Don't Buy Anyone an Echo

[pete_c]

It's about money.  It always has been.
 
Many including us are in the peanut gallery and typically have no say.

 

[mikefamig]

Why do I need to always be near an Echo? I am perfectly capable of walking into a room that has an Echo when I want to make a call or answer one. I can keep an old cell phone with the battery removed in my car for emergencies if I decide that is prudent but when I am not near a phone I am generally doing something that I don't want to be interrupted from anyway so I don't see an issue.

 
I agree with your opinion of the wireless device as a phone but have become dependent on the iphone for conveniences other than the phone. I use notes, text messaging and the camera much more than I use the phone. My wife and I also use find-my-iphone to keep tabs on an elderly relative. I pretty much have accepted the lack of privacy as a trade off for the conveniences. If my phone isn't tracking me my car or some other device is. I have wondered in the  past whether satellite radio is capable of tracking your car. I think that many people's life-styles do not allow them to have any privacy anymore.
 
Mike.
 
EDIT - Did you know that your TV set top box is being used to target marketing to your other IP devices based on your viewing preferences?

 

[upstatemike]

I think I am OK with targeted marketing because it informs me of things I might be interested in. It's not like I would get no marketing otherwise... it would just be for stuff that is useless to me instead of some cool new HA item that I was not yet aware of.
 
I think the next trend in targeted marketing is municipalities selling traffic cam footage. Marketers will buy this and use AI to analyze license plate recurrence patterns so they can send you ads for businesses located along routes you regularly travel. Those businesses will then solicit you for access to location info on your phone with the promise that they will have your regular order of coffee or whatever waiting and ready whenever you enter the proximity of that business.

 

[mikefamig]

Your set top box can even guess who is viewing a TV in a particular room based on the channel selection and deliver very selective marketing. Sesame street is children's room, soap operas are stay at home mom etc. This is already happening.
 
Mike.

 

[Monk]

Curious  - comments anyone?
 
Here tinker with the Echo and lately the Samsung Smartthings Hub
 
Personally the Samsung hub now has taken the moniker from GE (in a downward spiral) about bringing good things to life.
 
 
Recently removed the Echo from the master bathroom due to WAF (it spooked her after she spoke to it).
 
Re-enabled the touchscreen in the master bathroom.

LOL - Have only got one in the living room thus far for my morning flash briefing. Wife doesn't care much about it. Got a second one coming for Xmas that I will be taking to work - primary use? "Alexa, start my car". And to think some would call me lazy because I want an easier way to start the car besides using the app on my cellphone...
What tablet are you using in bathroom? Is it for HomeSeer?

 

[pete_c]

What tablet are you using in bathroom?
 
It is an Openpeak tabletop tablet which was made / sold around 2010 or so.
 
It was sold by the telco's as a video VOIP phone, Zigbee controller (energy stuff).
 
It ran Linux / flash on an Intel Atom based motherboard.
 
Modded these with a new bios,rtc with battery,  SSD and other hardware modes to run Windows embedded.
 
Today the HSTouch configured tabletops  (15 of them) mostly run Windows XPe with Homeseer touch and speaker.  Some Ubuntu ones run SqueezePlayer and some stream television.  It also runs Android.  A couple also run OmniPro touch.
 
They are tabletop kiosks and not portable wireless tablets. (no batteries) POE Gb powered today. 
 
They are all over the house.  (3 in the master bedroom and 1 in the master bathroom).
 
It has built a built in Gb Nic, WLAN, Bluetooth, DECT, Zigbee chips.
 

 
I have never seen anything that looks close to the device until the recent Amazon touchscreen device; well and the old Homeseer tabletop touchscreen. 
 
Is it for HomeSeer?
 
Yes.  It also works as a client to other automation software that I have tinkered with.