Contents page 1 — Look who’s talking now-page 2 — All three companies are working on the machine to See On a page
It ought to go without the screen. So anyway, the product was the promise, as the device class of the smart loudspeaker was invented a few years ago. First of all, the Amazon Echo, a talking, with the voice of a conscience Alexa wanted to. Google Home and Apple’s HomePod with talking later. Play music, set alarms, and even messages you can send from home now, without the need for the physical Interface of a touch screen. Language assistant is a must. Of course you had as a user, and users still have the Option to control those speakers on the Display of the own Smartphones. But in everyday life the eternal tap Speak replace, at least in the own four walls. And all the data should be safe.
However, as soon as you get used to it, to have in the kitchen, bathroom or bedroom that you always have the guards speaker as a new listener and conversation partner, Amazon now seems to slowly back out of the idea. The company, which had initiated the Smart-Speaker-Hype in 2016 with the launch of the Echo, introduced last year, the Echo Show, a device that consisted of half speaker, half from the screen. The Echo Show was like a first attempt to combine voice control with a Display.
In the now available second-Generation offline screen the speaker. The Echo Show 2 acts as a Tablet with stand, the Box is attached to the back of the display is hidden. Almost at the same time, Facebook and Google introduced last own Video Speaker, they are called Portal and Home Hub, not unlike the Echo Show 2 but still available in Germany: The Google Home Hub to come in the coming year, in this country, in the trade, Facebook likes to call on demand no German sales launch of the Portal; in the USA, he is starting in November on pre-order. The screen returns so just – just why?
kitchen watch I: the Echo Show 2 © Amazon
The tech companies have to answer this question, the supposedly huge value. Amazon and Google want to make it easier your products to the Users the control of your Smart Home, what is the need, however, your light bulbs, (Self-)surveillance cameras, electric kettle and other Internet-of-things-to-things already linked up. The Video Speaker of the two groups can, of course, serve as a speaker or as a digital photo frame. The Facebook Portal, but it is advertised mainly as a device for video telephony. To work with the new Hardware even better than WhatsApp or the Facebook Messenger on your Smartphone (Amazon, this feature also offers).
of Course, every manufacturer has thought up one or two extra features that the competition, not each has to offer. Amazon, for example, praises the Echo Show 2 in addition, as a karaoke machine. On Google’s Home Hub, the absence is a camera, Google is the reason for the in fact, with privacy. The company presents the Users but a personal morning routine and a step-by-step cooking help, recipe is per language available; the Amazon has been testing such a cooking concept as well. And that Amazon and Facebook place the new device class the Video the Speaker on product photographs, preferably in kitchens, it can also be a coincidence (see the pictures here in the Text): Where, and is eaten by being baked, put at least to Americans used to a second TV – on the screen of the Video Speakers you could now watch streaming videos, the modern Form of television.
The Facebook Portal that looks like the competing products from Amazon and Google, and the larger Portal+ as video telephony devices, of course, a camera. The follows the movements of the user by the room, so the chat partner will lose her at the other end of the line. The video call can move freely while you talk on Facebook to each other. This physical tracking mechanism is in view of the various data scandals in the Social Media group is involved with, at least a bold idea. You could understand the camera movements quite symbolic: Wherever you go, dear user, dear user, we have you always in view. You can’t escape us.
After all, Facebook will deliver a plastic cap you can put over the eye of the Camera, if you want to feel totally safe unobserved. Portal is use as a language assistant interesting Amazon’s Alexa. Facebook swears by Alexa-functions, the collected data only to Amazon and not to save himself, the video calls are of course encrypted, and Facebook, you’ll record in any Form.
