Amazon Echo Gen 3 is here.

[Ferdinand]

Well it's arrived, and is the same size as a tin of filter coffee.

 

And it seems Jeff Bezos thinks that a 3" speaker is a woofer.

 

Presumably the chap is an enthusiast for Yorkshire Terriers.

 

Will report back.

 

As it happens I have to hoover out the coffee grinder this evening so I'll do it to the Java Jive played by Alexa.

 

 

A slice of onion?

Edited February 26, 2020 by Ferdinand

[ProDave]

4 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

Well it's arrived, and is the same size as a tin of filter coffee.

 

And it seems Jeff Bezos thinks that a 3" speaker is a woofer.

 

 

Well as most people under the age of 20 now listen to music on their smart phones, a 3" speaker probably sounds to them like the height of high fidelity.

 

[Ferdinand]

If I get it to talk to my internet....

[Jeremy Harris]

And send audio back to Amazon's servers, so they can get as much data as possible about you:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/CLQYZENMBI/amazon-data

 

On a more serious note, I believe there is an obligation to inform any visitors or guests that they may be being recorded if they enter your home.  Although the user of these things agrees to their data being sent to Amazon (and it's customers), visitors and guests may not have agreed to being monitored. (bearing in mind that you do not need to use the keyword "Alexa" for the device to record and send audio to Amazon: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/nicolenguyen/amazon-echo-record-audio-before-alexa-wakeword-patent)

[TheMitchells]

Thanks Ferdinand for the reminder of that great song!  ?

[Ferdinand]

In that recording they sound as if they need coffee ... of which I have just learnt from my neighbour how to make Middle Eastern.

Edited February 26, 2020 by Ferdinand

[Ferdinand]

17 minutes ago, Jeremy Harris said:

And send audio back to Amazon's servers, so they can get as much data as possible about you:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/CLQYZENMBI/amazon-data

 

On a more serious note, I believe there is an obligation to inform any visitors or guests that they may be being recorded if they enter your home.  Although the user of these things agrees to their data being sent to Amazon (and it's customers), visitors and guests may not have agreed to being monitored. (bearing in mind that you do not need to use the keyword "Alexa" for the device to record and send audio to Amazon: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/nicolenguyen/amazon-echo-record-audio-before-alexa-wakeword-patent)

 

Can it snoop WiFi traffic too?

 

Will it know I am reading your blog ?. ?

 

She might be having a fit because I am refusing the Location Services request - though if they are joined up they know where it was delivered.

[Jeremy Harris]

11 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

 

Can it snoop WiFi traffic too?

 

Will it know I am reading your blog ?. ?

 

She might be having a fit because I am refusing the Location Services request - though if they are joined up they know where it was delivered.

 

 

No, all they do is record audio and send it back to Amazon to do the voice recognition stuff, take the action needed, etc.  They aren't really very smart, as all the "heavy lifting" of interpreting language and putting it into context is done by Amazon's remote servers, that analyse the voice recordings that the units send back.

[Ferdinand]

Alexa is talking to me.

 

Correct evaluation on the woofer. Abba generally OK. Black Dyke Mills Brass Band a little bit missing the Eb Bass, or it is resonating the Alexa-pod.  

 

I think I need more bandwidth ? .

 

OK next task. Hoover out the coffee grinder.

 

(I wonder what I can plug into the 3.5 audio jack. Will it take the "behind the desk" woofer I still have from my 1997 Apricot Multimedia PC?)

 

(And can I ask it to call itself Alex and give me a man's voice? No. Sexists.)

 

F

Edited February 26, 2020 by Ferdinand

[Ferdinand]

I suppose one can have a voice controlled device on the socket to switch it off :-=) .

 

"Electra: Anti-Earwig"

Edited February 26, 2020 by Ferdinand