The Echo - from Amazon

Not available yet in the UK, but already selling in the USA:
Amazon Echo: Always Ready, Connected, and Fast.

A potentially great way for Amazon to push its music content and audio books, while aiming for a physical presence - and essential data gathering - in every home.

A great idea, or just a gimmick?

Why? I could see the benefit for a disabled person but for the rest of us - don't we have hands (or legs) anymore?

Just get off your lazy rear end and go switch on the damn lights for Pete's sake....no wonder there's such concern with obesity!
Want to learn about a word...here's something innovative...go look up a dictionary.
Want to update your shopping list...use a pen.

Also...no monthly costs....for now. Hmm.

I simply do not trust companies of this nature. By that, I mean there are no monthly costs for now but look what they did with their free delivery....kept bumping up the minimum cost (no doubt to try and 'persuade' people to go for Prime). I wouldn't be surprised to see the same happen here once they've sold a large enough amount.

Rant over

Foxbat, that grumpy old man view is the one I take to lots of technology.

Why do you need an internet connection for your damned kettle? Or the fridge? [Oh, it can order things itself. Really? You want your fridge to decide what to order? Fine. But if it gets hacked and you order 500 Best Of Jeremy Kyle DVDs it's your own damned fault].

Got an Echo from my wife for Christmas. Most useful function so far -- creating my weekly shopping list and sending it to my phone. Beats jotting things down (or not) as they occur to me.

Otherwise, more of a toy than a tool. Frequently amusing in its interpretations of what has been spoken.

Totally creepy & privacy busting. Like Barbie dolls that use the Cloud, it should be illegal without transparency on what information is gathered.
Is it really ever "not reporting" unless network is blocked or unplugged?

IoT? Instead of paying once for a kettle you get exploited for life and pay for a service. Security and privacy is non-existent on IoT Tech.

I have lots of tech (my Kobo and Kindle are blocked from reporting). But I won't have tech because Gizmodo or a Journalist thinks it's cool.

And...the Amazon Echo is now available in the UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01GAGVIE4/?tag=brite-21

In the meantime, the US is about to get the Amazon Dot:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DFKC2SO/?tag=id2100-20

My question on this is the same as it's always been.

How is this not just my phone?

thaddeus6th said:

...500 Best Of Jeremy Kyle DVDs.

Click to expand...

All this time I never knew. I was watching the wrong episodes.

Brian Turner said:

And...the Amazon Echo is now available in the UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01GAGVIE4/?tag=brite-21

Click to expand...

Reading the "how wonderful, Echo really is" fluff-piece, it seems its all about "control". Which seems rather apposite to say the least!

Big Brother is alive and kicking, just dressed up as another PI gathering gadget we don't really need. But of course it will be near to the top of most people's Christmas list, hungry for their next "gee-whiz" toy, that will soon get forgotten about as the next version is released, with a shiny new number after its name - thus meaning it must be better!