Amazon Unveils Echo, a Speaker With a Siri-Like Voice Assistant

[mercuryjones]

Always listening, are you Amazon?
Get ready for targeted ads. In the bedroom, Echo overhears you and missus getting busy, starts up commercial for condoms or baby clothes.
In the kitchen, Echo overhears you talking about dinner, starts playing pizza delivery commercials.
Echo hears you cursing about how hard it is to use your phone, instantly places order for the new Fire Phone. Also, signs you up for Amazon Prime.
The opportunities for this are endless. For Amazon.

 

[gadgetguy03]

Guess I won't be listening to Billy Joel's "Downeaster Alexa" any time soon with this device....

 

[ssspinball]

This device is amazing and something I'd get Prime just to purchase (might as well since the $100 savings equals a free year of Prime)

Why is it amazing when you could plug in your iPhone and use Hey Siri to replicate every feature and more with the exception of loudness?

Also it says "add to grocery list" but then where does that information go?

 

[Boatboy24]

Didn't see this one coming. At least they successfully doubled down on the secrecy.

 

[coolfactor]

way too big??? It will be nice if you can just name it anything. Alexa sounds like an evil AI...

And why is the power brick external? Surely they could have integrated that?

 

[WardC]

Sounds like an upcoming Apple product, but looks like Amazon beat them to it.

Oops, was I not supposed to say that?? :-D

AppleTV was supposed to have integrated functionality, much like this product. The Siri part, that is...

 

[Quu]

Looks like an interesting product. I'd like to see Apple turn the Apple TV in to this sort of multifunction device with voice control. Would make me buy one.

 

[hardhatmac]

This screen grab basically sums up how I feel about the device and the video...

 

[Boatboy24]

Guess I won't be listening to Billy Joel's "Downeaster Alexa" any time soon with this device....

Ha!

Reminds me of many years ago when my grandfather plugged his TV into "The Clapper". It shut itself off when he was watching sports or game shows

 

[coolspot18]

I think the VoiceUI is as much in its infancy now as the GUI was 30 years ago. Try to look three decades ahead and imagine.

Voice recognition technology itself is pretty solid and relatively mature - finding a compelling use of the technology is the challenge. Also, voice recognition is an "organic" technology that requires post-deployment feedback and optimization which many organizations neglect (i.e. adding in phrases people say but the application doesn't understand, tightening recognition thresholds, etc.), causing people to perceive voice recognition doesn't work well.

 

[coolfactor]

you bet me to that good sir kudos

It is the siri or google now when plugged in crammed into a tube with a tiny speakers.

I can't believe all of the comments and questions posted that are easily discounted simply by reading and watching the video.

If you looked at the pictures posted, you would see that a good portion of the internals is made up from large speakers. I think they invested well into creating a decent sounding device that "throws" sound across a room.

 

[Rockies]

Damn it Apple. This could have been the next Apple TV. Stupid Apple Watch project.

 

[TsunamiTheClown]

Ha!

Reminds me of many years ago when my grandfather plugged his TV into "The Clapper". It shut itself off when he was watching sports or game shows

Grandpa + Clapper = instant win.

 

[mattopotamus]

I can't believe all of the comments and questions posted that are easily discounted simply by reading and watching the video.

If you looked at the pictures posted, you would see that a good portion of the internals is made up from large speakers. I think they invested well into creating a decent sounding device that "throws" sound across a room.

people do not read. They skim and think they know everything.

 

[ssspinball]

And a smartphone requires you use your hands, activate the smart assistant, attach headphones (if you want good sound quality) etc.

Not with iOS 8 it doesn't. Only requires being plugged in. Then you can say "hey siri" and it will respond.

Alexa is always on , without even to pressing the home button, I wish the same for iOS

Congrats, you got your wish!

 

[TsunamiTheClown]

It needs to go further before this kind of thing is useful.

Agreed, much further.

 

[mattopotamus]

Not with iOS 8 it doesn't. Only requires being plugged in. Then you can say "hey siri" and it will respond.


Congrats, you got your wish!

google now has been doing that for well over a year

 

[WardC]

This screen grab basically sums up how I feel about the device and the video...

So you weren't as happy as this guy, I suppose:

 

[Piggie]

Maybe I'm just a luddite but I really can't wait for this voice assistant fad to pass. I don't want to talk to my electronics. Just feels wrong and unnatural. Doesnt matter if it is Apple's siri, google search or this amazon echo thing. Voice as an interaction method outside of a car where you need to operate hands free is just never going to appeal to me.

Maybe I'm just weird that way?

So in Star Trek, you feel they should always be typing in what they want to know on a keyboard and reading answers off a screen?

No computer to interact with via voice?

If you take this one step further, do you speak to real people, or type thing for them to read of a screen?
If you talk to them, and I presume you do, why?

It's natural, easier than typing?

Well why should you only do that to humans?

 

[wxman2003]

Just for fun, I decided to see if I was worthy of an invitation. I guess I will find out if I am considered a good customer or not.

 

[samcraig]

1) Can one turn off the listening feature so Amazon isn't eavesdropping 24/7 on my household?
2) No native iOS app? Major FAILLLLL

There's a mic off switch.

 

[coldsweat]

I like it, but I suppose us in the rest of the world will get it in a years time!

 

[Intelligent]

These conversations are very strange.

 

[kds1]

Amazon: "Let's throw crap at the wall and see what sticks!!!!"

 

[mattopotamus]

Just for fun, I decided to see if I was worthy of an invitation. I guess I will find out if I am considered a good customer or not.

right? I wonder if it is based on request time or they actually decide if you use amazon a lot and order tech products.