Amazon Announces 'Astro' Home Robot, Echo Show 15, Apple Fitness+ Competitor and More

[cardfan]

I have watched the YouTube ad and I will still ask the same question as the woman at the beginning of the video: "What are we gonna do with a robot?"

It looks nice and seems to do nice things, sure. But I am not convinced. For talking to someone else via video, you can use your smartphone or tablet or laptop. You do not need a robot following you around the house when you can just carry around a device. If someone breaks into your house, they will just destroy the robot or turn it off and take it with them. And it will certainly not pick up a beer from the fridge and handle it to you.

And the robot seems to work fine on the video. But we do not really know yet if it will fall from the stairs or stumble in a carpet.

I am more interested in the Echo Show 15, which looks more useful and less of a gimmick. But it still does not work with YouTube, which is a huge letdown.

Not interested til the AI is advanced enough to know it’s merely a lowly robot and can fully understand and be constantly aware that it’s existence will be a miserable one.

 

[svish]

The Ring always home cam is a good idea, I personally do not like a drone flying inside my home. Privacy will definitely be thrown out of the window with this one.

 

[jseymour]

The in-home drone sounds kind of cool. It would certainly be amusing to see how the cats reacted But I don't even trust Apple very much, any more, much less Amazon, so those are all a hard "nope."

 

[name99]

You can set up Homekit Secure Video to only record and notify you of specific events (options are currently persons, animals, vehicles, packet deliveries). Then allow the Home app to send you notifications in your Focus mode and that's pretty much what you're asking for.

No it's not. It factors things the wrong way.
This will not give me
- all notifications outside Focus mode
- people only inside Focus mode

That's MY POINT -- every setup I am currently aware of doesn't seem designed for the way people actually want to use these systems -- as "somewhat generic" alerts at some times. and as "specialized" alerts at other times.

You can't choose what alerts at what times; all you can choose is "only ever alert me about these" and then decide "alerts at night, yes or no".

 

[macsplusmacs]

What's the problem?

The little robot is going to go thru your drawers. Find out you need new underwear and then order them on amazon.

Oh and socks too!

 

[Boatboy24]

Robot follows owner into bathroom.

Alexa: "I've taken the liberty of ordering you a p%&s enlarger pump. It will be delivered tomorrow via Prime." 🤣

 

[saudade]

I would have preferred Rosie over Astro for that robot.

im sure u will charge her pretty often u know what I mean??

 

[If6Was25Or6To4]

I would have preferred Rosie over Astro for that robot.

I agree, especially since Rosie's a robot and Astro's a dog. Elroy knew the difference