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Amazon Plans To Release At Least 8 New Alexa-Powered Devices, Including A Microwave, Amplifier, and In-Car Gadget (cnbc.com)
Amazon is planning to release at least 8 new voice-controlled hardware devices before the end of the year, according to CNBC. "The devices include, among others, a microwave oven, an amplifier, a receiver, a subwoofer, and an in-car gadget, people familiar with the matter said," reports CNBC. "All of the devices will be Alexa-enabled, meaning they can easily connect to the voice assistant. Some of the devices will also have Alexa built in." From the report: Amazon is expected to reveal some of these devices at an event later this month, according to an internal document describing the plans. The new devices reflect Amazon's ambition to make its Alexa voice technology ubiquitous by focusing on areas where people spend most of their time -- at home and in the car. Alexa was initially considered a geeky experiment at Amazon. Now it is now one of the most popular voice assistants, leading the growth of the burgeoning smart speaker market, which is expected to be worth $30 billion by 2024, according to Global Market Insights.
Alexa Piss Off!
Unfortunately such devices are the next wet dream of Amazon and other Big Tech companies. They hit a data-supply plateau having first extracted all the information available about us online and realised that the brick-and-mortar of our houses was a serious obstacle on their way to advertising paradise so they got creative. By putting smart spies inside our home they are not only able to gather almost every bit of information about ourselves but also users who potentially never joined their platforms - our kids, parents, ...occasionally, lovers. They can figure out our relations with neighbours, what are our offline activities and hobbies, what are our plans, wishes, tastes, what time do we come back home and so on. Who knows, perhaps they also secretly sniff the traffic inside our network, discovering what other online platforms are in use in our household. Perhaps not only our networks but the whole neighbourhood.
It amazes me how few people are aware of these risks. Would they still have bought their smart devices if they knew the other side of the story?
Lastly, where does it end? However vast data sets we can provide, they are ultimately finite. What are the big corporations going to do once they penetrate our houses and strip us of the last remaining bits of our privacy and dignity?
Perhaps they'll decide to turn to the medical side of our life. I hope they would offer free rectal probes one day so that they could get a close-up of where I think is their place.
Seriously, I think touching "2" is actually easier than "Alexa, heat my soup"