Here! Here!
On Jun 9, 2018, at 8:45 AM, Kimberly Starrett <kstarrett5@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I completely agree, David. In fact, it feels like another instance of the
wow-isn't-this-cool factor we were discussing the other day regarding the
face recognition capability of seeing AI. I can say this, if I'm putting
amazon's eyes in my house I want it to do a heck of a lot more than tell me
if this shirt goes with these pants. I can decide that for myself and have
been doing so for nearly five decades.
Sent from Kimber's iPhone
The happy ending still beckons, and it is in the hope of grasping it that we
go on.—Annie Proulx
On Jun 8, 2018, at 9:16 PM, David Goldfield <dgoldfield1211@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
With Amazon Echo devices which have a camera, such as the Echo Look or the
Echo Show, there's a capability which I think needs to be pursued which I've
not heard anybody else mention. I'm talking about OCR. In plain English,
this is the capability where you place a printed page on a scanner or in
front of a camera and run a piece of software which is able to convert that
picture of text into actual text which anybody can read or edit, including
users who rely on screen readers. In Windows, we use programs such as
OpenBook, Kurzweil 1000 or FineReader to perform these tasks for us. We've
had these capabilities for decades. Recent advances with smartphones and
tablets have given us the same capability with a more portable package,
using apps such as KNFB Reader or the free Seeing AI app. Amazon is
promoting their new Echo Look product as a sort of electronic fashion
adviser. If this is all you'll be able to do with the Echo Look's camera
then I feel we've missed a great opportunity to turn the Echo devices into
the next print reading machine. Imagine if we had skills for the Echo
devices, such as KNFB Reader, Seeing AI and other OCR apps. You could hold
out a sheet of paper in front of your Echo's camera and issue a command,
such as "Alexa, ask KNFB Reader to read this for me." The camera would take
a picture and, within less than a minute, Alexa would read the page for you.
Specially made stands, like the Fopito, could be manufactured and sold to
allow a blind person to conveniently read one page after another of a book
or magazine. True, you wouldn't be able to edit the document on your Echo
device but it would give blind people a quick and convenient way to at least
hear the information on the page. If you had an Echo Show, Alexa could then
allow that particular device to display that document on its screen,
allowing you to review it using the built-in VoiceView screen reader.
Additionally, you could issue commands to export that document to another
location, such as being able to say "Alexa, send this to my OneDrive" or
"Send this to my Dropbox", allowing you to use your PC, phone or tablet to
open and/or edit that file.
There are other scenarios which should also be possible, such as currency
identification. Imagine how cool it would be to take a bill out of your
wallet and say, "Alexa, identify this currency" or "Alexa, ask Seeing AI to
identify my money." The camera would snap a picture and Alexa would respond,
"This is a five-dollar bill."
Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against having an Alexa device being used
to take pictures of the various outfits which might be hanging up in your
closet. However, it strikes me that a voice assistant with a camera could be
used for so much more than that, which would tremendously benefit both blind
and sighted users alike.
David Goldfield, Assistive Technology Specialist WWW.David-Goldfield.Com
On 6/7/2018 6:03 PM, David Goldfield wrote:
Amazon.com News Release - Wednesday, June 6, 2018 at 9:06 AM
Amazon Echo Look—a First-of-its-Kind Echo Focused on Style—Now Available to
All U.S. Customers
Alexa helps you look your best—with Echo Look simply say, “Alexa, take a
photo” or “Alexa, take a video” to build your own personal lookbook, no
smartphone camera or mirror required
Use the Style Check feature to get a second opinion about which outfit
looks best on you
Keep track of what you’ve worn in the Echo Look app; edit and share photos;
get suggestions of new pieces to pair with what you already own; sort looks
by color or into custom Collections; and get inspired by fashion content
from Amazon, Vogue, and GQ
Echo Look includes everything you love about Alexa—just ask to set alarms,
timers and reminders; get the weather forecast, your morning news, your
schedule for the day, and much more
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 6, 2018-- (NASDAQ: AMZN)—Alexa helps you
look your best with Echo Look, a first-of-its-kind Echo device with a
hands-free depth-sensing camera, built-in LED lighting, and computer
vision-based background blur to make your outfits pop. Simply say, “Alexa,
take a photo” or “Alexa, take a video” to get a share-worthy shot of your
look, no smartphone camera or mirror required. Alexa on Echo Look is the
style assistant that gives you personalized recommendations, helps keep
your closet organized, and provides fashion inspiration. Features like
Style Check, Collections, and suggestions of new pieces to complement your
existing wardrobe all come with Echo Look (#echolook), which is now
available to all customers for $199.99 at www.amazon.com/echolook.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180606005744/en/
Amazon Echo Look, now available to all U.S. customers at
www.amazon.com/echolook. (Photo: Business Wire)
“Like a trustworthy best friend, Alexa helps you nail your look every
time—with Echo Look, she can give advice on which of two outfits looks
best, offer personalized recommendations on items that pair well with
clothes you already own, create your personal lookbook, keep your closet
organized, and much more,” said Linda Ranz, Director of Echo Product
Management at Amazon. “Over the last year we invited customers to use Echo
Look and give us feedback, which led to the launch of many new
features—we’re now excited to make the device available to all customers,
with even more fashionable features and functionality to come that will
help customers look their best every day.”
