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Amazon Acquires Connected Camera and Doorbell Startup 'Blink' (slashgear.com)
In an effort to push further into smart home and connected security products, Amazon has acquired Blink -- a wireless security camera company that launched back in 2014 and then subsequently closed a million-dollar Kickstarter campaign. SlashGear reports: The deal was announced today, and for the moment will see Blink continue to operate as-is, with no changes to the company's line-up. That includes the recently announced Blink Video Doorbell. Blink first broke cover back in 2014, then the following year announced a crowdfunding campaign aiming to raise $200k for its entirely wire-free security camera. Unlike rival systems that require a wired power connection, or the few battery-powered cameras already on the market which generally had relatively short battery life, Blink's promised more than a year of home monitoring from a single charge. The campaign was a success, with Blink raising five times the amount it initially targeted.
It's not hard to see, therefore, why Amazon might have been interested. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed at this stage, but the retailer is making a serious push into smart home and connected security products. That started with the Amazon Cloud Cam, a streaming video camera that requires mains power, and which is an instrumental part of Amazon Key, its home delivery service.
It's not hard to see, therefore, why Amazon might have been interested. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed at this stage, but the retailer is making a serious push into smart home and connected security products. That started with the Amazon Cloud Cam, a streaming video camera that requires mains power, and which is an instrumental part of Amazon Key, its home delivery service.
More clickbait when you don't want it!
This way they can âoeloseâ the records anytime they want. Guaranteed delivery with Amazon is like unlimited data with Verizon.
"Computers are a lot like Air Conditioners" "They both work great until you start opening Windows"
wire free? I want cloud free. if it can't stream securely and directly to a device I own without a clown ... I mean cloud ... interloper, then they can keep it.
I can get up and look at a peephole or have a non cloud WiFi camera without streaming images of all comers to my home to the Amazon Borg.
I steal bandwidth off my neighbor's VZW hotspot. I'm consistently getting a meg a second in the southeast. Don't know about you but that's win win for me.
With this, Amazon can just deactivate your security system on demand whenever the delivery person needs to use the Amazon Key to get in.
Sign. Me. Up. </sarc>
I recently attended a meeting of a local C++ programming language user group. Also in attendance were some college aged students, probably in their early 20s.
One of the presenters was talking about using C++ to interface with cloud based IoT web services. He was an older fellow. Not quite a greybeard, but probably in his mid 50s.
At one point early on in his presentation he asked the crowd, "What does `Internet of Things` mean to you?"
A couple of attendees raised their hands and gave pretty typical answers involving thermostats and remote controlled door locks and stuff like that.
Then one of the college students gave his answer: "It's what big companies use to watch me when I make peepee and poopoo."
The crowd was silent for a moment, and then a few people chuckled, including the presenter. But I think everybody knew that this student was right, even if he phrased it in an unusual way.
IoT and cloud computing are invasive. IoT and cloud computing computing are, in effect, all about digging deep into your most private affairs. Most of the time this is being done just to collect data about you that will then be used when serving you advertisements in the future.
Maybe Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials don't fully realize this. But the generation after the Millennials, which I guess we can call Generation Z, I think they understand what IoT and cloud computing really are all about, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if this generation tries to avoid them as much as possible.
We've definitely reached the point of diminishing or even negative returns on quality of life from digital technology.
love is just extroverted narcissism
maybe it's because amazon is feeling left out of all the creepy shit that google and facebook get to do with our online habits -- so they wanted to get a head start on being creepy, invasive, and just plain evil in the physical world.
Amazon's ML will analyze the video and provide Blink customers with exclusive, curated deals on products that would be tailored to their living situation.
BTW Jeff B. sends thanks for the Kickstarter.
Didn't I read here yesterday that people don't use doorbells anymore, they just call the person when they're at the door?
Blink and you're dead. They are fast. Faster than you can believe.
Don't turn your back. Don't look away. And don't blink. Good Luck.