Meet The Next Major Operating System: Amazon's Alexa (zdnet.com)

ZDNet's editor-in-chief warns that Amazon has ambitious plans for its new Echo Plus: Amazon is making an explicit play to be the home hub because it can automatically discover and set up lights, locks, plugs, and switches without the need for additional hubs or apps. And the Alexa 'routines' feature will be able to tie all of this together by allowing you to automate a series of actions with a single voice command: saying "Alexa, good night," and having it turn off the lights, lock the door, and turn off the TV, for example. A platform that other apps and devices can connect into? This starts to sound a lot like an operating system for the home to me.

It's not just the home, either; Amazon announced a deal to make Alexa available in BMW and Mini vehicles from the middle of next year, allowing drivers to use the digital assistant to get directions, play music or control smart home devices while travelling, without having to use a separate app. Travellers will also have access to Alexa skills from third-party developers like Starbucks, allowing them to order their coffee while driving and thus skip the line. Back in January, Amazon and Ford said they were working together to allow voice commands to turn on the engine, lock or unlock the doors as well as play music and use other skills...

It's still early days but I think Alexa has a good shot at becoming one of the standard interfaces, certainly for consumers -- an operating system for the home, if not more, if the automotive tie-ups take off too. All of this will make Amazon a serious force to be reckoned with. Windows has the desktop, and Android and iOS can fight it out for the smartphone, but right now Alexa has a lock on the smart home.

Comments

AMZN had *better* emphasize security

[sehlat]

1. Add the ability to recognize a specific voice that is authorized to issue commands. (No more South Park incidents. Period.)

2. Make sure that things like lights, door locks, etc. ALL have manual overrides. This capability will need to be certified, which will give Amazon a lot of control over which companies/devices will work with the system. OTOH, from a security standpoint, if you don't want your home broken into, you'd better have that sort of reassurance built-in.

Unless the OS security, both internal and external isn't a LOT better than what we're getting from the Internet of Crap, this will be another disaster.

Re:AMZN had *better* emphasize security

[Anonymous Coward]

Unless the OS security, both internal and external isn't a LOT better than what we're getting from the Internet of Crap, this will be another disaster.

Maybe that's exactly what needs to happen. Thankfully it won't affect anyone with a clue. The rest get to (re)learn a valuable lesson about blind trust and their addiction to convenience.

Re:AMZN had *better* emphasize security

[Anonymous Coward]

All great points. Thanks. I hadn't thought it through that far. I will now.

You seriously didn't think that this would be a very tempting target for hackers? Most of them will do it just to be asshats. But some will be much worse. Just wait until the home-invasion types turn into script kiddies. They can download an easy exploit and do things like remotely figure out when you're not home, unlock the doors to avoid all the noise/mess of breaking and entering, all sorts of things like that.

Re:AMZN had *better* emphasize security

[geekmux]

Unless the OS security, both internal and external isn't a LOT better than what we're getting from the Internet of Crap, this will be another disaster.

The Internet of Crap consumer has purchased an always-on listening device buried deep inside the most personal spaces of their life. What in the FUCK makes you think that kind of consumer gives a shit about emphasizing security when privacy was dismissed long ago?

Oh, and "manual override"? That would assume the consumer A) knows how, or B) wants to learn. The entire point of automating the shit out of every little thing is so they don't have to bother with manual anything anymore.

Re:AMZN had *better* emphasize security

[R3d M3rcury]

1. Add the ability to recognize a specific voice that is authorized to issue commands. (No more South Park incidents. Period.)

I don't own one. So I don't know if this is just marketing...

But Amazon seems to have a new(?) series of TV Ads that I saw this morning that proclaims that Alexa can recognize different voices. So the idea is that if I say, "Alexa, call Mom" it will call my mother and not, say, my roommate's mother.

So I assume there's another check-box somewhere that says, "Only listen to known voices."

Of course, I'd also assume that such things are turned off by default.

Re:AMZN had *better* emphasize security

[msauve]

"The Internet of Crap consumer has purchased an always-on listening device buried deep inside the most personal spaces of their life. What in the FUCK makes you think that kind of consumer gives a shit about emphasizing security when privacy was dismissed long ago?"

Oh, I think they "give a shit." But, the typical consumer doesn't understand either the privacy or the security implications. They can't "dismiss" something they don't understan. They just naively assume that nothing happens other than it listens and reacts to the single sentence beginning with "Alexa" (or Siri, or Hey Google, or ...).

That there's more is buried deep in legal terms no one reads.

The recognition of that naivete in your second point should be reflected in the first.

Re:AMZN had *better* emphasize security

[ShanghaiBill]

There's no 'she'. It's an 'it'.

"Alexa, are you a girl?"
"I am female in character."