Alexa as your style assistant on Echo Look uses a combination of machine
learning algorithms and advice from fashion specialists to provide
personalized recommendations. Style Check, one of the most popular features
on Echo Look, gives you a second opinion on which of two outfits looks best
on you—simply submit two photos and, in about a minute, Style Check will
return a recommendation based on fit, color, styling, and current trends,
plus an explanation of why one is better. One of the newest features on
Echo Look will suggest items that pair well with clothes you already own to
help you get more out of your closet. Recommended items are all shoppable
on Amazon.com.
Echo Look also makes it easier to keep your closet organized. To keep track
of your styles, use Daily Look—each photo or short video you take of an
outfit is automatically added to a lookbook that you can browse for
inspiration and tag with descriptions. You can also filter looks by color
to easily find a specific piece or decide whether you need yet another
black top. The Collections feature helps organize your closet by category
for easy searching. The Echo Look app will automatically organize Daily
Looks into groups including Favorites, Seasons, and Weather. You can then
create your own personalized collections like outfits for your vacation,
business trip, items to donate, and more. When you’re away from home, you
can use the Echo Look app to keep capturing outfit photos so you’ll never
forget what you wore, or where you wore it. The photos will appear in the
Looks tab in your app, where they’ll be available to browse, edit, share,
and submit to Style Check.
And since fashion is all about getting inspired by the next trend,
customers can get tips from Amazon, Vogue, and GQ right in the Echo Look
app. Or you can tap into Community Voting to submit outfit polls to the
Amazon Spark community for additional input and feedback from other
customers who love fashion. Ask specific questions like, “Which is better
for a summer wedding?” or “Is this appropriate for a job interview?” and
see the votes in real time.
Plus, Echo Look includes everything you love about Alexa. Simply ask for
timers and alerts, the weather and news, and much more. You can also
“share” Echo Look with one other person while keeping your lookbooks
separate. Household Profiles allows you to register up to two accounts to
your Echo Look and switch just by asking or, using Your Voice, Alexa can
recognize your voice and switch accounts automatically when enabled—you
don’t even need to ask.
Lights, Camera, Fashion
Echo Look made its debut at New York Fashion Week: The Shows in February,
where Amazon partnered with Prabal Gurung. Amazon used the device to
photograph the backstage action to design a digital lookbook inspired by
the designer's Fall 2018 collection. In another collaboration, customers
have also seen content from Vogue and GQ appear in the home screen of their
apps offering links to fashion tips and trends on Vogue.com and GQ.com.
Additionally, designer and stylist Rachel Zoe collaborated with Amazon to
promote Echo Look in a recent episode of Real Life with Rachel Zoe, using
Alexa as her style assistant in sessions with influencers Sheryl Luke,
Natalie Lim Suarez, and Brittany Xavier.
“Alexa is my new styling assistant. I wish I had Echo Look early on in my
career as a stylist,” said Rachel Zoe, CEO of Rachel Zoe, Inc. "For anyone
who needs a little help deciding what to wear, Style Check is a total game
changer.”
Here’s what reviewers have been saying about Echo Look:
“If you've ever spent too much time in the mirror agonizing over what to
wear, this product is for you.”—TODAY Show
“I fell in love with the tiny piece of tech.”—USA Today
“As a person who won’t generally listen to style tips—not even from my mom
or my husband—I’m surprised by how easily I’ve taken to my very own
tabletop Tim Gunn.”—New York Post
“I'll admit to being generally quite impressed by Echo Look, as I'm
confident that it's the most sophisticated, accurate, easy-to-use device of
its kind on the market. In other news, I may never have to ask my husband
how my outfit looks again (which he'll probably be okay with).”—WhoWhatWear
“The photos and video that the Echo Look captures provide a good view of
what you're wearing that indeed trumps what you get from a mirror. They're
well lit thanks to the LED lights on the body of the Echo Look, and the
voice activation eliminates the need for selfie sticks, self-timers or a
patient partner who doesn't mind taking your picture.”—CNET
“Perfect selfies and an intelligent fashion guide.”—Gadget Flow
Pricing and Availability
Echo Look (#echolook) is available now for U.S. customers for $199.99. For
more information, visit www.amazon.com/echolook.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than
competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational
excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping,
personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle
Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo,
and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For
more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.
View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180606005744/en/
Source: Amazon.com, Inc.
Amazon.com, Inc.
Media Hotline
Amazon-pr@xxxxxxxxxx
www.amazon.com/pr
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2353528
David Goldfield
Assistive Technology Specialist
Feel free to visit my Web site
WWW.DavidGoldfield.info
