Alexa - Any good?

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Jan 31, 2018
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I think in some circumastances they can be brilliant. However, my daughter bought one for my oldest grandson at christmas, he is six, just. Im not sure I approve to be honest. Im old fashined enough to believe searching books or even the internet (old fashioned?) helps towards reading and grammar. Too much too soon methinks.
As a teacher i would fully agree with you -no mobile till secondary school at the earliest too-or smart phone-they need one then because they'll get picked on if they haven't but restrict the use if you can!
 
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Sep 24, 2008
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Nothing at all to do with cars or caravans, I'm thinking of getting Herself one of those Echo Dot thingy's as a last minute Christmas present.
She has a smartphone and an i-pad tablet, she's still learning to use both of these items, but she isn't very tech savvy at all.
She loves music, the weather forecast (!) listening to the radio and browsing for stuff in online shops, where she usually loses what she's looking at and I have to rescue her browsing.
Has anybody got one, or would you buy one?
There's around £60 at stake here, money that I could spend buying a perfectly good ironing board for her with. :ROFLMAO:
I wanted to see a film which we missed some time ago , the correct name is Hidden Figures, but could not think at time but knowing it was about coloured women at space agency USA. So asked Alexa "coloured women working for Nasa. Got very sharp answer, "I will not answer that"
 
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May 24, 2014
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Theres me banging on about spelling and grammar whilst my keyboard keeps making mistakes. Really, it does. it keeps missing letters so I guess the membrane below the keys has had it.
 
May 7, 2012
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Do remember this thing is listening all the time and they do apparently check about one percent of the voice requests, they say to improve the service. Some of these have ended up recording things said and been posted on social media, and others have included peoples bank details from phone calls. Do be careful what you say within the hearing distance of the machine or there could be problems.
 
Sep 26, 2018
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Do remember this thing is listening all the time and they do apparently check about one percent of the voice requests, they say to improve the service. Some of these have ended up recording things said and been posted on social media, and others have included peoples bank details from phone calls. Do be careful what you say within the hearing distance of the machine or there could be problems.
I'd actually be really interested to see the proof of that?
 
Mar 27, 2011
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I’ve had an echo almost since the first ones were in the shops, Ive updated a couple of times as they have apparently improved the system, I think it’s a great bit of equipment, any music we listen to is through the echo, just ask it to play a particular song, artist, type of music or whatever and it’s there in seconds, I have chucked the digital radio in the loft and it’ll probably never see light of day again, I love tech stuff and if amazon want to listen to our conversations then feel free, I have a new iPhone every couple of years and you hear all sorts about Siri on apple being a listening device, again feel free, what with my Apple Watch and the car being bugged I must have everything in my life documented in numerous places, ill live with it until it bites me on the Bum

BP
 
Sep 26, 2018
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What evidence do you require? It takes seconds to do a search which throws up lots of reports but unless Jeff Bezos stands up and does a YouTube video it is always going to be gleaned information by reporters. But isn’t that where 95% of news comes from. Forbes has some good articles if you search.


https://www.independent.co.uk/life-...exa-echo-listening-spy-security-a8865056.html

Well, having been involved in testing Voice Recognition software in the late 90's where the application needed hours of dedicated training (sitting in front of the application and saying words that popped up on the screen) I'm not at all surprised OR WORRIED about the information being heard by an Echo device. Google and Facebook have much more information about you than would be gleaned from any "overheard conversation" going to Amazon. As yet both Google and Facebook have had serious data breaches, but Amazon hasn't. This indicates to me that Amazon take security of our data very seriously.
 
May 24, 2014
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Alexa can be useful in some circumstances, but I bet she cant take the tops of jars, or reverse park.
 
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