I got the similar Google home device. I was questioning the purchase until I realized just how wise she is.
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Alexa
- Thread starter Kyzrsoze
- Start date
If the government wants to listen, I don't care. I like the convenience of it. It plays music, googles things for you, tells you the weather, sets a timer, tells jokes, etc. It's convenient in the kitchen where we have it.
Before you shoot the Alexa, just list it for sale here. Someone will buy it.
Before you shoot the Alexa, just list it for sale here. Someone will buy it.
I got one as well. It's in my living room so I don't worry about what it hears. At worst it's recording the radio station I leave on for the cat while I'm at work.
It's handy if you are getting into 'smart home' stuff. I have a couple of the Eufy WiFi LED bulbs and Alexa can control them by voice. It will also control a Fire TV if you have one of them.
Since all my music is in iTunes, I had to spring for Amazon Mustic ($7.99/month) if I wanted to be able to play it through the Echo. There was also a one-time fee of $25 to keep the actual music files up on Amazon, since their Music app is like Spotify, streaming only. If you want to upload do it now, since that feature is going away in another couple of months (doing it now grandfathers you in).
One thing I found disconcerting is that Alexa doesn't have any way to exclude any voice but yours from using it. It can identify up to 10 different people, but it will always answer anyone who says "Alexa...". I also turned off the ordering from Alexa. I don't want anyone able to tell it to buy something, even me.
It's an interesting toy, but I'm not sure it's going to be something I use a lot beyond asking it the weather or using it as a clock. That may change in the future, as more and more stuff gets integrated with it though.
It's handy if you are getting into 'smart home' stuff. I have a couple of the Eufy WiFi LED bulbs and Alexa can control them by voice. It will also control a Fire TV if you have one of them.
Since all my music is in iTunes, I had to spring for Amazon Mustic ($7.99/month) if I wanted to be able to play it through the Echo. There was also a one-time fee of $25 to keep the actual music files up on Amazon, since their Music app is like Spotify, streaming only. If you want to upload do it now, since that feature is going away in another couple of months (doing it now grandfathers you in).
One thing I found disconcerting is that Alexa doesn't have any way to exclude any voice but yours from using it. It can identify up to 10 different people, but it will always answer anyone who says "Alexa...". I also turned off the ordering from Alexa. I don't want anyone able to tell it to buy something, even me.
It's an interesting toy, but I'm not sure it's going to be something I use a lot beyond asking it the weather or using it as a clock. That may change in the future, as more and more stuff gets integrated with it though.
Alexa,Kill yourself
my kids have one in each of their rooms. i have one in my living room, kitchen, and basement. i also have amazon firestick tv. i like how the newer gens control smart devices without having to have a smart hub on your network. if the govt wanted to listen to me all they would have to do i dial into my laptop, phone, ipad, or any one of the 4 smart tv's i have in my house. there is no way around it. unless you kill the power to all these devices. cell phones are peoples personal microphone for anyone that wants to hear what you are saying at all times. snowden showed that you literally have to disconnect the microphone in a cell phone.. ever if you take the battery out. i know my phone is on me 24/7. when i'm not using the echo's for playing music i usually keep them unplugged.
I've had a computer on my desk since my early professional career in the 1980s, and been building my own computers since Win 95. For me it's not a fear of tech - it's more the application/use of tech. A programmer told me once "If it's already easy, don't put it on a computer". It's something that stuck with me, and its how I gauge these things.
Over the years I've seen computers/tech make difficult/impossible tasks easy, and it's that type of tech that I respect and appreciate. The tech that makes easy tasks easier tends to make people lazy and dull over time. That's part of the reason why I loath most anything on my phone that attempts to do things for me automatically, and I avoid anything cloud based. What so many see as convenient, I see as a loss of control.
Over the years I've seen computers/tech make difficult/impossible tasks easy, and it's that type of tech that I respect and appreciate. The tech that makes easy tasks easier tends to make people lazy and dull over time. That's part of the reason why I loath most anything on my phone that attempts to do things for me automatically, and I avoid anything cloud based. What so many see as convenient, I see as a loss of control.
Amazon does need to get their act in gear though. It sounds like Google is really gunning for them at CES this year.
And they do need to think about security some more. They have the Show, which would be a decent way for families to video-call each other, but unlike the Google equivalent, there's no mechanical shutter for the camera.
They have the Spot, which would integrate with the Ring video doorbells/cameras gear perfectly. Having a small screen right by my bed that would show my front and back yard at 2AM when I 'heard something' would be awesome. Then the morons put a camera in it and made it the creepiest thing I can imagine. You can't even tape it over, because it's also the light sensor for the automatic brightness settings.
Definitely a work in progress, but they need to really start putting security first before people will let these things into their houses.
And they do need to think about security some more. They have the Show, which would be a decent way for families to video-call each other, but unlike the Google equivalent, there's no mechanical shutter for the camera.
They have the Spot, which would integrate with the Ring video doorbells/cameras gear perfectly. Having a small screen right by my bed that would show my front and back yard at 2AM when I 'heard something' would be awesome. Then the morons put a camera in it and made it the creepiest thing I can imagine. You can't even tape it over, because it's also the light sensor for the automatic brightness settings.
Definitely a work in progress, but they need to really start putting security first before people will let these things into their houses.
