[corn-you-copia] Alexa

From: "Hap Holly" <hap@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <corn-you-copia@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 30 May 2017 07:27:41 -0500

*Thought you wouldnt receive Cornyoucopia shtuff again? Well, Im sorry to
burst your bubble. [smile] Here is an item I received from Terry S. that
will tell yhou more than you wanted to know about Alexa items on Amazon.*



Below is an article and its corresponding link, to what I found to be a
rather interesting review of the Amazon Echo devices, including the Show and
the Look.  Interestingly enough however, the Dot is not mentioned in the
title, though it is discussed in the body of the article.  I also find it
interesting that the author of the article seems to suggest that the Tap may
be on its way out of circulation, though at this writing the Tap is still
available for purchase on the Amazon web site.

I tried to remove all of the advertising and graphics.  I hope in doing so,
that this wont compromise the text of the article itself.  However, in the
event that this might happen, I am also including the actual link to the
article immediately below this note.  Enjoy!  Terry

http://www.zdnet.com/article/amazon-echo-dot-tap-look-show-which-alexa-is-ri
ght-for-you/#ftag=RSSbaffb68

Amazon Echo Dot, Tap, Look, Show: Which Alexa is right for you?

Amazon now has an entire army of Echo devices. Some listen to you. Some also
watch you. Which should you choose? We help you decide.

<http://www.zdnet.com/meet-the-team/us/david-gewirtz/>

By David Gewirtz <http://www.zdnet.com/meet-the-team/us/david-gewirtz/>  for
DIY-IT <http://www.zdnet.com/blog/diy-it/>  | May 24, 2017

<http://www.zdnet.com/meet-the-team/us/david-gewirtz/>

  Amazon Echo Show adds a touchscreen to the Alexa experience

You know what Alexa does. She turns on your lights. She plays your songs.
She answers your math questions. She wakes you up. She sets timers. She's
your
<http://www.zdnet.com/article/25-quick-and-amazingly-helpful-alexa-tricks/>
canister of helpfulness wherever your voice can be heard in your house.
She's
<http://www.zdnet.com/article/alexa-more-cowbell-18-silly-but-fun-amazon-ech
o-commands/> your BFF.

She's benign AI. She does everything you need, that you should be able to do
yourself. And, as long as she doesn't wake up one morning, decide to take
over the world, and murder all of us in our beds, she'll be a friend to us
all.

But Alexa is more than the Echo, that black Pringles Can of Doom we met back
in November of 2014. Since the Echo was introduced, Amazon has been fielding
a plethora of Alexas, a veritable Alexapalooza of devices. Since Alexa
answers "Sorry, I don't know that one," to "Alexa, which Alexa should I
buy," we figured we'd help out.

By the way, if you're confused about why I might interchangeably talk about
Echos and Alexas, it's this: the devices are called Echos. They all respond
to the name Alexa. It's like having a litter of dogs, whose names are
<http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-i-crowdsourced-my-puppys-name/> all Pixel.
Except that Alexa is not nearly as cute, but is way less yappy.

Here then, is the Alexa family as of mid-2017. Before we dive in, we want to
mention that the Alexa technology is beginning to be baked into devices from
companies besides Amazon. We're only covering the Amazon Echo devices. We're
also not looking at the Alexa capabilities built into the Amazon Fire TV,
tablets, and new TVs. We'll look into all that other stuff as it becomes
more ready for prime time.

The original Amazon Echo.

The Amazon Echo

This is the one. The first. The device that changed all our lives. Prior to
the Echo, we thought it was okay to turn on our lights by touching the dirty
switches on the wall. We thought it was okay to set our own alarm clocks. We
thought it wasn't the height of crudeness to punch numbers into a calculator
using our actual fingers. We were willing to do these simple, basic tasks
ourselves.

But then we learned that we could set timers for every little thing, with
impunity. We learned that having our choice of music at our fingertips no
longer required actual fingers. The Echo became the least necessary, most
appreciated simple helper in our home. We got to know Alexa, and she became
family.

<https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X4WHP5E/> The Echo most closely resembles a
black Pringles can. On Amazon, it lists at $179.99. It has a ring of
powerful microphones, capable of picking up commands from a distance. It has
decent quality speakers for room-filling music. It's meant to be both an
intelligent assistant, and a spare Bluetooth speaker.

The new Echo Dot lineup. Via Amazon.

The Echo Dot

<https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DFKC2SO/> Dot looks like an Echo that went
through a can crusher. It has all of Alexa's intelligence, but doesn't have
the powerful speaker that Amazon says, "fills any room with immersive 360°
audio."

The Dot is the essential Alexa, trimmed down to the bare minimum needed for
the full Alexa experience. At $49.99, it's also a lot less expensive.

