A while back some friends brought a new house and it came with an Alexa device that had a camera that followed you around the kitchen/eating area.
Me - Oh Hells no, #alexa#ai#inforsec
Would you pay a monthly fee for a smarter, #AI-enabled #Alexa from #Amazon?
I would not as I barely use Alexa these days at all even though as a former #IoT content creator, I have all of the “big tech” assistants in my home. Not because Alexa today is lackluster compared to other options IMO, but I’ve given enough (read: too much) of my personal data to Amazon already.
#Amazon Echo Hub reviewed in @guardian is a device that brings you firmly into #Alexa's clutches.
The word #privacy isn't mentioned at all. Because who cares about that, right?
"Amazon’s latest Alexa device feels like the missing piece in making a home fully smart"
"The #Echo Hub [..] is a cut-price option for a device that usually has to be either professionally installed, costing thousands, or a DIY job that requires more than a little expertise." 😫
Today is a rainy day in SF. As I was waking I thought I heard rain drops, so I asked, “Alexa, is it raining?” I was expecting the usual stock weather response that I’ve been getting for years. This time Alexa simply replied, “Yes, it is raining.”
This is a first. Next I want to see how much Alexa is able to adapt to unique requests. I could ask, “Alexa, will I need an umbrella tonight?” This would requiring connecting me to my location and umbrella to rain along with time of day. The stock response has just used the address set with my Echo device and responded with the forecast for the whole day. Connecting these dots from a spoken request would truly be a big step forward. #Alexa
I’ve started testing out alternatives to #Spotify as they’re putting their prices up yet again! £20pm for Family plan now. 🙄
I’ve started with #AppleMusic as I had a 2-month free trial, but the Windows app is trash. It keeps telling me playback has stopped on another device. It wasn’t playing on another device in the first place. Also songs just randomly stops playing or starts from the beginning again. 🤦♂️
No crossfade feature on mobile or playlist based playback features e.g. Rain Sounds playlist by Tidal doesn’t crossfade tracks which makes it jarring to play whilst going to sleep.
Despite the better audio quality, I’m not sure I can make the switch to Tidal.
As the "AI" race heats up, those of us who operate servers are going to be getting hit from more and more bots speed crawling our sites like the bad old days... that never really left.
I do hate it when tech companies come up with “improvements” to their systems. Some time ago, I created a Books List on my #Alexa to keep a note of books or authors I’d like to read when I had time to purchase them. It was easy to ask Alexa what was on the list to refresh my memory of books to search for.
But Amazon must have “improved” their system, so now when I ask what is on my Books List, Alexa reads me the titles in my #Kindle library. If I wanted to know that, I’d ask what books were in my Kindle library. Now, to check my Books List, I need to open the app and type the question into the app to see the list. This is not always very convenient.
I was going to create a new List called Library, but I thought she might simply repeat my Kindle Library again, so I’ve now got a list called Bookshelf. That seems to work. At least, it does for the moment. No doubt #Amazon will break it before too long.
I do seem to spend far too much time battling against #Technology in my attempts to make life easier.
"After quizzing these companies about data practices, I learned that most are sharing what’s happening in my home with Amazon, too. Our data is the price of entry for devices that want to integrate with Alexa. Amazon’s not only eavesdropping — it’s tracking everything happening in your home."
#GeoffreyAFowler, 'Alexa has been eavesdropping on you this whole time'
Alexa Rydell (famososefamosasdetodososramos.blogspot.com) Portuguese
Alexa Rydell
Alexa Noone (famososefamosasdetodososramos.blogspot.com) Portuguese
Alexa Noone