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Alexa is in millions of households and Amazon is losing billions

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Re: Alexa is in millions of households and Amazon is losing billions

#351

Post by n_plus_1_acc »

pj_mukh wrote: post #274
willsmith72 wrote: post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is that so simple? I've had online bank accounts, calendars and emails for many years now, but I still can't do a "text search" across all of them. Isn't the LLM the easy part? How do you link and connect all the different systems you interact with?

I mean at its core operating a bank account, an email and a calendar is just running operations on a browser. LLM's can do that (ex: https://www.skyvern.com or https://www.gumloop.com ). edit: Though more generally, I can see a future where all these operations are essentially different functions in a function calling system.

Letting an LLM use my banking login is now one of my wordt nightmarrs. Thanks, i hate it.

Re: Alexa is in millions of households and Amazon is losing billions

#352

Post by burnte »

paxys wrote: post #86

The core issue is that Amazon envisioned Alexa as a product that would help it increase sales. Smart home features were always an afterthought. How convenient would it be if people could shout "Alexa order me Tide Pods" from wherever they were in their home and the order got magically processed? That demo definitely got applause from a boardroom full of execs. The problem is that consumers don't behave like that. Thi…

> The problem is that consumers don't behave like that. This is also why Amazon's Dash buttons failed.

As an owner of several Echo devices and a former owner of the Dash buttons, my household LOVED the Dash buttons. Never once have we ordered anything via Alexa, nor do we want to. With the button, you selected the EXACT item with a single button. With Alexa, you have to explain what you want, don't necessarily know the price, seller, etc. It was an all around worse UI for buying.

And that's the problem you speak of. No one wants to do that. They made a smart speaker then convinced themselves something ELSE was the killer feature and predicated the finances on that.

Re: Alexa is in millions of households and Amazon is losing billions

#353

Post by stacktrust »

Practical Alexa use cases for elderly:

  1. Schedule/ask cooker to start, then stop after fixed time.
  2. Blind person can control microwave with voice.
  3. Blind person navigation via prompts from multiple Echo devices.
  4. Blind person notification when doors opened or motion detected.
  5. Blind person item locator, via Tile + Alexa.
  6. On-demand instructions for caregivers.
  7. On-demand physiotherapy exercise instructions.
  8. On-demand streaming radio and podcasts.
  9. TV voice control via Logitech Harmony or Android Fire TV.
  10. Call PSTN phones via VOIP (10 number limit).
  11. Zigbee devices with USA-based cloud security (Echo4 is a hub)
  12. Arm/disarm Blink cameras.
  13. AC/heat control via temperature sensor in Echo devices. 
  14. Announce notifications from Google Calendar.
If Amazon would open up their devices and/or APIs, much much more is possible. There are some workarounds via HomeAssistant.

Re: Alexa is in millions of households and Amazon is losing billions

#354

Post by julianeon »

Rapzid wrote: post #336
julianeon wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The other really big use case - actually the majority for me! - is telling Alexa to add things to shopping lists. I have one list I always check when I'm at a physical store or preparing for curbside shopping.

That sounds handy, how do you get the list back out?

You check the app on your phone. I use Alexa to add things to the list and the app to cross them off.

Re: Alexa is in millions of households and Amazon is losing billions

#355

Post by doubled112 »

supportengineer wrote: post #325
booi wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's ridiculous that I have to have a spreadsheet with pricing information and links for household goods just to spot check and make sure I'm getting the actual price per quantity that I want due to the multiple dynamic listings that change every day nightmare. Don't ask how many times I receive more or less than I thought I would or something came in 10 packages of 3 instead of 1 30x package.

Prescription drugs have something called "NDC number" ( National Drug Codes ). What we need is NDC numbers but for consumer goods.

Like a UPC?

