1 (edited by tupholme 2016-11-30 01:21:24)

Topic: Amazon Said to Plan Premium Alexa Speaker With Large Screen

Large screen in this case being 7":

<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles … rge-screen>

Putting two and two together this sounds like it could be quite Chumby-like in spirit. 'Skills' instead of apps may mean a different kind of integration and less interaction via the screen. Amazon also seem to have been reasonably good about keeping their devices operational as they age.

Edit: via daringfireball.net

2 (edited by Mike_TV 2017-05-09 14:47:02)

Re: Amazon Said to Plan Premium Alexa Speaker With Large Screen

I ordered two this morning.  They will probably replace the last two Chumbys that I have running.  I'll add that I've had the original Echo since launch and use it everyday.

Re: Amazon Said to Plan Premium Alexa Speaker With Large Screen

I have a echo show that i have been using for about a month, some observations -

Show activity is "active" - you ask, it responses, e.g., alexa show me tomorrow's weather, and yes Show's abilities continue to increase, e.g., WRAL has added the ability to "show" its local radar on the echo show.

My chumby (and dashchum) are passive in my usage -

weather forecast
local radar
family photos (when working)
news headlines

(I rarely listen to my chumby - echo, even the original cylinder has better sound, and the prime music library is almost enough for me)

My point is my chumby sits on my desk, I can glance at it to current headlines, local weather, smile at a family photo, etc., as I continue working or wait on hold without interaction.
I like the show, but the interface and the "feel" is different, so for me there is a future for both.

Re: Amazon Said to Plan Premium Alexa Speaker With Large Screen

Also, your Chumby is not listening to what does on in your room, then uploading the sound files to BlueOcty servers. There has already been a well documented case of police serving Amazon with a subpoena to gain access to stored sound files. How many national security letters has Amazon received? Tinfoil hat or not, Amazon's little minions will not find their way into my home.

Tar, feathers, congress. Some assembly required.

Re: Amazon Said to Plan Premium Alexa Speaker With Large Screen

BoloMKXXVIII wrote:

Tinfoil hat or not

It amuses me that some people get all lathered up about a camera on their computer or phone that takes some hacking to get at (and then they put tape over it) but willingly let IoT devices record their location, movement, speech and purchase history like it's no big deal.  You can do a lot more with the latter than the former...