that alexa thing

[Dirk Lehmann's Python]

Get a Dot and hook it up to a bluetooth speaker to try it out is my advice. Absolutely love ours, mainly for Spotify, alarms and a quick weather forecast.

Yes it is a gimmick but ours is on all the time.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

[Dave the OAP]

Just late Beatles, or some Badfinger, Solo Beatles, Billy Preston?

Sorry that went straight over my head....no idea what you are going on about. Explain please

 

[Dave the OAP]

I see what you did there.

I didn't

 

[Dave the OAP]

Yes, you can, just tell Alexa to link to your mobile device and away you go


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ahaaaaaaa!

 

[studio150]

Sorry that went straight over my head....no idea what you are going on about. Explain please

Apple Music part of Apple Corps which the Beatles set up and released the later Beatles albums and their early solo music as well as signing quit a few artists as well.

Just a play on apple music

 

[Dave the OAP]

Apple Music part of Apple Corps which the Beatles set up and released the later Beatles albums and their early solo music as well as signing quit a few artists as well.

Just a play on apple music

Ah I see. Ta.

 

[Gazwag]

Ahaaaaaaa!

Yes you can play them as well

IMO a dot linked to a decent Bluetooth speaker is better rather than the full blown Echo

 

[chaileyjem]

Google Home is worth thinking about too.
Although its £129.00 - its music capabilities are better/more flexible than the Echo.
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/google-home
Oddly the default way you interact with it is "Hey Google ... [command]" which i can imagine will get quite annoying after a bit.

 

[studio150]

You may want to think about who else will order things off Amazon.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/4502204/parrot-alexa-shopping-online-amazon-buddy-african-grey/amp/#ampshare=https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/4502204/parrot-alexa-shopping-online-amazon-buddy-african-grey/

 

[Bozza]

Google Home is worth thinking about too.
Although its £129.00 - its music capabilities are better/more flexible than the Echo.
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/google-home
Oddly the default way you interact with it is "Hey Google ... [command]" which i can imagine will get quite annoying after a bit.

Sounds like a mini Google Home to rival the dot is about to arrive: https://www.theguardian.com/technol...google-home-mini-smart-speaker-october-launch

 

[Brightonfan1983]

It'd come in handy if you're ever murdered. Make sure you're at home though.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...urder-investigation-data-police-a7621261.html

The Amazon Echo smart home device may play a role in solving a murder case in a town in the US state of Arkansas.

James Bates is on trial for the November 2015 murder of his friend Victor Collins at Mr Bates’ home in Bentonville, and has agreed to have audio data from his Amazon Echo device turned over to prosecutors on the case to aid in their investigation. Amazon, according to court records, turned over the data the same day it was requested.

But last month, Amazon filed a 90-page document contesting the police request for the recordings from 21-22 November 2015, arguing that both the user’s speech and the transcript of the device’s response to the user’s commands are both protected under the First Amendment to the US Constitution.

The Amazon Echo, a voice controlled artificial intelligence 'assistant', like many smart home devices such as Google Nest, are ‘always on’. Amazon confirmed to the Washington Post that the Echo is always in listening mode, but begins recording, and storing that audio file, once given a “wake word” that triggers the recording - like a user saying “Alexa.”

Now that Mr Bates has agreed that the audio recordings are turned over to the police, Amazon “has cover” to turn over the data, Mark Testoni, President of software company SAP National Security Services, told The Independent.

However, the Amazon Echo murder case is indicative of a broader issue: the privacy concerns of companies and law enforcement investigations.

Another such case was that of Apple resisting the request of the FBI for the company to assist the agency in accessing encrypted Apple devices which had been confiscated during counter-terrorism and criminal investigations. Apple also argued that it would be a violation of the privacy of its users to do so.

However, Mr Testoni explained, “we give our privacy over all the time to companies in disclosures on iPhone apps, but we’re reticent for companies to turn that over to the government.”

The problem, Mr Testoni said, is that “new sources of data that weren’t even thought of ten years ago” are having to be regulated by policies and laws formed in the 1980s that really only related to telecommunications companies’ phone records.

“So much more data is being collected now” by smart home devices, said Mr Testoni.

He expects that the US will “have to have a healthy public policy debate. Most companies would welcome policy that balances private security and law enforcement activities.”

The underlying problem, according to Mr Testoni, is formulating policy and regulations that will take into account the rapid forward progress of technology. He explained that many regulations have “barely caught up with the internet and we’ve had that for 25 years.” Until then, he thinks we will see more stories of companies like that of Amazon or Apple resisting the FBI’s request to weaken encryption on devices confiscated in counterterrorism and criminal investigations in order to access them.

 

[Goldstone1976]

This week's Private Eye has a small piece saying that research from China shows that Alexa can hear audio commands given at frequencies beyond the range of human hearing.

So, record a purchase command, dial the frequency up to, say, 20k Hz, visit your mate's house and order a new vibrator for him.

 

[LamieRobertson]

This week's Private Eye has a small piece saying that research from China shows that Alexa can hear audio commands given at frequencies beyond the range of human hearing.

So, record a purchase command, dial the frequency up to, say, 20k Hz, visit your mate's house and order a new vibrator for him.

Were u hoping for his old one then?

 

[Goldstone1976]

Were u hoping for his old one then?

 

[Albumen]

I certainly wouldn't have one. They're like something out of Dr Who. Harvesting all that data under the guise of being a friendly assistant. Gives me the creeps.

Yup, anyone under the thumb of Alexa is not a free man.