Re: Alexa is in millions of households and Amazon is losing billions

#356

Post by ethbr1 »

supportengineer wrote: post #325
booi wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's ridiculous that I have to have a spreadsheet with pricing information and links for household goods just to spot check and make sure I'm getting the actual price per quantity that I want due to the multiple dynamic listings that change every day nightmare. Don't ask how many times I receive more or less than I thought I would or something came in 10 packages of 3 instead of 1 30x package.

Prescription drugs have something called "NDC number" ( National Drug Codes ). What we need is NDC numbers but for consumer goods.

Ironically, this is probably why books don't suffer the same problem. ISBNs

Re: Alexa is in millions of households and Amazon is losing billions

#357

Post by tgma »

mschuster91 wrote: post #334
tgma wrote: post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nah. Just choose to buy the way you wish to. Vote with your money and don’t artificially restrict where there’s zero issues. Everything works out in the end. I’d much rather transact in the US than Europe. The entire retail customer experience and return policy is unmatched. The last thing I want is for some government regulation to make it suck like Europe.

> The last thing I want is for some government regulation to make it suck like Europe. Are you aware that Europe has a mandatory 2 year minimum warranty period on consumer purchases? A mandatory 14-days no-questions-asked return window on all purchases? In the US, AFAIK you're fully at the mercy of whatever the vendor so graciously offers you. [1] https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/gua...

Yes I am aware and I stand by my statement. Have you actually returned stuff to stores over there?

I have returned half eaten cake that I did not like the taste to Costco and didn’t have to face a weird looking employee. No law and regulation necessary just capitalism.

Re: Alexa is in millions of households and Amazon is losing billions

#358

Post by dghlsakjg »

swozey wrote: post #240
AlexandrB wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, Costco is like the opposite of the Amazon experience. Costco will only carry a few brands of any given item, but they're all generally pretty good with nothing drop-shipped from a random AliExpress vendor. Their house brand - Kirkland - is pretty good as well. It's a curated set of products with a relatively small number of SKUs vs. Amazon's flea-market-like experience.

Costco really needs to get new products in or I don't think it will do well with genz and younger millennials. I hadn't been to a Costco since I was a kid so I had completely forgotten that the only stock (maybe) a few versions of specific items. I went a year or two ago thinking I'd come home with months worth of groceries and I was shocked that it STILL looked like the inside of a 1990s fridge and cabinet with such…

I find that Costco in store generally has stuff that tends to follow local consumer preferences.

It is worth mentioning that Costco.com does not stock the same things that the physical stores sell, more-so than any other retailer I know of. And different stores have a lot of latitude in what they stock.

My nearest store has tons of things like sugar free sodas, pro-biotic soda, kombucha, no sugar added juices, and juice shots, etc... It might just be the local Costco catering to their market.

Re: Alexa is in millions of households and Amazon is losing billions

#359

Post by julianeon »

ghaff wrote: post #333
julianeon wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The other really big use case - actually the majority for me! - is telling Alexa to add things to shopping lists. I have one list I always check when I'm at a physical store or preparing for curbside shopping.

And I use a steno pad for that.

In my family a few people add things to the list, from different rooms even, which would be impractical if we were passing a single steno pad around.

Re: Alexa is in millions of households and Amazon is losing billions

#360

Post by ghaff »

markbnj wrote: post #317
paxys wrote: post #86

The core issue is that Amazon envisioned Alexa as a product that would help it increase sales. Smart home features were always an afterthought. How convenient would it be if people could shout "Alexa order me Tide Pods" from wherever they were in their home and the order got magically processed? That demo definitely got applause from a boardroom full of execs. The problem is that consumers don't behave like that. Thi…

>> Alexa can set timers and tell me the weather, and...that's basically it. I'm not sure if you're intending to be literal or engaging in hyperbole to make a point, but either way it doesn't gel with our experience. Yes, we definitely set timers and ask about the weather... near us, at places we're going to, in the near future, etc. We also ask for a lot of conversions, or adjustments to measurements. My partner is a…

That sounds pretty right. I'll ask for an odd conversion, the weather forecast, set an alarm for the one in my bedroom, but that's about it.
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