The Amazon Echo Tap

The Echo Tap

The  <https://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B01BH83OOM/ref> Echo Tap is a bit of
an oddity. It provides Alexa capabilities on the go, but you originally had
to touch it to make it respond. That's why its name is Tap -- you originally
had to tap it to wake it. As of February, that's no longer the case. With a
simple setting in the Alexa app, you can now
<https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=202120490>
enable Hands Free Mode, which makes the Tap work like an Echo.

So why the Tap to begin with? Well, the Tap is a portable, chargeable Echo.
As long as you have a WiFi access point or a hotspot, you can use the Tap
anywhere. It provides its own power. The reason for the tapping action was
to save battery life. The less time it spent listening for the wake word
meant less battery usage.

With Hands Free Mode, the $129.99 Tap is a full-fledged Echo device. But
here's one word of caution: Amazon is no longer promoting the Tap on its
main Alexa page. It's still for sale, but is it on the path to end-of-life?
We don't know. It's certainly no longer being treated as an equal partner to
the Echo, or the newer Alexa devices we're about to discuss.

Amazon's Echo Look device.

The Echo Look

If you don't mind a giant AI in the cloud watching your every move with a
camera in your bedroom closet, you might be comfortable with the
<https://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B0186JAEWK/> Echo Look. On the other
hand, well, you really should
<https://www.amazon.com/Colossus-Boxset-D-F-Jones-ebook/dp/B01N9651JD/> read
or
<https://www.amazon.com/Colossus-Forbin-Project-Eric-Braeden/dp/B0003JAOO0/>
watch Colossus: The Forbin Project to be truly weirded out by what can
happen if an artificially intelligent being can observe your every move and
mood.

For those who aren't wearing tinfoil caps, the Echo Look is $199.99.
Unfortunately, it's only available for the beautiful people. You can only
buy it if Amazon gives you an invitation. Why? Well, it's kind of a fashion
accessory.

More great project ideas

<http://www.zdnet.com/article/diy-it-project-guide-the-ultimate-resource-for
-smbs/> Look, I need to confess something. As soon as I typed "fashion
accessory," I could feel my keyboard trying to pull away. I am not exactly
qualified to talk about fashion. I did wear a shirt with buttons once in the
past year but I am not the "target demo" for the Look.

The Echo Look is, at least today, a
<http://www.zdnet.com/article/echo-look-brings-a-camera-into-your-bedroom-as
ks-what-youre-wearing/> device designed to help clothes-conscious consumers
keep track of their wardrobes, make decisions on what items look best
together, and take full-length mirror-style selfies with a blurred
background to, as Amazon describes it, "make your outfits pop."

So the Echo Look is, in my opinion, a beginning. Amazon embedded a camera
and some LED lights into an Echo, and found one good application for a
specific target market. By limiting the scope of the machine vision
challenge to wardrobe, the company can get a feel for how extensive this
opportunity might be.

Over time, I expect the Echo Look to expand beyond clothing. I can certainly
see one in the kitchen, used to show the device what products are being
consumed or are needed. I can even see one in the workshop, helping to
provide measurements and catalog tools. Today, though, the Echo Look is
merely a wardrobe assistant.

Keep an eye on the Echo Look. Either it's a flash in the pan, or there's a
lot more to this than Amazon is showing us right now. For example, I
wouldn't be at all surprised if Amazon didn't come out with a pet cam or
home security cam application for the Look once it's ready for volume sales.

The Amazon Echo Show comes with a new video calling feature.

The Echo Show

Speaking of a lot more to it than Amazon is currently showing, there's
<http://www.zdnet.com/article/amazon-unveils-touchscreen-echo-show-with-vide
o-calling-features/> the Echo Show. The Echo Show is an Echo with a screen
and a camera. Remember all the hype about video chat back in the 1990s?
That's the Echo Show. Except, I think, maybe more.

First, let's talk price, because that tells us a little about how Amazon
wants this thing to sell. The Echo Show is $229.99. It will be available at
the end of June. But -- and here's the part that's informative -- if you buy
two Echo Shows, Amazon will take $100 off. Essentially, they're pricing the
Echo Show, when purchased in pairs, at the same price as the original Echo,
but you also get a screen and a camera.

So what is the Echo Show? It's an Echo that is aimed at video chat. At least
that's its starting application. Let's deconstruct that for a moment. We've
all used FaceTime or some similar video chat capability on our phones. The
Echo Show does the same thing, except it has to be plugged in and must sit
in one spot.

Does this remind you of anything? If you're a Millennial or older, you
remember telephones. These were devices tethered to the wall that were
rock-solid reliable. They allowed us to talk (with our voices) to other
people, who also had telephones.

