-hosted. No cloud bullshit.

I know I'll probably never live to see the second one coming true.

Re: Google Home

#113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a large difference between being a PRISM partner( broad hoovering of all data )and a party to a narrowly-scoped warrant or subpoena, as Amazon would be. Meyer would do well to cite the specific statute that makes noncompliance into a charge of treason. Otherwise she's clearly lying to spin the actions of Yahoo for PR points.

Well we can go through a back and forth on this but we'll never really know the true extent of PRISM as whats been speculated is they have a direct connection to ISP's so the reality is that they probably know more than what even an individual company knows. Both Google and Apple have said the same, any access requires court order. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRISM_(surveillance_program) Google: "Google cares deepl…

The belief that PRISM is targeted is 1. in contrast to the leaked slides, and 2. the determination of the PCLOB, which was appointed by . . . the executive branch of the US Government. The findings of the PCLOB are about as useful as lung cancer studies commissioned by Phillip-Morris.

PRISM partners' denials are, of course, standard and expected PR moves.

Re: Google Home

#114

Remember when voice commands for your computer came out? It was cool but nobody talks to their computer. They won't be talking aimlessly in their kitchen either.

This is such an odd statement as it's already been proven false. The Echo is already quite popular. I gave one to my 70 year old technophobe mom and she uses it in the kitchen all the time. I use mine everyday.

Re: Google Home

#115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> EDIT: Speaking of Maciej, if you're not already following him on Twitter, today is the day to do that. He's having a field day with this keynote. Is he? Last tweet I can find of his is from yesterday. Could you provide the link you're using?

@Pinboard on Twitter, not his personal account.

Thanks!

Re: Google Home

#116
post #56

This morning a friend of mine got his gmail hacked, which means his Play, Maps, Music and everything got hacked also. With Google Home, add your "everyday tasks" and voice history to this! ^^

Sounds like your friend's fault for not using two factor auth.

Re: Google Home

#117
post #5

I find it odd that Google is going to take so long to get this out the door - "later this year" seems like ages. Did they start on the hardware that late? Amazon has what, 6 months to get more competitive on the search/trivia front? or this is going to kill it.

The hardware for this is the easiest part. Understanding voice that's far from the microphone (sound gets muffled, echos off walls, etc.), with other sounds in the background, is significantly harder than understanding speech near the microphone.

"OK Google", Google Now, their voice recognition tech, and NLP recognition are far far past Echo's version. So if the hardware is that easy this should have been out yesterday. The even mentioned earlier in the keynote how they've been training it Google assistant with background noise.

Re: Google Home

#118
post #28

A company that makes money by collecting and selling access to personal information about people is offering to put a microphone in your home. If you need a product like this, for the sake of your privacy, buy an Echo.

Lets stop this nonsense. They don't sell access to your personal information. There is nowhere that I can buy your personal information from google. What they sell is access to your attention. When advertising, I'm looking for people that match these characteristics, and what I'm purchasing is the possibility to show you an ad if you match certain criteria.

For real. Glad to see someone with a level-headed response in this paranoid thread.

Re: Google Home

#119
post #59
post #42

RFP - Request For Project 1. Train Google Home to recognize Amazon Echo's voice as its owner. 2. Train Amazon Echo to recognize Siri's voice as its owner 3. Train Siri to recognize Google Home's voice as its owner 4. Kick start some kind of endless loop between the three of them.

Amazon's Echo doesn't have an owner concept. I didn't think Siri did either. My Echo can take commands from anyone, there's no authentication at all outside of initial set up with your Amazon account. My daughter and I have completely different voices and we use it without problems.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204389#hey

Re: Google Home

#120
post #25
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You probably have on in your pocket already, is the thing. (I agree though, I don't want this in my house, and I turned off the "Ok Google" functionality on my phone)

I do. And I recognize the hypocrisy of that. I think the difference for me is that my phone isn't a permanent fixture in my house - it's not explicitly a surveillance device. Echo/Home are explicitly audio surveillance devices, though ostensibly benevolent in their design. I can stick my phone in a Faraday bag easily enough if I want to. I guess what it comes down to is that while I recognize that I sacrifice a measu…

Its not that I don't think that Google and Amazon are probably acting in my best interests now. They probably are. Also not that I think that the government couldn't spy on me if they wanted to. They could.

The scenario that worries me is that years from now, Google and Amazon may be coerced into turning over what I said yesterday to a corrupt government fishing through the past for word-crime. And boy-howdy, it turns out they recorded everything and retained it forever. Surprise!

Post reply on HN