Echo devices are Amazon Prime Day’s best sellers
techcrunch.com
techcrunch.com
Thought about searching to find out how hackable the Amazon version is... Then decided I have better things to do.
Not so great for much else.
The real trick is that they manage to get people to pay them anything for these little trojan horses.
So, I'm just pointing to the fact that, ultimately, Amazon seeks (and likely will get) more value out of the Echo than does the customer (or at least much more than the initial cost). Yet, they are able to get the customer to pay for the privilege.
Cool trick if you can pull it off.
It's a new interface device. We can finally, easily, use our voice to accomplish tasks-- anywhere in our house. Before, with phones, it was clumsy and required pulling out the phone.
Give it time!
Seriously, in addition to the ease with which you can also use your voice to buy on Amazon, Amazon will surely launch other services based on user behavior. In fact, they may even acquire popular services you currently use.
And, of course, it's compiling data on you.
It's a useful trojan horse, but a trojan horse nonetheless. Of course, if it wasn't useful it wouldn't succeed as a trojan horse. So, not saying it's evil. But, it's amazing that they are able to get people to pay for something from which they will ultimately collect many times the value.
Also, in a great development, both are going to integrate with each other much better soon; there's a private beta in place right now: http://www.aftvnews.com/sonos-begins-beta-testing-amazon-ale...
It seems (seemed?) like Apple and Sonos happily shared some consumer overlap until then. I find this news quite intriguing in that light.
PS. Favorite kids CD: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Laurie-Berkner-Band/dp/B003KNDMF...
- cheaper to buy the CD for the car while unlocking the Echo-playable cloud MP3 edition
- favorite tracks have been dubbed "Bumblebee" (1) and "Rawr" (4)
- recorded a video on the iPad of myself loudly saying "Alexa, play We are the Dinosaurs" which my kid loves to re-use
Personally, I have no use for one. "Alexa turn off the lights", or just get up or use your phone? That's what I do at least.
[1] - http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20030417/white-noise-may-dela...
From the article:
"""Both Chang and Paula Tallal, PhD -- a researcher who was not involved in Chang's study -- say it is probably not a good idea to intentionally expose babies and infants to nonstop white noise, but they say everyday exposures are probably not harmful for most children."""
That's not a thing. Life is risk assessment.
> brought music back into our lives, in a big way
That's great, but you should be able get a similar benefit without giving up your expectation of privacy. Normalizing sending the audio from formerly private areas - even if you are not currently saying anything other than "Alexa, play ${random_pop_song}" - will eventually move listening devices across the bright line established in Kyllo v. United States[1][2]. The SCOTUS opinion: (emphasis added)
>> "Where, as here, the Government uses a device that is not in general public use, to explore details of the home that would previously have been unknowable without physical intrusion, the surveillance is a "search" and is presumptively unreasonable without a warrant."
When a technology is* in "general public use", a warrant is no longer required to use that technology in a search. If Echo (or similar) becomes common enough for people to start assuming the average home may contain a microphone that uploads to a 3rd party, the expectation that a home is private. Music is important, but was that particular convenience worth undermining the 4th Amendment?
I call B.S.
Why?
It has been normal for decades to send audio from "private areas." Phones, for example. Cell phones now mean you send audio from nearly any location with cell service.
I expect that Amazon respects my privacy, according to their own statements and terms of service. Activating the sending of information is only done intentionally, with the use of a trigger word that I don't otherwise use. This is no different than pressing a button on a computer, or dialing a phone number on my phone.
The expectation of privacy does not change just because I have a device with a microphone, at least from a legal perspective.
Obviously, this still requires trusting the service provider, government, etc.
When the price is right, Alexa-controlled devices (heating, lighting, etc) would get a lot of use.