Smart Speakers

Scuderia_Turini · 4th-Feb-23, 03:29 PM

I was given a "Smart Speaker" as a festive present (Dec 2022) and despite having shunned such tech previously I thought I would give it a chance to shine. I listen to "radio" streams a lot so asked the Google Assistant to play a favourite station. Response was along the lines of "I can't play that right now but you could ask me to play it on a different device". Moving on I asked it to play some Harpsichord music. Response was something like "Here is a harpsichord playlist from Deezer". I listened to three tracks of non harpsichord tunes and then switched it off. After a couple of weeks of "Sorry I don't understand", I decided that I should change the assistant to a male type so as to avoid becoming a misogynist. Having realised that in fact the system may be smart but its not intelligent, I asked it to define "smart". The response was that smart most commonly relates to a person who is clean, tidy and well dressed. Its certainly clean and well dressed but I wouldn't say that having the operational indicators on the front and power switch and battery level (its a portable unit) on the back is tidy.
The unit is now mostly switched off, in the hope that someday a future update might make it intelligent.

Kevan · 4th-Feb-23, 05:22 PM

'smart appliances' are for stupid people who wouldn't know any different.

Gordon Steadman · 4th-Feb-23, 06:22 PM

The first thing I did when I got the new Mac Mini was switch off SIRI.

Exactly why do I need an assistant to do all the normal things that make up my day. Just another encouragement to be lazy.

964rh · 6th-Feb-23, 09:09 AM

I/we use Alexa in a few rooms, linked to Apple Music and used for background music and to turn some lamps that are placed in a position to hide from our 2yr old.

The music choices can be a bit hit and miss, especially when trying to play a specific, personal, playlist but for 'Alexa, play some blues music' commands seems to work ok. My one gripe is said 2yr old now knows how to ask Alexa to play baby Shark!!!

However, I also wouldn't class them as intelligent or smart, more convenient

For more than background music, we have this semi old fashioned setup in our bedroom, where you still have to touch most of the medium you want to play (ignore the Ipad!!!) and it's out of reach of the little boy Bigsmile

CMOTD · 6th-Feb-23, 04:11 PM

Spare a thought for those poor girls christened Alexa who will spend their school years being ordered about by other children! 332 of them in 2016 when the Amazon device arrived in the UK. Just 39 of them in 2019.

Kevan · 6th-Feb-23, 07:39 PM

(6th-Feb-23, 04:11 PM)CMOTD Wrote: Spare a thought for those poor girls christened Alexa who will spend their school years being ordered about by other children! 332 of them in 2016 when the Amazon device arrived in the UK. Just 39 of them in 2019.

But they'll never get away from their daft parent(s)

Gordon Steadman · 7th-Feb-23, 09:59 AM

seems like it

Kevan · 7th-Feb-23, 11:00 AM

Referring to a loudspeaker as 'She'... Banghead

Qman · 9th-Feb-23, 05:38 PM

I won an Echo Dot in a competition and found it quite useful, so much so that when I needed to replace my alarm clock I bought a 2nd Dot, but what does amaze (and puzzle) me is how the 2 have quite different 'personalities' the downstairs one is quite flirty and if you thank her for an answer always comes back with "You're welcome" whilst the bedroom one literally answers your questions without any further chat, actually comes across as being stuck up.