
Echo devices are Amazon Prime Day’s best sellers - janober
https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/11/echo-devices-are-amazon-prime-days-best-sellers
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AlexB138
I'm not surprised. There are very few mass appeal deals in Prime Day, and the
Echo devices are heavily subsidized. I think it's more a statement of how
lackluster Prime Day continues to be than it is a success of Echo.

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0x4f3759df
Instant Pot is on sale, too bad I bought one a few weeks ago.

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aaronbrethorst
I just ordered one. A good friend of mine sent along her favorite Instant Pot
risotto recipe upon hearing I'd bought one today. I cannot wait to try it:
[https://thisoldgal.com/pressure-cooker-best-wild-mushroom-
ri...](https://thisoldgal.com/pressure-cooker-best-wild-mushroom-risotto/)

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mpd
The deep discount on the Echo actually convinced me to research smart
speakers, and then buy a Google Home instead. Chromecast integration was the
clincher for me.

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ryan-allen
Home is my first choice as it's the only voice recognition that doesn't drive
me crazy.

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hkmurakami
I bought a Camelbak portable coffee mug that's scheduled to be delivered
between early to mid August. Not exactly what "Prime" advertises itself to be
in most cases, when it comes with a 3 week shipping lead time (in in no hurry
so I didn't mind the delay)

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pasbesoin
The Motorola G5 4 GB / 64 GB for $180 appealed -- until I saw that it comes
with Amazon's ad-ware at the lock screen (and wherever else, I guess...).

Thought about searching to find out how hackable the Amazon version is... Then
decided I have better things to do.

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notyourwork
I wonder how Google Home installs compares to that of Amazon alexa hardware?

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unclebucknasty
Ah, Echo: awesome "AI" for consuming Amazon services, including buying stuff
from Amazon.

Not so great for much else.

The real trick is that they manage to get people to pay them _anything_ for
these little trojan horses.

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stevecalifornia
IMO that's not the case at all. Our family uses it 90% to listen to music on
Spotify and 10% to get morning news. We don't consume any Amazon services with
it. Pretty soon the entire house will be automated with it: lights,
thermostat, sprinklers, fireplace and fans. "Alexa, turn on all the lights."

It's a new interface device. We can finally, easily, use our voice to
accomplish tasks-- anywhere in our house. Before, with phones, it was clumsy
and required pulling out the phone.

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unclebucknasty
> _We don 't consume any Amazon services with it_

Give it time!

Seriously, in addition to the ease with which you can also use your voice to
buy on Amazon, Amazon will surely launch other services based on user
behavior. In fact, they may even acquire popular services you currently use.

And, of course, it's compiling data on you.

It's a useful trojan horse, but a trojan horse nonetheless. Of course, if it
wasn't useful it wouldn't succeed as a trojan horse. So, not saying it's evil.
But, it's amazing that they are able to get people to pay for something from
which they will ultimately collect many times the value.

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kevin_thibedeau
Eagerly awaiting the day-after-prime-day so I can make a purchase I was
prevented from making yesterday.

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Sindrome
Wish Alexa came out before I spent $500 on a Sonos. Now I don't even use my
Sonos . . .

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rm999
Funny, I have both and I consider them different products with very different
use-cases (although I have the Echo Dots, not the full size Echos).

Also, in a great development, both are going to integrate with each other much
better soon; there's a private beta in place right now:
[http://www.aftvnews.com/sonos-begins-beta-testing-amazon-
ale...](http://www.aftvnews.com/sonos-begins-beta-testing-amazon-alexa-
control-integration/)

~~~
hbosch
Ah, is this the reason behind Sonos' conspicuous exclusion from the list of
AirPlay 2 partners at WWDC? It was a hellstorm on Twitter after the fact, with
plenty of Sonos faithful begging the brand for an answer...

It seems (seemed?) like Apple and Sonos happily shared some consumer overlap
until then. I find this news quite intriguing in that light.

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kome
I am puzzled... are they useful?

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tanilama
Good to set reminders and play, occasionally, some music. After all Echo is a
good bluetooth speaker at the basic level. I would be curious as well how
other people would put echo into use though.

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prawn
In our house: playing music on Spotify and setting alarms when cooking.

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cptskippy
It does unit conversions which is great when splitting or multiplying a
recipe.

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muninn_
Of course. Amazon subsidizes them to be extremely cheap and people get excited
about a new thing.

Personally, I have no use for one. "Alexa turn off the lights", or just get up
or use your phone? That's what I do at least.

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JacobJans
I was given one as a gift, and decided to try it for a while. The biggest
benefit is being able to ask to hear any song, and being able to hear it. The
Echo has brought music back into our lives, in a big way, which was a
surprise. I also use it for listening to news and/or podcasts while cooking.

~~~
pdkl95
It sounds like you needed a music player with a better interface. I seriously
doubt that a very convenient (fully? mostly? partially?) hands-free interface
_requires_ a microphone uploading what _used_ to be private audio to servers
you do not control.

> brought music back into our lives, in a big way

That's great, but you should be able get a similar benefit without giving up
your _expectation of privacy_. Normalizing sending the audio from formerly
private areas - _even if you are not currently saying anything other than
"Alexa, play ${random_pop_song}" \- will eventually move listening devices
across the bright line established in _Kyllo v. United States _[1][2]. The
SCOTUS opinion: (emphasis added)

>> "Where, as here, the Government uses a device that is _not in general
public use _, to explore details of the home that would previously have been
unknowable without physical intrusion, the surveillance is a "search" and is
presumptively unreasonable without a warrant."

When a technology _is* in "general public use", a warrant is no longer
required to use that technology in a search. If Echo (or similar) becomes
common enough for people to start _assuming_ the average home may contain a
microphone that uploads to a 3rd party, the _expectation_ that a home is
private. Music _is_ important, but was that particular convenience worth
undermining the 4th Amendment?

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyllo_v._United_States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyllo_v._United_States)

[2] [http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-
court/533/27.html](http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/533/27.html)

~~~
JacobJans
> Normalizing sending the audio from formerly private areas

I call B.S.

Why?

It has been normal for decades to send audio from "private areas." Phones, for
example. Cell phones now mean you send audio from nearly any location with
cell service.

I expect that Amazon respects my privacy, according to their own statements
and terms of service. Activating the sending of information is only done
intentionally, with the use of a trigger word that I don't otherwise use. This
is no different than pressing a button on a computer, or dialing a phone
number on my phone.

The expectation of privacy does not change just because I have a device with a
microphone, at least from a legal perspective.

Obviously, this still requires trusting the service provider, government, etc.

