The embargo comes off: Microsoft’s home speaker from Harmon Kardon

Topic

New Reply

No, I didn’t get an advance review copy. Doubt that I would’ve plugged it in. Reviews are in from Paul Thurrott, Mary Jo Foley, Dan Seifert at The Ver
[See the full post at: The embargo comes off: Microsoft’s home speaker from Harmon Kardon]

1 user thanked author for this post.

Noel Carboni

Reply | Quote

Replies

I love how they call these surveillance devices “speakers”.

And when will they start pushing ads I wonder… “Hey Noel, you should take your wife to that new Duffy’s opening up down the block.”

Thinking on certain “ideal”, or shall we say “famous and popular”, butlers (e.g., Bruce Wayne’s Alfred Pennyworth), weren’t they always fiercely loyal and able to keep all the master’s secrets?

Wake me when AIs aren’t tied online 24/7 to their motherships – their first loyalty – and become useful.

-Noel

6 users thanked author for this post.

Ascaris, Karlston, dononline, NetDef, Elly, woody

Reply | Quote

Yes, agree.

AI programs and devices should be self-contained and self-sustaining, and only connected to the Mother$hip when they need to be updated or upgraded.

Eg the virtual Digital Assistant like Ms Cortana, should be online or offline assisting and reporting to the user only and not to the Mother$hip. If “she/he” can’t do that for the user, “she/he” is not fully Artificially Intelligent but has a computing intelligence that is being manipulated and managed by the Mother$hip, like a puppet on a string. Eg besides using AI to show ads to the user, the Mother$hip may even censor the user.

3 users thanked author for this post.

dononline, Noel Carboni, Elly

Reply | Quote

A lot of this technology is being ‘force fed’ rather than fulfilling a preexisting autonomous demand. The devices are often toys to amuse affluent consumers in areas of urban density who take personal pride in being labeled early adopters. These Mr. Gadgets don’t want to feed their own dog; there should be an App for that! The area of autonomous cars fascinates me because I have a late model SUV with all the collision warning systems which are currently the rage but fortunately I do not have automatic braking, just alert system. I live in snow and sleet country and if I drive the vehicle in freezing rain/sleet conditions the collision alerts starting kicking off with a vengeance because of ice and sleet confusing sensors to thin a crash is imminent. What fun such a safety feature would be if the vehicle braked to avoid a collision with a non-existent vehicle on icy roads with traffic behind me. I would disable the feature if possible but ‘mother knows best’ and there is no user controlled setting to turn this stuff off. These technology companies are behaving badly trying to leverage monopoly power to effectively manufacture demand curves by depriving consumers of any options to decline. Good news is that at least some folks are starting to understand what is happening and not liking it so much.

8 users thanked author for this post.

AlexEiffel, Karlston, GoneToPlaid, DeWayne12, dononline, SueW, Noel Carboni, Elly

Reply | Quote

Yup, like I said Microsoft have been doing this ever since Ribbons (at least). Removing ANY ability to fully customise or outright switch it off and use an alternate, then sit there beaming about how much use their “feature” is getting and how everyone “Loves” it because they’re “all using it”, (when they don’t have a choice.

Even worse now with their newer features. A lot of this stuff HAS to be forced on, as otherwise a good chunk of people simply wouldn’t use it. They’re manufacturing herd instincts and creating marketing by literally forcing it, then telling everyone else they also should be using it, because everyone else is, (but omitting that everyone else doesn’t have a choice).

I HATE this style of marketing, give me control, I like my devices to work for ME. It would feel horrific to live in a house where nearly every electronic device is at the whim of the manufacturer, and does what they want it to, not what I want. Leading those sorta “forced, identical lives” you see in stuff like Equilibrium.

2 users thanked author for this post.

Ascaris, GoneToPlaid

Reply | Quote

But they WON’T be identical lives. The folks who predicted that kind of future never envisioned the loss of control…

Each life will be individually crafted and managed by the tech to best separate that particular user from his or her money.

This is actually much worse.

-Noel

1 user thanked author for this post.

Elly

Reply | Quote

I have finally thought of a practical use for these “surveillance” devices:
* Hey Cortana, what can I get my wife for her birthday?
* Hey Cortana, remind me of my anniversary a week ahead of time.
* Hey Cortana, put Mother’s Day on my calendar.
They would sell a lot of them if they would market them to forgetful husbands.

I’m still not getting one, though.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

1 user thanked author for this post.

Noel Carboni

Reply | Quote