Amazon Echo Club

[tubemonkey]

Alexa’s Show and Tell feature IDs objects for blind and low-vision users

The feature is available in the US on Echo Show devices.

The Show and Tell feature is available in the US on first- and second-generation Echo Show devices. To activate the feature, users can simply ask, "Alexa, what am I holding?"

It only works on the Show 10 and Show 7 (discontinued). It does NOT work on the Spot and Show 5. I have a Show 5 and it didn't work.

[OtinG]

LOL, “...a new, bulkier Echo device...” Another third rate writer (using the term loosely) from The Verge. Somehow I cannot imagine Amazon or any other company describing their new product as “bulkier”!

I hate earbuds too, Monkey. And I cannot imagine how they could track our health with them. All the devices I’ve seen to date are either wrist worn watch and heart rate monitors, or chest straps. Other than tracking movement, I’m curious as to how earbuds could track much useful info for health. I guess we will see if CNBC and/or The Verge are accurate on Wednesday. Maybe they are just passing along BS they saw on other internet sites.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by OtinG

LOL, “...a new, bulkier Echo device...” Another third rate writer (using the term loosely) from The Verge. Somehow I cannot imagine Amazon or any other company describing their new product as “bulkier”!

I had several quips ready to go for this, but after my recent poke at Alexa's gender, I'm sticking with that sage advice of discretion being better part of valor

I hate earbuds too, Monkey. And I cannot imagine how they could track our health with them. All the devices I’ve seen to date are either wrist worn watch and heart rate monitors, or chest straps. Other than tracking movement, I’m curious as to how earbuds could track much useful info for health. I guess we will see if CNBC and/or The Verge are accurate on Wednesday. Maybe they are just passing along BS they saw on other internet sites.

Once in your ear canal, extremely thin platinum wires will extend and wind their way through your ears and embed themselves in your brain to monitor your activity, thoughts, vocalizations, etc. This data will then be transmitted to Jeff

It's a brave new world out there

[wodin]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

,,,
Once in your ear canal, extremely thin platinum wires will extend and wind their way through your ears and embed themselves in your brain to monitor your activity, thoughts, vocalizations, etc. This data will then be transmitted to Jeff

It's a brave new world out there

If it was Elon instead of Jeff, I'd believe you.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by wodin

If it was Elon instead of Jeff, I'd believe you.

LOL - my problem is that I read too much sci-fi. It's affected my brain

[tubemonkey]

The Echo Show 5 is my favorite Echo. The sound quality is a little bit better than the Dot 3, but not by much. What I really like about it besides its audio features is its ability to play cartoons from YouTube. The display is bigger than any of the smartphones I used to use to watch cartoons. Now I don't have to worry about finding some way to prop up a phone for watching.

Additionally, it's a really cool clock-radio. The visual displays for time, weather, and program playing are a definite plus over the screenless Dots.

[ApK]

I hate to intrude on the absurdity, but fitness monitoring ear plugs seem quite sensible. Your pulse and temperature are readily monitored at your ears, and it seems as good a place for a pedometer/motion detector as a wrist mounted one.

Reading your brain waves would just be an added benefit....

[OtinG]

I personally hate wearing earpods earphones, and headsets. They are uncomfortable and they block your hearing of other sounds except what comes through them. It is a whole lot easier to wear a health monitor on the wrist than something on my ears, especially at night. I cannot imagine wearing earpods to bed, and no monitor on means no tracking pulse and sleep data during bedtime. And as bad as Alexa is at what she does, I sure as heck wouldn't trust my health her! I can just imagine the large number of Big Pharma and snakeoil ads that will get pushed to you by Amazon if you buy such a device from them.

[tubemonkey]

Less artificial, more intelligent

One of the most interesting things about following the Alexa beat and owning Alexa devices is that you get a glimpse of where we're at with modern, consumer-grade artificial intelligence. Mind you, we're still a far cry away from Iron Man's Jarvis. Despite some commendable efforts to make Alexa more conversational, you still can't quite, you know, have a conversation with it.

And no, I'm not looking to chew the fat with my smart speaker -- but I would like to see some progress here. Specifically, I'm hoping to see some new Alexa refinements that make interacting with the digital assistant feel more natural.

For instance, when Alexa doesn't understand a request, it'll often say, "Sorry, I don't know how to help with that." What if it was a lot better at asking a quick, clarifying follow-up question in cases like that, the way a human assistant might? If I mishear a single word in something someone says to me, I'm usually able to use the context of whatever they're saying to realize my mistake on the spot. What if Alexa could do that, too?

Little things like that could go a long way toward keeping the assistant on the cutting edge -- hopefully, Amazon will have an Alexa IQ update for us this week.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Less artificial, more intelligent

Amazon should hire designers like this person. Alexa occasionally asks for clarification, but not very often. She definitely needs to do more of that.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by OtinG

Amazon should hire designers like this person. Alexa occasionally asks for clarification, but not very often. She definitely needs to do more of that.

Yep - when I saw that paragraph in the article I was reading, I immediately thought of you.

[ElspethB]

According to this:

Also coming is a new “frustration detection” feature that’s designed to detect when you’re getting frustrated with Alexa getting your requests wrong, after which it’ll try to apologize. The feature is rolling out next year starting with music requests, and will make its way to other Alexa interactions over time.

"...try to apologize" made me laugh but also sigh (with frustration). Maybe skip the apologies, team, and concentrate on improving the comprehension. That may have been part of the announcement, but I haven't read far enough in CNET's live blog to find out.

[tubemonkey]

Amazon Event - 25 Sep


Amazon Introduces 8 New Echo Devices -- release dates

• $200 -- Echo Studio -- 07 Nov
  
• $130 -- Echo Show 8 -- 21 Nov
  
• $130 -- Echo Buds -- 30 Oct
  
• $100 -- Echo 3rd Gen -- 16 Oct
  
• $60 ---- Dot 3 Clock -- 16 Oct
  
• $25 ---- Echo Flex -- 14 Nov
  
  
• $180 -- Echo Frames -- invitation only
  
• $130 -- Echo Loop -- invitation only

Amazon Introduces an Array of New Devices

• $250 -- Smart Oven -- 14 Nov
  
• $30 ---- Echo Glow -- 20 Nov

.

[OtinG]

So no health/fitness Alexa? I thought the "Buds" with health was a bit of a stretch.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by OtinG

So no health/fitness Alexa? I thought the "Buds" with health was a bit of a stretch.

I know... what happened

I was hoping for an Echo Segway:

"Alexa, let's play mall cop"