Amazon Echo...?

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I really want to hate this thing, but for some reason I am interested in it. If the sound quality is decent, this could make a great replacement for a table radio or alarm clock.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
If the sound quality is decent, this could make a great replacement for a table radio or alarm clock.

It should easily sound as good or better than a typical table radio or alarm clock. It's got a separate tweeter and a woofer, although only 2.5" - that's gotta be the smallest woofer I have ever seen.
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Alas, it looks like that woofer has a very beefy magnet, so it should sound fairly loud, even if unable to deliver true low end frequencies.

Too bad Amazon did not include an audio out jack in this device for connecting to your home audio system.

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Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Interesting technology, but it doesn't do anything for me that I can't do myself. And at $200, I think I'll save my money.

If you're working in a kitchen and don't know how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon, then you have no business being in a kitchen. A kid that old who can't spell the word "cantaloupe" without help, rather than using an electronic crutch, needs some second grade remedial spelling classes. And if a parent can't spell the word "cantaloupe", they should sit alongside their kid in those second grade remedial spelling classes.


Those are called examples. Those are not the mandated functions of it, FYI
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Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Interesting technology, but it doesn't do anything for me that I can't do myself. And at $200, I think I'll save my money.

If you're working in a kitchen and don't know how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon, then you have no business being in a kitchen. A kid that old who can't spell the word "cantaloupe" without help, rather than using an electronic crutch, needs some second grade remedial spelling classes. And if a parent can't spell the word "cantaloupe", they should sit alongside their kid in those second grade remedial spelling classes.


I'd be curious to ask, "Alexa, what is the piston to bore clearance for a small block chevy."

" Alexa, What motor oil rebates are there for November?"

That might be useful for me, but then again there is bitog for those questions.
 
Curious how they'll solve the security issues around purchases. How do you prevent your kids from ordering stuff via Echo without your approval? I suppose some kind of an authorization will be required via your smartphone or maybe a code to be punched in on the remote. I haven't seen any pictures of the remote.
 
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Back in the day, you would not want your house to be bugged. Now you're actually willing to pay for it?
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I'm usually not paranoid, but this is a little creepy.


My thoughts exactly. I don't have anything for or against Amazon's device, but the observation is spot-on. Folks have been paying for that for years in their cars (OnStar).


This and the fact that it dumbs society down even more makes me not like it.

It's one thing to know where to look up the information, vs memorize, when it comes to obscure facts and calculations in complex fields. But the reality is that roughly half the population is already below average, and stuff like this is a crutch with no benefit - it just emphasizes less use of the brain and less responsibility to know and do things for one's self.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Back in the day, you would not want your house to be bugged. Now you're actually willing to pay for it?
smile.gif
I'm usually not paranoid, but this is a little creepy.


My thoughts exactly. I don't have anything for or against Amazon's device, but the observation is spot-on. Folks have been paying for that for years in their cars (OnStar).


This and the fact that it dumbs society down even more makes me not like it.

It's one thing to know where to look up the information, vs memorize, when it comes to obscure facts and calculations in complex fields. But the reality is that roughly half the population is already below average, and stuff like this is a crutch with no benefit - it just emphasizes less use of the brain and less responsibility to know and do things for one's self.


The movie Idiocracy comes to mind.
 
Originally Posted By: FL_Rob


The movie Idiocracy comes to mind.


I think we are actually witnessing it happening now. Those who work have kids they can afford. Others have 5-10 kids.
Idiocracy is already happening.
 
Originally Posted By: spasm3
Originally Posted By: FL_Rob


The movie Idiocracy comes to mind.


I think we are actually witnessing it happening now. Those who work have kids they can afford. Others have 5-10 kids.
Idiocracy is already happening.


Without a doubt.

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Condemnation of this is pretty arbitrary. Like any device parents need to exercise parental control. If it is a crutch, it is the parents issue, not the issue with the tool.

This breaks the paradigm on how people interact with computers, much like the Ipad has done. Odd that in 50 years of using computers no one has gone back to the dwg board to change the basic computer-human interaction, except for a few.

People talked to computers on Star Trek and the crew also used tablet computers.

People mocking this way of accessing info is hilarious; i don't see them driving down to the library to avoid using the internet. As with anything it is up to the user to decide to what extent it will be used.
 
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Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Condemnation of this is pretty arbitrary. Like any device parents need to exercise parental control. If it is a crutch, it is the parents issue, not the issue with the tool.

This breaks the paradigm on how people interact with computers, much like the Ipad has done. Odd that in 50 years of using computers no one has gone back to the dwg board to change the basic computer-human interaction, except for a few.

People talked to computers on Star Trek and the crew also used tablet computers.

People mocking this way of accessing info is hilarious; i don't see them driving down to the library to avoid using the internet. As with anything it is up to the user to decide to what extent it will be used.

It might have its limitations, but it's a very new product and probably will be tweaked in the years to come.

Anyway, you know that on bitog, if you don't bash internet, facebook, GPS navigation, rear view cameras and blind spot monitors and iphones, you're not cool.
- sigh -
 
Got mine last week. I've determined this will pretty much be a streaming device.

At least it was half price.
 
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