CES 2017: Ford to Integrate Alexa Virtual Assistant into its Cars From Next Month

[Weaselboy]

I've been a computer forensic expert for more than 12 years, traveled the world to train law enforcement, spoken about it at countless conferences including MacWorld, helped to design industry-standard tools used by all major law enforcement in the US and around the world, but yes, I'm sure you're the expert here. Tell yourself everything is fine and your conversations aren't recorded, if it makes you feel better.

This case is not the first, nor will it be the last, in which Alexa data is used
http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-amazon-echo-privacy-qa-20170105-story.html

Post the evidence you have that the Echo is recording my conversations before the wake word.

Nothing in that article contradicts what I have said.

 

[bozzykid]

The mission of the SDL group is to ween car makers away from CarPlay to a true open source connection kit. It's not an additional option to CarPlay and Google Auto, it's meant to be an alternative option to them. At the moment Ford is playing both sides because it doesn't want to turn off customers. Toyota OTOH is being much bolder in that regard. But it's Ford's goal to eventually dump CarPlay and GoogleAuto for its own interface design

That isn't really true. Neither Carplay or Android Auto actually run natively on a single car. This new open source software isn't pushing them away. They will still be available from these car manufacturers. But the manufacturers are making sure CarPlay and Android Auto don't become built-in as the only option. To me, this is a good thing for consumers, not a bad thing. I don't want a car in the future that only works with Android Auto or Carplay.

 

[extrachrispy]

Post the evidence you have that the Echo is recording my conversations before the wake word.

Nothing in that article contradicts what I have said.

Indeed. In my car, none of the voice-activated gizmos work until I push the voice button on the steering wheel.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

That isn't really true. Neither Carplay or Android Auto actually run natively on a single car. This new open source software isn't pushing them away. They will still be available from these car manufacturers. But the manufacturers are making sure CarPlay and Android Auto don't become built-in as the only option. To me, this is a good thing for consumers, not a bad thing. I don't want a car in the future that only works with Android Auto or Carplay.

If you want to believe that you can. But manufacturers, especially main line makers like Ford and Toyota do not want multiple options. The goal is to streamline - one a/v system, not to offer 2 or 3. That is expensive from and R&D and assembly perspective. It's why Toyota still doesn't offer CarPlay. But also, there is zero need for a maker to have SDL if they are content with CarPlay and Google Auto because these later two cover just about every smartphone on the planet. The goal of SDL is to built up enough industry support for it's own shared open source protocol so it can then dump CarPlay and Google Auto.

 

[aaroman]

Alexa isn't tied to any ecosystem...

Uh, Amazon? Music, movies, tv shows, apps, toilet paper, soda, condoms, and loads more. If that's not an ecosystem, I don't know what is.

That's like folks saying the Kindle Fires are tablets. No, they're 21st century Sears catalogs.

 

[bozzykid]

Uh, Amazon? Music, movies, tv shows, apps, toilet paper, soda, condoms, and loads more. If that's not an ecosystem, I don't know what is.

That's like folks saying the Kindle Fires are tablets. No, they're 21st century Sears catalogs.

Yes, but it isn't "tied" to their ecosystem meaning Alexa is open to work with any service (and it already works with many competing services).

 

[aaroman]

Yes, but it isn't "tied" to their ecosystem meaning Alexa is open to work with any service (and it already works with many competing services).

Except for AppleTV. <mutter-grumble> Oh, wait, that's Amazon Video that doesn't work on TV. Sorry, side-rant. We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.