While there were eventually wireless phones, for years, most of us had to
walk to the location where the phone was, dial the party we wanted to talk
to, and stay within the reach of the cord. We could only talk, not text.

There was no panic over where we put down our smartphone. There was no
concern over whether the battery was charged. We rarely uttered, "What? I
can't understand you." It was a simpler time.

Okay, I know I'm being a bit facetious in my description, but there's a
point here. My mom, who spent the last 30 years of her life using computers
actively, kept getting confused trying to use her smartphone. She kept
hitting the red button, then wondering why her calls kept dropping. My dad
didn't trust his smartphone at all, and insisted I install a landline for
him when he moved to a new house.

Neither my mom nor my dad liked the idea of the contact list in the phone.
They had a few numbers memorized. For everything else, there was a sheet of
paper with phone numbers next to, you guessed it, the telephone.

There are two immediate and powerful applications for the Echo Show:
checking on elderly family members, and being able to easily look in on the
kids. The Echo Show easily allows you to use voice activation to contact,
talk to, and see a family member.

If on the approved list, you can establish a connection immediately. This
gives concerned middle-agers the ability to quickly ascertain the health of
an elderly parent. It gives parents and grandparents the ability to easily
connect with, talk to, and see the kids and grandkids. It bypasses the whole
smartphone thing completely. While many of us might find the idea of a
fixed, plugged-in phone to be an inconvenience, it also provides a
hands-free calling experience, from a set place, a known location, and a
predictable setting.

Like the Look, only time will tell with this one. But all the people I've
talked with who are dealing with supporting and caring for their aging
parents have said they're going to buy a set as soon as they become
available. Yes, there are privacy issues. But since the Show requires the
consent of the parties at each end on setup, it's a great way to keep tabs
on someone you're concerned about.

Let's go farther, though. What might someday be on that screen? Right now,
you can ask Alexa to time things and calculate things, but you can't tell
her to show you the next item in the recipe. But with the addition of video
and image skills, I'm betting that's not far off.

Would you place an Echo on your desk for easy voice calls? Or for quick
lookups that don't require your main screen? Or to replace the calculator
that you still have somewhere in your drawer? I'm not sure. But I'm guessing
that this, too, is an experiment. We'll see where it takes us.

Already, Amazon is taking on FaceTime and Skype (especially since plain ol'
Echos can now message as well) with
<https://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?node=16713667011> Alexa Calling &
Messaging. There are a lot of fiddly things about this that still have to be
worked out (like managing messages for multiple family members) and why
you'd use the Echo instead of, say, iMessage. But it's still interesting.

How to decide

Now that you've met the Echo family, let's look at which device is right for
you.

If you don't have any Alexa devices yet, and you don't need to care for
elderly folks or kids (or have friends who want to video chat with this
technology), your first device should be the original Echo. It's a little
more expensive, but the added speaker is worth it.

If you want to save $130 and still get an Alexa, get a Dot. You won't have
the music-playing fidelity, but you'll have the rest of Alexa's magic.

If you already have an Echo and want to add-on a device somewhere where
music-playing quality isn't of top importance, buy a Dot. We bought a second
regular Echo for the bedroom, where a Dot would have worked. But we do like
playing music there as well.

If you want a portable Alexa, don't want to plug it in, and have good
wireless internet available, get a Tap. Just be aware that Amazon doesn't
appear to be favoring this device as much anymore.

If you're already drooling at the idea of the Echo Look, get one (if you
receive an invite). Otherwise, wait until it does more, or doesn't terrify
you.

If you're caring for elderly parents, or want to see the people you're
connecting to at a fixed place and location, get an Echo Show. Otherwise,
wait for a while. You'll probably get one. We just don't know why, yet.

The bottom line

The bottom line, especially for the Look and the Show, is that it isn't
entirely clear how these beasties will change our lives. But I'll tell you
this. When I
<http://www.zdnet.com/article/amazon-echo-it-sucks-its-awesome-it-sucks-we-w
ant-two-more/> first looked at the original Echo, I thought it was
ridiculous and unnecessary. Now, if you want my Alexa, you'll have to pry
her from my cold, dead hands.

And she still doesn't do anything that I couldn't do if I wasn't
self-enabling myself to new levels of laziness. I mean, really? I should be
willing to flip on a light switch with my actual hands.

You can follow my day-to-day project updates on social media. Be sure to
follow me on Twitter at  <http://twitter.com/davidgewirtz> @DavidGewirtz, on
Facebook at  <http://facebook.com/DavidGewirtz> Facebook.com/DavidGewirtz,
on Instagram at  <http://instagram.com/DavidGewirtz>
Instagram.com/DavidGewirtz, and on YouTube at
<http://youtube.com/DavidGewirtzTV> YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV

[corn-you-copia] Alexa

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