I'll buy in

[rtkluttz]

When and only when this shit is completely autonomous with no need for internet access. I won't have my shit spying on me and I won't ask an external entity to control shit in my own home. I'll drill my own hole in my own firewall and control my devices directly with no 3rd party intervention.

Re:I'll buy in

[ceoyoyo]

Problem is, most of the stuff Amazon sells isn't Alexa stuff. I see the hierarchy this way:

1. Apple: makes physical products, things like Siri are features of those products. Apple could probably make a bit of extra money spying on you, but it could easily hurt their primary business.

2. Amazon: sells physical products, but only a few that they could use to spy on you. Amazon can use your information to sell you lots of other stuff. If you don't buy Alexa devices because you don't want to be spied on, it's not really a bit part of their business.

3. Facebook, Google: revenue is pure advertising. Any information they get from you must be used to support their advertising business.

Interesting story

[Kohath]

This is quite the story. But I actually have an Amazon Echo. It turns off my lights ok, but I can’t find much else for it to do.

I’m not super interested in hearing poorly-curated music played out of a small speaker. News is occasionally semi-interesting at best.

And Alexa doesn’t do much of anything unless you use the app and go find “skills” for it. The capabilities of the skills are disappointing.

Does anyone have any stories about Alexa doing useful things? True stories only, not made up stuff about what it might do someday.

Re:Interesting story

[DontBeAMoran]

I have a story about Alexa doing something useful.

The other day I was comparing items on Amazon and I saw a link to Alexa. I clicked on it, decided that even if Amazon were to pay me to send me one for free I wouldn't want a spy in my house. So really, Alexa saved me from wasting USD$99 on a spying device.

Re:Interesting story

[JeffElkins]

My dot is very useful in conjunction with Alexa Harmony remote skills for my home theater.

"Alexa, turn on Fire": Starts TV,receiver,Fire TV & Kodi.

"Alexa, "Turn on Shield": Starts TV,receiver, Nvidia Shield & Kodi.

"Alexa, turn off Fire/Alexa turn off Shield": reverse the above.

"Alexa, Connect phone": Starts the receiver, toggles bluetooth and links to phone for streaming.

"Alexa, drop in on...": The Echo Show makes an excellent home intercom system and link my home office and my wife's sewing room.

Privacy is an illusion in 2017 anyway.

Re:Interesting story

[Waffle Iron]

"Alexa, turn on Fire"

Not a good command to give if you keep your Bluetooth-enabled Zippo lighter in your desk drawer.

Re:Interesting story

[Lord Ender]

My understanding is that it doesn't upload ANYTHING unless you say the keyword "Alexa" first. Then it just uploads what it needs to understand the commands. You could probably verify this with any network monitoring tool...

So it is not a "spying" device; it's a "respond to the commands you give it" device.

People were afraid of barcodes when they first came out. You're the latest wave of that mindset.

Re:Interesting story

[Dutch Gun]

I got an Echo Dot because I wanted to see if it would be at all useful or interesting, as that hit a price point where I didn't mind experimenting. I thought I might also like to develop software for it as well someday.

Generally speaking, I use it for two things: the world's most hilariously over-engineered timer and an interface for adding things to my shopping list. So how does that work out? I can't even remove items from my list using Alexa. WTF? And I can't give it a list of items by saying "Alexa, add bread, milk, and eggs to my shopping list." Nope, you have to say "Alexa, add xxx to my shopping list. Alexa, add yyy to my shopping list. Alexa, add zzz to my shopping list." Again, really? Even it's most basic functionality is pretty half-assed.

Beyond that, I still haven't really found a real use for it, at least not worth the price. It's probably more useful if:
* You go all in and put them *everywhere* in your house, so you can more easily access it at any time.
* You're not at your computer all day like I am, rendering it largely pointless, as anything Alexa can do, my computer can do faster and easier.

Re:Interesting story

[trybywrench]

i can say "alexa, order me a pizza" and the delivery person shows up in a few minutes. That's pretty useful when my kid's friends come over. Another thing, it's amazing how useful "Alexa, set a timer for x minutes" is when you have kids. I personally like the news and "Alexa, wikipedia {whatever you want}". Overall I'm pretty happy with it, my dot cost $50 and I've paid a lot more for a lot less many times.

Re:Interesting story

[thegarbz]

Not Alexa but Google's equivalent.

I don't have one personally but a friend of mine was showing me what he uses it for. Basically: Anything for which he'd normally get his phone.
"What's the weather like?"
"What are my appointments today?"
"What is the traffic like to work?"
"Set an alarm for 2minutes" - more useful than it sounds considering the device is sitting in the kitchen area, followed by a lot of other useful kitchen related ones:
"What's 2 cups in millilieters"

but the more neat thing come in interfacing it with other devices
"Play House of Cards on Netflix" - TV turned on and started playing the current house of cards episode.

