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Amazon Echo Look

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Re: Amazon Echo Look

#161

Post by brewdad »

Johnny555 wrote: post #126
i_cant_speel wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not usually recording you while you are changing.

How do you know? Amazon says their camera only records you when you ask it to, if you don't trust them, then how do you trust that your cellphone or laptop isn't recording you illicitly?

I don't bring my phone with me when I'm going to shower or change clothes. If I do, I can place it face down and even place something on top of the rear camera if I'm afraid of capturing something other than my ceiling.

This Amazon device either needs to be left alone to capture/not capture whatever it is going to or it serves no purpose at all. I'm not going to turn it around or cover it every time I enter my bedroom. If I did, then the value proposition falls significantly.

Re: Amazon Echo Look

#162

Post by non_sequitur »

Ajedi32 wrote: post #131

Okay, so even privacy concerns aside and assuming this works as well as they say, is there anyone who would actually find this sort of thing useful? I mean, I'm normally pretty open-minded about products like this, but I'm having trouble seeing the target market here. Are there really a significant number of people out there who want to be able to browse their wardrobe on their phones and get a computer to help them…

I don't think engineers are the target market for this product. There's a reason the models in the ad are all women.

Re: Amazon Echo Look

#163

Post by skue »

Seems pretty clear to me that this is just an intitial step. Echo Look as is may end up being very popular in its own right, but the end goal is probably to move beyond evaluating your existing wardrobe, and eventually making recommendations for clothing sold thru Amazon that you can try on virtually right at home. We've had that for glasses for a while, and believe some startups have already tried this for clothing.

Retail stores are shuttering at an increasing rate as things move online. But buying clothes online requires supporting lots of returns. Imagine you work at Amazon. You have an insane amount of computing power and very capable big data teams. You are tasked with building up clothing sales and minimizing returns. AR is on the horizon but not here yet.

So what could you release today to move towards your goals?

Re: Amazon Echo Look

#164

Post by Johnny555 »

rovek wrote: post #154
Johnny555 wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it any riskier than a cell phone or laptop computer with a camera?

Anecdotally I don't have anything pointing at me while I change, regardless of who's watching it. My phone at rest is either looking at the inside of my pocket or the ceiling/floor.

Then I'd bet you're not in the target market for a camera that can record you when you're trying on new outfits.

But if you were, I'd be willing to bet that you have a laptop in your bedroom or phone-cradle that can hold your phone in a position to record you so you can instagram today's outfit to your friends.

Re: Amazon Echo Look

#165

Post by ppod »

toddmorey wrote: post #35

The HN reaction to this device is what I expected: we're somewhere between suspicious and terrified. I'll be really fascinated to know how the wider market reacts. I was one of those who believed consumers would look at the always-on living room microphone with suspicion. But I think the lesson was pretty clear that people will trade privacy for convenience. (Likely an overabundance of trust or a lack of understandin…

This is a brilliant product, and right in the corner of a "brilliant product/things hackernews hates" graph.

Most people aren't that concerned by privacy and will love features like the ability to see different views and short videos. Everyone knows that feeling of catching a glance of themselves in a passing mirror and how it's a different feeling to deliberately evaluating your look in a mirror. If they can recreate that feeling, and combine it with product recommendations it will be a massive success if they market it right.

Re: Amazon Echo Look

#166

Post by benarent »

I've recently built a Slack Doorbell using a Cheap D-Link Webcam and a AWS IoT Button. The one thing that surprised me was the lack of a good internet enabled camera, the D-Link basically has basic AUTH and for capturing photos is the same username and password as for remote. Does anyone know of a good and secure RESTFUL Internet Connected camera?

Re: Amazon Echo Look

#167

Post by lanna »

SippinLean wrote: post #100
gthtjtkt wrote: post #7

> Style Check keeps your look on point using advanced machine learning algorithms and advice from fashion specialists. Submit two photos for a second opinion on which outfit looks best on you based on fit, color, styling, and current trends. Taking narcissism, insecurity, and invasion of privacy to the next level. Well done, Amazon! Now that we're replacing mirrors with cameras, what's next? Covering our windows with…

Caring that your clothes look good is narcissism (excessive interest in your appearance) now? Have you ever asked a friend if they like the suit you just bought? Do you go to work in a burlap sack? Knowingly and willingly sending people photos of yourself is an "invasion" of privacy?

relevant dilbert:

http://dilbert.com/series/34

http://dilbert.com/series/59-Tube-Clothes

Re: Amazon Echo Look

#168

Post by lpa22 »

rovek wrote: post #159
ganley wrote: post #25

I've looked at this pretty hard and concluded that, inexplicably, it is not an April Fools joke.

As soon as I read a brief description I was checking and double-checking the calendar.

Same here. In disbelief after reading the product specs, I asked Alexa via my echo dot what the date is, and I can confirm it's not April 1st.

Re: Amazon Echo Look

#170

Post by jerf »

toddmorey wrote: post #35

The HN reaction to this device is what I expected: we're somewhere between suspicious and terrified. I'll be really fascinated to know how the wider market reacts. I was one of those who believed consumers would look at the always-on living room microphone with suspicion. But I think the lesson was pretty clear that people will trade privacy for convenience. (Likely an overabundance of trust or a lack of understandin…

"(Likely an overabundance of trust or a lack of understanding of all the real implications and potential for exploit.)"

I think that's a lot of it. People aren't trading privacy for convenience... people are taking convenience. It makes a lot more sense when you think of it that way.

You can do an experiment yourself to show this; take 5 non-techie/non-HN people and explain to them exactly what this thing does and how it works. You'll find people's attitudes change, rationally or otherwise, which I present only as evidence that they haven't thought about this and incorporated it into their worldview, not that they are right or wrong. Or watch this: https://youtu.be/XEVlyP4_11M?t=24m54s John Oliver on Government Surveillance.

Perhaps ironically, mere nude photos of myself aren't really what I'm worried about. I mean, I wouldn't be happy if they got out, and since I'm not in the habit of texting them about I have questions about where they came from, but by and large, nobody would care and it would affect my life only briefly. I'm far more worried about the government scraping everybody's postings on Facebook and building up a GoodThink/BadThink database, which I know basically already exists, because our political parties (let alone our intelligence community) build voter databases that are probably at least 90% accurate on that front. A concrete list of Everyone Who Disagrees With Me, one accurate enough for someone powerful to decide the rest of the inaccuracy is acceptable collateral damage, is scary.

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