The font page one liner is ‘smart video calling with Alexa built in’
The smart part seems to be video calling which will keep you in focus via a video angle lens allowing it to focus on the person on the cal even if they move around.
It uses messenger or WhatsApp as the backend by the looks of it.
Interesting device though I wonder if it’s to expensive, I can see these turning up in a few homes.
What do people think? These video calling options that are stand alone home devices seem to have some interest. It’s interesting that we seem to be following the technology predicated by sci-fi movies I wasn’t sure these would be popular but it seems more companies are trying to make these kind of video devices.
Worth noting a couple of things on the privacy side on the back end.
It offers two call methods via messenger and WhatsApp. While WhatsApp is end to end encrypted messenger is only encrypted in transit, in theory they could perhaps use images to sell ads? Though it’s not clear that they would or would even be allowed with video?
Apparently do and have done in the past on messenger it’s self.
One of the main considerations though is that perhaps this kind of service is a trust building and incentive building service. E.g to keep you using Facebook because it provides good satellite services.
There’s certainly use cases for this type of device. There is a number of privacy features built into the hardware as well, though obviously were allá litre sceptical here ourselves.
Interesting to note though they don’t do any of the ‘smart’ processing off decide, it’s all done locally and they don’t use face recognition for the functionality of the device.
I think we now have google, amazon(?), and Facebook with family/house video calling devices.
I can see these becoming more popular, but I wonder how it will look in a few years.
Apples version of this is basically an iPad, but I wonder if they’ll get into the game with a dedicated FaceTime device?
Basically console wars but in the form of invasive instatumbletwitface…
Until all of the competitors can agree on how to video call one another than it will never grow outside of its own bubble. Apples to Apples Alexa’s to Alexa’s…
So recently, for the first time ever, i considered getting an Echo. For the sole purpose of listening to Audible Books with my wife. Putting a phone between us doesn’t sound well and solutions for two headphones are clunky.
Other than that, i haven’t used any Voice-Assistant so far. I tried Googles offering but found it was more cumbersome than getting the phone out 99% of the time. Might be a Problem of me being german. Sadly a lot of the great functionality is English only.
More on topic: I have a deep distrust when it comes to anything facebook. I don’t have an account anymore and facebook has proven time and time again that they are a company of amoral people. I won’t say they are intentionally doing certain things, they are just not thinking about a lot of moral implications and are shocked when people push back on “great new stuff”.
In the same way i feel that most of the time, privacy is something they just don’t think about. With a lot of those companies it’s all about inovation, features and services and with all that they forget about security and privacy. It’s often just an afterthought.
With that said, i also don’t see the benefit this device brings into a private household. I can see it in a business setting. Videoconferencing is common there and the tech is really expensive.
In a private household i don’t see what this adds to my life that i thoroughly need. It might be because i’m rather close to most of my friends and family, so we can see each other in person rather frequently.
So, it’s not that i think facebook is trying to invade our homes and steal as much data as they can (though it might be the case), i just don’t think facebook is planning this thing with inherent privacy and security in mind. Just because it’s not their core business to think about those things. That and the lack of utility to myself makes me pass on that.
I see allot of people buying it.
I also see allot of people switching to a phone app when its in another room.
I see Google counter this by giving phone users a “audio or video” choice when a phone comes call comes in.
When the first phones had the “speaker phone option” they were popular. I remember my boss at the moving company using it until he was around a bunch of bank vice-presidents and his boss cut loose in an f_bomb laced tirade. He stopped using the speaker phone except in the truck. Actually that when the “push to talk” first came out, but you get the idea.
I know I am.cherry picking but I don’t want to get lost in paragraphs.
Permission has nver stopped them before. They just do it till they get caught and then eat the fine with a grin because itnis nothing to them.
Interesting they are tying whatsapp into this. There is still an ongoing investigation whether Facebook absorbing whatsapp and instagram into just Facebook is even legal and they have been told to stop any and all integration efforts already. Again permission never stopped them.
The technology is cool and there is some neat stuff but the company behind it will abuse the shit out of it regardless of the consequences because they have been shown they will basicly be told you have been bad, stop it and let go on their merry way to do it all again.
Bad, just bad for everyone except the people selling them.
Do you have a source for this? I’ve not heard anything about this.
I mean the technology as a whole not the companies. Video calling is quite popular especially to keep families and friends in contact who live far away. I don’t see that at bad.
This is a German one, here is also Ireland and the UK and the EU in general all have called it into question and at least one of them (I believe Irish) has launched an investigation into the integration of the three with a stop to all integration while it is happening, that has not stopped them still integrating them.
This is all for naught as while these were going on the facebook server crash of a few months back happened that also suspiciously took instagram and whatsapp with it. That should not have happened if they were not already deeply integrated.
You are right on the technology side I like that but I am very strongly in favour of companies like this being broken up, so that the hardware is developed and made available to whoever with no tie in to underlying data gathering, just devices that the user can then tie to Facebook or Google or whoever.
Being a sub company funded and run under the main one is even fine with the end goal being the above device but have a generic of the same hardware for others to do as they will with.
Even make it easy with a start up which would you.like option but by default having to just accept that you have no control over something you paid for is not good in my books.
Apart from the fact that this is only one source and the way the headlines are written makes it questionable to me at least that there is neutral reporting happening, it’s also a bit strange to assume Facebook would stop those efforts just because the irish want them to.
Think about what that would mean. The Chinese government could just start an “investigation” against several US companies and ask the to stop doing business until they finished their investigation on what ever. Or the US just starts investigating if the technology of a german company is original and orders them to stop selling it until resolved.
That would be a massive tool to kill companies just by deciding to do an investigation. And this get’s even more complicated once we talk about a web only company where country boarders are less of a thing.
I’ll not go ahead and defend Facebook. You have to look into what juristiction Ireland has in that case though and wether facebook actually went against law they’d have to abide to or if Ireland “asked them to” and facebook just said “No thank you”.
That’s actually why I like reading their articles. Despite the joking headlines and furious mocking of various topics the reporting therein is sound. It makes reading news enjoyable with out it getting to be not relevant. Normal tech news is so boring and often overly technical. Yes it is one source because I don’t enjoy news really, you could call L1T news the same, joking but does have the actual information.
I also don’t expect the to stop because anyone told them too but that is exactly the problem, they have been shown that no matter what any government or ruling body says absolutely zero of real co sequence will happen to the company. It does at least show them to outright liars though and just out to do what they want regardless of the consequences for anyone else but them.
I get what you are saying but the legal basis is of anti competivineness and in that regard this is a warning that if they continue actual action might be taken and even still they just charge on. It has happened in the US that companies will be broken up if they don’t change, again I don’t expect it.to actually happen to facebook, but they have at least seen and then been seen to ignore the warning shot. I just wish that actually counted for anything.
It is more that they said “sorry we will not do this until it is okay to” and then just carried on anyway. If they at least said “no thanks” and carried on it would at least be something to.point to as a we did not lie to you the powers that be defense in the future.
I have no problem with voice assistants, but obviously not installing a camera and microphone from Facebook.
Beyond that it really doesn’t have any interesting technology. It’s just a nicely designed display with a camera, microphone, and speaker. Facebook’s video chat isn’t any better than Signal or Facetime.
These sorts of smart displays with cameras are neat for grandma, so she can videochat with her grandkids, etc. But you can also do that with an iPad or any cellphone, or a Google Nest Hub Max, all of which I would trust more than Facebook.
I wasn’t sure these would be popular but it seems more companies are trying to make these kind of video devices.
So… voiceprinting is not enough for Amazon/Alexa? It needs your Faceprint from multiple angles? 