“I’m about to just toss the whole thing…”…

“This is getting ridiculous and I’m about to just toss the whole thing and move back to Google,” one Redditor said of the “full-volume” ads for Alexa+ on their Echo Show.

Oh sweet summer child, Google is NOT going to be any better at this. That will just be changing one corporate evil for another.

  • Almacca@aussie.zoneEnglish
    9·
    6 days ago

    I don’t think I’ll ever buy any product that advertises itself as ‘smart’. They seem to be anything but.

    Edit: I do have a 14 year old ‘smart’ TV, but it’s basically only a monitor for my PC.

  • Octavio@lemmy.worldEnglish
    12·
    7 days ago

    I regret ever getting mixed up with Amazon in the first place. I canceled Prime, stopped ordering from Amazon’s website, found a Kindle alternative, pulled the plug on my IoT crap, and unplugged my Echoes. No regrets. YMMV.

  • kamen@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    7 days ago

    Can anyone recommend a similar type of device that’s not ad-supported? I don’t care about voice, but would like to have a desk clock with a synced calendar.

  • moopet@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    2·
    7 days ago

    The evolutionarily stable state is a small percentage more ads than people will tolerate. That’s just maths.

  • Deestan@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2152·
    8 days ago

    My pet pony keeps shitting on the floor.

    I am very frustrated and did not expect it.

    I should sell it off and buy a horse instead.

    • athairmor@lemmy.worldEnglish
      25·
      8 days ago

      Ponies are supposed to shit. It’s more like if the pony came strapped with ill-fitting saddlebags that leak toxic chemicals.

      • Deestan@lemmy.worldEnglish
        6·
        8 days ago

        Yeah that was kinda my point :) A cloud controlled device from a tech giant is supposed to shit on the floor start doing ads and invade your privacy. It’s what they do. Like ponies pooping, you should expect it on purchase.

      • unwarlikeExtortion@lemmy.mlEnglish
        2·
        8 days ago

        No. It’s more as if you had to pay for the pony to get it, and then:

        If you want to ride the pony, that’s $2. The saddle has a coin slot to pay. It also has spikes poking both you and the pony if you don’t pay. Any time you get off, the spikes relock, requiring another payment to unlock.

        This is the exact same situation minus the animal cruelty part and with money being swapped with time.

    • Dyskolos@lemmy.zipEnglish
      88·
      8 days ago

      AND not even being paid for doing so. But paying for instead. that’s the most bizarre part of it.

      • U7826391786239@lemmy.zipEnglish
        36·
        8 days ago

        it doesn’t take much critical thinking to conclude that smart tvs are bullshit, but apparently too much for most people

        • Dyskolos@lemmy.zipEnglish
          33·
          8 days ago

          Even worse than not-really-understanding-any-of-it is the wilful ignorance shown by some. “I have nothing to hide” is the epitome of obedient worker-ant stupidity.

            • lightnegative@lemmy.worldEnglish
              3·
              8 days ago

              What are you going to do, send them money? That information isn’t private, people have to give it up all the time to receive money…

              • BarbedDentalFloss@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
                2·
                7 days ago

                That’s from the ancient banking system designed in the 1940s that is still lurching around. The protection on a check isn’t cryptographic - it relies on the issuing bank to confirm the authenticity by examining heuristics on the paper check like paper type, ink and font used, check number, issuing address and the person’s signature. It used to be that you would deposit a check at your bank and then it would be mailed to the issuing bank to be cleared for transfer. You wouldn’t just deposit it and get your money instantly, it would take up to 10 days.

                Honestly it is bewildering to me that they haven’t changed the system to issue cryptographically secure deposit-only numbers and unique withdrawal numbers that at least verify the authenticity of the check itself.

              • Dyskolos@lemmy.zipEnglish
                1·
                8 days ago

                Ha! Try that with a german boomer. It’s one of the most well guarded secrets to them.

