"Hey Vector" is just "Hey Google" or "Hey Siri" or "Hey Alexa". For a lot less money you could just get a Google Home or Amazon Echo (Apple HomePod is a bit more) and they provide more functionality without the useless wheels.
and you conveniently ignored the coolest factor of vector, and that is it's soon to be released sdk. plus, what is possibly fun and cute about amazon echo and google home just sitting there doing nothing but being the ears of companies scheming on how to sell us more shit?
There's nothing wrong with toys. There's everything wrong with a "Super smart alive and aware AI" hype fest when what they mean is it's a partially functional google assistant with a pareidolic face.
> what is possibly fun and cute about amazon echo and google home just sitting there doing nothing
https://www.reddit.com/r/eyebombing/comments/5nttde/google_h...
Boom, solved. Look at how adorable that is. You could even put a hat on it.
There’s also the privacy aspect of Vector. Anki respects your privacy because your data isn’t used in the same way that it is by Google Home and Alexa (i.e. for ad targeting)
I have not (and probably will not) research in what sense the privacy of this device is better but from what little I've seen it is at least better. And if not I can't imagine Anki being less trustworthy than the others.
I see it as a furby, which can be a little neat. Wouldn't buy it though.