This isn’t product placement, just a comment. I pay just under a couple of $$ a month for added storage on GoogleDrive and last week Google invited me, “as a loyal customer”, to accept a free Smart Speaker which, naturally, I accepted. Yesterday I took delivery of small grey hamburger and plugged it in. I have thus far avoided smart speakers although I know they are popular – my experience with Siri’s ability to actually hear what I say has been less than compelling and I am usually quite capable of pressing a few buttons on a keyboard to get what I want – but, you know, free. What’s not to like? I imagine this once in a lifetime offer is because they are clearing old stock for a new version to be released. Mini but Mighty it said on the box.
I don’t think this is going to become a very become a big part of my life. I can still press buttons but I have to say the thing actually understood me out of the box and has not yet failed. It does remarkable things like telling me the time and reading a weather forecast (who knew?). It plays music from Spotify and the sound is good enough I guess for when I am working and not paying attention. I’m a bit confused to discover that the lady in the hamburger is the same voice as the lady in my car GPS – maybe she has a twin?
All interesting but somewhat ho-hum … and then the intranet told me that it makes telephone calls. No firing up of Skype, just a hands free telephone call. Now THAT is worth having a free hamburger on the desk for. When will Hal knock on the door and invite himself in?
Still can’t think of anything else to do with it though. Any ideas?
Had the same offer but I turned it down, don’t want this thing to spy on our conversations like it was reported in many medias.
I had similar thoughts but they aren’t “listening in” to us personally any more than they are individually tracking us via our browser usage. All the data they capture is aggregated. Fascinating technology though … I don’t (yet) have much use for it but I do find it a bit magical that it can be done at all.