        • Pika@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          8·
          8 days ago

          In the case of smart tv’s it’s obvious why it works. It’s way cheaper to buy a smart tv vs a dumb tv now, and It’s all companies make for consumer side, which only leaves business grade TV’s/advertisement boards which cost more. Even if this isn’t the case though, with how streaming oriented most people are, the general public won’t buy a dumb tv because they would still need to buy some sort of device to allow them to access their stuff. It’s just convenient to have it in the same device rather than buy a tv then spend another $25+ on a device that can allow access to streaming, when one device can do it all.

          I upgraded to a “decent” Smart TV for my den (my previous one was an early stage Phillips smart TV that the store was basically deprecated on), and it converted 3 devices I had for my dumb tv, into that one device. It’s just convenient.

          I personally think that people should be focusing more on not buying slop-ware, and working on implementing legislation of what companies are allowed to do to consumer purchased products before trying to revert back to dumb tv’s and spending 3x as much. The future is going to happen regardless, and people are going to take the easy way out, the easier way is going to be preventing the annoyances from being allowed in the first place.

          • GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.caEnglish
            4·
            8 days ago

            I’d far rather have a dumb TV/monitor and a cheap, easily upgradable smart device connected to it, but I’m on Lemmy so that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

          • U7826391786239@lemmy.zipEnglish
            1·
            8 days ago

            you do you. enjoy your convenience. for my part, i will continue to spend $0.00 for the privilege of being the product.

            all of these brands can take their smart devices and go fuck themselves with it. “convenient” GTFO

    • whyNotSquirrel@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      7·
      8 days ago

      I still have the first Google Home speaker I got for free via Spotify subscription years ago, and it’s as far as I went, wouldn’t have put money on this

  • sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    894·
    8 days ago

    … and all the actual tech nerds who told everyone they should avoid smart devices like the plague laugh and laugh…

    • BanMe@lemmy.worldEnglish
      682·
      8 days ago

      And the pro tech nerds who told everyone to use local-only, non proprietary smart devices so they can still have a secure, ad-free smarthome laugh as we walk through the house without ever touching light switches.

      • donalonzo@lemmy.worldEnglish
        55·
        8 days ago

        Exactly. It’s not the smart part of a device that is the problem. That’s an extreme overreaction.

        The problem with most smart devices today is that they are proprietary, non-fully libre and open source, for-profit, cloud-connected, corporate committee designed spyware, adware, and bloatware.

        Devices that are fully FLOSS (firmware, hardware, software) and based on open and free standards and protocols are awesome, but they get easily forgotten.

        The Internet and your technology can be so much better. Demand it.

      • ayyy@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        152·
        8 days ago

        Yes but I have done zero maintenance on my light switches in over 30 years. No downtime either or updates.

        • cabillaud@lemmy.worldEnglish
          82·
          8 days ago

          I have done zero maintenance on my light switches in all my life, and I never had any smart home stuff, lol

        • Holytimes@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          51·
          8 days ago

          To be fair I put in all my smart lights once 7 years ago haven’t touched them a single time in that entire span. Took an hour to set up.

          And now my alarm turns on lights which helps me wake up :D

          • ayyy@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            11·
            8 days ago

            I literally don’t believe you. Wi-Fi? Zigbee? Z-Wave? Not a single reset or re-pair because you changed some password or bridge or the power went out and one of them needed a little encouragement?

        • Damage@feddit.itEnglish
          3·
          8 days ago

          My smart switches have zero downtime. If I attack my server with an hatchet I lose smart functionality but pressing the switch still works, just like yours.

          It doesn’t take much to avoid the bullshit devices.

    • FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.auEnglish
      94·
      8 days ago

      You think “actual tech nerds” don’t like smart devices? I don’t think you know what a “tech nerd” is.

      • MIXEDUNIVERS@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
        92·
        8 days ago

        Actual tech nerds love the tinkering to make it work again until the moment they are tired of it and just want something that works. I’m in the tinkering phase.

  • melroy@kbin.melroy.org
    81·
    8 days ago

    “Advertising is a small part of the experience”.

    Well great Amazon. Nobody is asking for this ‘experience’.