I'm sure more uses will come up beyond turning lights on and off. I anticipate people will treat this like Siri. At first it's a novelty, and then when the novelty wears off the die-hard users will find no end of new useful things for it to do.

Really?

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

So does "operating system" now mean absolutely whatever the author of some tedious think piece wants it to?

Re:Really?

[ColdWetDog]

No, it really should only apply to Emacs.

YeahNO!

[Chas]

I like my tech gadgets and everything.

But I'll be damned if I'm going to wire my home up to spy on me and send all the data back to Amazon, Google or WHOEVER.

I don't give a shit HOW useful it is. It's simply TOO intrusive for my liking.

And if I ever move into a place with this crap pre-installed, I'll have an electrician out first to disconnect it all.

Take away the voice command

[rsilvergun]

and you could get this setup for my Commodore 64 in 1988.

People don't get it

[BellyJelly]

If we install all this shit, you are putting Amazon in control of your home. All you do is send your requests to Amazon and hope they carry them out correctly. Whilst not getting cracked.......

Alexa - unlock the door for the pizza delivery

[Alain Williams]

I'm sorry Dave, I cannot do that; the pizza was not ordered from Amazon.

Re:That is a really great point

[Hognoxious]

I was going to say that if it's any good they'll discontinue it - but this is Amazon, not Google.

I see two possibilities: it'll be shite, but on the "build one to throw away" principle it'll teach the lessons for something better, or it'll be shite and first mover advantage plus the network effect mean we'll be stuck with it.

Re:Automated "Intelligence"

[RhettLivingston]

but it got about 15-25% of the things we yelled at it wrong or just didn't understand

Because it is Bing based. Bing is Alexa's biggest problem.

This is why Apple recently switched Siri to Google. They do not want to release their new $300-class Alexa and Home competitor on Bing after seeing the degree of its impact on Alexa's ratings in most head-to-head comparisons of Alexa and Google Home.

Proprietary software means insecurity.

[jbn-o]

So long as any part of this depends on non-free (proprietary, user subjugating) software, insecurity is to be assumed because untrustworthiness is guaranteed. Manual overrides on proprietary software are an illusion built to placate those who don't think through the process thoroughly.

It's also worth recognizing that this is entirely unnecessary. People have been quite fine to turn on/off their own house lights, lock/unlock their own door locks (without handing out keys to others such as an unknowable and indeterminably large set of people who want free access without making it look like they broke in), and so on without automation. Principled technologists know when it's a better option to say no to automation and remote control, this is most obviously the correct reaction in the face of a system the user has no permission to fully and exclusively control.

There's no way of "securing" door locks, for instance, with software one doesn't control and fully have the freedom to own. When dealing with a system a proprietor can augment or replace at any time, manual overrides mean nothing.

Re:Proprietary software means insecurity.

[sehlat]

Yes. cf. Cory Doctorow: Demon-Haunted World

I think the above article should be mandatory reading.

Re:Interestin

[gmb61]

Does anyone have any stories about Alexa doing useful things? True stories only, not made up stuff about what it might do someday.

Well let's see, I use the shopping list, to-do list, reminders, alarm clock, etc. daily and they are all very useful. But by far the most useful thing for me (as somebody who orders A LOT from Amazon) is the ability to say, "Alexa, order more _______" and it will check my order history for the item, tell me the current price, and ask if I want to order it again. I say "yes" and it's on its way.

And then the Four Horsemen began their ride

[laurencetux]

Now placing bets on how long before this deploys that

1 there will be a MASSIVE hack of the system due to folks being framed for multiple felonies driven by voice commands

2 Amazon Employees are found to have a stash of "exciting" media grabbed via different devices

3 somebody gets arrested due to something that was saved by one of these devices

4 a few people get KILLED using one of these devices (example an Amazon controlled car decides to shut the engine down while the car is cruising down the Highway at 20 above the posted speed limit)

So use Mycroft

[HalAtWork]

Mycroft.ai lets you host your own speech-to-text server and do everything locally if you want.

Insurance

[bankman]

It's going to be great once insurance providers decline payments after break-ins and other mishaps that can be directly related to "smart" devices. And I am afraid that this is the only way, this kind of stupidity can be stopped. Consumers won't realise the madness they're engaging with until it hits their wallets and vendors will never understand the customer's security requirements until they are forced to pay for it, either directly or through lost sales.

Re:I don't own a Nest

[thegarbz]

Perfect. Only this morning I woke up and was thinking, if only I knew what some random person on the internet didn't want, then my life would be complete.

You have completed my life. It gave me such a warm feeling inside that I said "Okay Google, please turn my nest down to 20 degrees. It's getting too warm in here."