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The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

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Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#211

Post by StavrosK »

m0ngr31 wrote: post #31

Google might be ahead in some conversational things, but functionality wise, Alexa is way better. Probably has something to do with being on the market first, but developing a skill is a much better experience than it is with Google (imo). I think that's a big reason why. I've developed a number of skills for some big companies, and I'm fighting Amazon right now about getting my open source one published ( https://gi…

Oh this is fantastic, I'm going to deploy it when I get back home. Thanks for opensourcing it!

One question: Which sections in the kodi.cfg are necessary? I already have Kodi configured and don't want to just replace the file, or spend time changing options your skill doesn't need.

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#212

Post by pythonboi »

gh02t wrote: post #27
StevePerkins wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would say that the Amazon Echo is generally better at DOING STUFF (e.g. setting alarms and reminders, playing music, adding stuff to your Amazon shopping cart ( of course ), controlling your TV if you have a Fire stick, etc). Supposedly controlling smart home gear, although I haven't dipped my toes in those waters yet. The Google Home is generally better at ANSWERING QUESTIONS and providing information. Random quer…

I actually find ghome to be better for smart home use. The app is a little more intuitive with organization and it is a lot better with recognizing the names of your stuff. Alexa would have trouble recognizing arbitrary names while ghome almost always gets it right. I started with Echo but ended up replacing it with Google Home because I like it so much more.

Thankfully I am not the only one who thinks this! I had an argument with my brother over IoT devices with Echos vs Google Home products.

Google Home still requires you to use 3rd party apps but you are forced to set up the device in a location in your home/apartment. I can walk into my apartment and say "Ok Google, turn on all lights" and not have to worry about which brand of lights turn on.

When I used my Echo Dot my brother got me last Christmas, I had so many issues with the same command.

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#213

Post by antonvs »

Sephr wrote: post #155
robbiep wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think they’re saying they changed to referring to Alexia in conversation to A or Her

I'm responding to "devices will be much [better] at figuring out when we're addressing them than the primitive idea of a wake-word". That kind of on-device context detection may not be feasible with the currently-shipping hardware.

The manufacturers want you to buy new hardware at least every year, so that's not a barrier to new features unless you refuse to upgrade.

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#214

Post by introspectr3 »

dopamean wrote: post #208

Are there any assistants that aren't connected to the web? Or at least aren't by default. Here are some things I'd love to be able to do that don't need the web. Set a timer Set a reminder for something in X minutes Take a voice note Create lists (maybe could be pushed to phone via bluetooth) Maybe some home auto stuff I imagine most of this stuff could be shared to my phone via bluetooth if I needed it on the go (li…

https://aiyprojects.withgoogle.com/voice

You control what goes where.

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#215

Post by raoulj »

dopamean wrote: post #208

Are there any assistants that aren't connected to the web? Or at least aren't by default. Here are some things I'd love to be able to do that don't need the web. Set a timer Set a reminder for something in X minutes Take a voice note Create lists (maybe could be pushed to phone via bluetooth) Maybe some home auto stuff I imagine most of this stuff could be shared to my phone via bluetooth if I needed it on the go (li…

As I understand it, all the voice assistants rely on a backend to do the voice processing, at a minimum.

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#216

Post by paulie_a »

notahacker wrote: post #159
bamboozled wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Might I suggest some simple reasons for the increase in sales for the Dot? * Novelty value, it's a fun idea. It looks cool to buy an "edgy" product for your nephew / niece etc. * The marketing team worked hard to direct prime customers to buy one for their family / friends as gifts. * People are out of ideas and it's something new, novel and affordable. I really don't think people put much thought into presents in ge…

The aggressive price cuts in competition with Google also put it at the perfect price for "novelty electronic good that may or may not be useful" (We bought one for a pretty tech savvy 89 year old who we thought might actually get practical benefits from IoT plugs as well as enjoy the novelty value of something that interacts vaguely like a human since he doesn't go out so much these days. But that's something of an…

I bought three Google homes largely because of the price cuts, and after showing my mom over the holiday she decided to but one. She even commented on the novelty but had liked it so far

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#217

Post by sigi45 »

bamboozled wrote: post #122
JulianRaphael wrote: post #121

Very revealing discussion. Most of the participants just argue about Amazon vs. Google here, some fear surveillance, some consider the devices useless, a few want to understand if the HN crowd finds it useful. This is something I notice here on HN in product-related discussions more and more: people just say what THEY think about product X (typically a negative opinion or complaint), rather being creative, constructi…

Might I suggest some simple reasons for the increase in sales for the Dot? * Novelty value, it's a fun idea. It looks cool to buy an "edgy" product for your nephew / niece etc. * The marketing team worked hard to direct prime customers to buy one for their family / friends as gifts. * People are out of ideas and it's something new, novel and affordable. I really don't think people put much thought into presents in ge…

Easy to get in and already usefull.

My wife didn't like the idea of having a microphone in our rooms, now she asked me if i don't want to buy another one.

And yeah it is only used for timer, reminder, light on/off and music.

I love it too.

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#218

Post by camiller »

dopamean wrote: post #208

Are there any assistants that aren't connected to the web? Or at least aren't by default. Here are some things I'd love to be able to do that don't need the web. Set a timer Set a reminder for something in X minutes Take a voice note Create lists (maybe could be pushed to phone via bluetooth) Maybe some home auto stuff I imagine most of this stuff could be shared to my phone via bluetooth if I needed it on the go (li…

If you want to roll your own server I believe there is a plugin for Home Assistant that can take voice input. https://home-assistant.io/

But I don't think either the Echo or the Google Home will connect to that. If you are running home assistant on a raspberry Pi, you could probably build that right into your own speaker.

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#219

Post by trts »

fermienrico wrote: post #77
dilap wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The number of syllables isn't the problem, it's that prefixing every request with "OK," feels extremely unnatural -- almost like you're treating the Google assistant in a sardonic or sarcastic manner. (Also, "OK" is a very unnatural prefix! Notice how you accidentally replaced it with "hey". I watched a 7 year repeatedly do this a couple of days ago with Google Home, concluding it was broken. Compare w/ Alexa, which…

I disagree. Ok Google comes extremely naturally to most people I know. I prefer Google’s personification of an assistant - it’s the brand itself. Not some Alexa or Siri or some gender specific role. Google has taken an absolute brilliant approach towards voice and their popularity shows. It’s a pleasure to use compared to anything else.

It is better than the echo but it was smart of both Apple and Amazon to call their assistant by a human name. Google is punishing themselves by making their product a function of saying 'Hey [massive global corporation susceptible to PR emergencies], unlock my front door'

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#220

Post by paulie_a »

endorphone wrote: post #185
touristtam wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

General public has probably been sold on the potential & novelty of the device, without realizing how little there is to it (feature wise). It feels like it is similar to VR and personal drones; it sounds exiting, but it isn't that practical in everyday setting to replace other activities, and setting it up can feel tedious.

>General public has probably been sold on the potential & novelty of the device, without realizing how little there is to it (feature wise). There is an outrageous amount to it, feature wise. Voice is the holy grail for a pretty large amount of the public, and it is finally there. The setup is surprisingly unintuitive (even the simple step to connect to a specific wifi network is beyond many users, and it is notable…

I was impressed by how easy it was to connect to WiFi, download app, hit connect to WiFi. All instructions were included on a piece of paper the size of a business card
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