The first version of the Echo was released four years ago and was the only smart speaker available. Google Home came out two years later. Before then, only the Echo Show were available. It took an additional 1.5 years before Google Home Mini and the Echo Show hit the market. Now, there are three generations of Echo products available, including the livemocha new Show and the Dot. So why are people afraid of these devices?
Concerns over privacy and children’s safety are common among people who use these devices. For example, some people are concerned that kids will think of the virtual assistants as real people and talk to them about things that they would normally talk to their parents. Others worry that the technology could teach children bad manners, especially because of its voice command function. Last year, YouTube struggled to keep disturbing content out of children’s feeds.
Despite all the hype surrounding the devices, Amazon’s Alexa AI assistant has several flaws. The biggest is that it’s often not as smart as its rivals. It makes mistakes and bloopers float on the internet like absurdist comedy videos. One such example is a toddler asking Alexa to play “Ticker Ticker.” In response, Alexa says, “hot chicks, amateur girls.”
Google has a foothold in the mobile space. Its Assistant is already built into several popular Android devices. Amazon’s Echo drew inspiration from science fiction, and Amazon’s ambition to turn our living rooms into talking spaceships persists today. But while Amazon’s Echo has many advantages, it is still far behind Google’s Home. If Google Home can lunarstorm win, then Amazon is bound to be left standing.
Both companies have a respectable customer base and enough cash to keep moving the assistants further into the mainstream. They offer entry-level smart speakers with attractive touchscreens, as well as third-party Alexa gadgets. The Echo Plus has meetro a built-in Zigbee radio and a temperature sensor. Google Home Max has premium sounding single-speaker audio. There are no guarantees, but they are great for many people.
