I'm kind of disappointed that they're not using neodymium magnets on the drivers for this, but I guess, given that it doesn't have an internal battery, the heavier / less-efficient drivers don't really hurt it.
Amazon Echo
171–180 of 746 posts
Re: Amazon Echo
#172eerily reminescent of the 'high frequency generator receiver' -- especially since amazon is calling this the echo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6cv0KsTTfY
welcome to the totalitarian future, where people voluntarily put hot microphones into their homes to add gelato to their shopping lists.
Re: Amazon Echo
#173Earlier quoted context omitted.
> you have to say the word "Alexa" for it to start listening Incorrect. The device is always listening, waiting for you to say "Alexa" so that it can start acting upon your commands. I'd take Amazon's claim that no data is transmitted or stored without the wake word "Alexa" purely at face value. There have been enough examples of devices and corporations collecting/sending data they weren't meant to in the past few y…
If you have a smartphone with Siri or the equiv app on it (Android, Windows) your device is already 'always listening.' I fail to see the difference. People carry around a GPS tracking device with a mic and camera built-in. They use it to post their entire lives on social networks. And they're worried about privacy. Hilarious.
Not everyone is like that. I personally have a build of Android with most of Google stripped out and the rest semi-disabled and it should have a minimum amount of tracking. I also don't install social networking apps, or at least deny them access to my personal data on Android.
Yes, people carry smartphones, use social networks. However that doesn't automatically disallow them from worrying about privacy, as they simply don't have an option. And no, sometimes not using a smartphone or a social network is not an option for a lot of people.
What they should do is advocate for privacy and try to change the situation.
Re: Amazon Echo
#174> 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…
You'll hopefully notice I deliberately said "it's too bad", "privacy concerns", and "might," all of which are key to the meaning of that sentence. My first comment was mostly in jest.
That said, it's ignorant to blindly trust or blindly distrust anything. I believe the rational concern is not what it does now, or what Amazon intends it to do, but what it could be updated or hacked to do. Hence the "can hear," not "will hear" present even in my joking.
I'm making a deliberate choice to ignore your insulting language and look for the reasoning behind it, but you could stand to make it a little easier to do so. Let's be gently rational. Something about flies, honey, and vinegar.
Re: Amazon Echo
#175> 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…
Its not baseless when stuff like this happens:
http://mediabuzz.monster.com/benefits/articles/1288-google-s...
1) Its quite possible for a firmware glitch to "accidentally" leave it on.
2) Given I interact with Amazon's APIs enough to know they have "intermittent" issues that are quite hilarious, I fully expect #1 to happen at some point.
Re: Amazon Echo
#176Why does Amazon think people want these products? If I want to search stuff like that I would use my smartphone that is always with me. If I want to search with my voice, then I'll use the voice search found on my smartphone. Why would someone want a device that is always actively listening? Why would I pay 200$ for something that my smartphone already does?
I think it's about putting it out there and seeing how people behave around it (when it's on the desk, kitchen etc). The idea isn't novel, you had virtual assistants do such "tasks" 5-8 years ago (and Timothy Ferris would write a best seller about it), but Amazon's made a laudable effort to build a humanoid to test it further. You have to remember Jeff Bezos has kept Mechanical Turk going for a reason, I wouldn't be surprised if Echo and MTurk combine into something very powerful.
Or maybe I'm wrong and this is just so Amazon can feel special, relevant (next to Google and Apple) and keep its share prices high to motivate human resources so they can continue selling and shipping warehouse inventory.
Re: Amazon Echo
#177I'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.
I don't have as big of a trust problem as I do a problem with announcing my computing intentions to the whole world all the time.
If everyone was talking to their computers all the time the world would be terribly noisy.
Re: Amazon Echo
#178Earlier quoted context omitted.
> you have to say the word "Alexa" for it to start listening Incorrect. The device is always listening, waiting for you to say "Alexa" so that it can start acting upon your commands. I'd take Amazon's claim that no data is transmitted or stored without the wake word "Alexa" purely at face value. There have been enough examples of devices and corporations collecting/sending data they weren't meant to in the past few y…
If you have a smartphone with Siri or the equiv app on it (Android, Windows) your device is already 'always listening.' I fail to see the difference. People carry around a GPS tracking device with a mic and camera built-in. They use it to post their entire lives on social networks. And they're worried about privacy. Hilarious.
I don't care about my location information, I don't use social networks.
I care about the content of my private communications w/ other people. Including in-person conversations.
Re: Amazon Echo
#179Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you have a smartphone with Siri or the equiv app on it (Android, Windows) your device is already 'always listening.' I fail to see the difference. People carry around a GPS tracking device with a mic and camera built-in. They use it to post their entire lives on social networks. And they're worried about privacy. Hilarious.
No, Siri only takes commands when you activate it. There's an "always listening" feature, but this is off by default and only works when you are plugged into external power.
Someone else said this:
"Yes, it's possible the technology respects your privacy."
If you can suggest that Amazon Echo is potentially listening and transmitting the data to Amazon even when you don't explicitly say anything, the same can be said of Apple and Siri.
Re: Amazon Echo
#180Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Incorrect. The device is always listening, waiting for you to say "Alexa" so that it can start acting upon your commands. You say "incorrect" then re-phase exactly what I said in a different way but retain exactly the same meaning. The detection of the key word is on-chip. That's all that matters. Until the chip signals that it was spoken nothing is transmitted. > So no, this isn't "pathetic baseless fear mongering…
Can I, as a consumer that hypothetically owns one of these, control the software that is running on it?
Can you, as a consumer control the baseband on your cellphone?