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Ah, this reminds me of the Chumby (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chumby https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chumby) from 2008, I'm sure with voice recognition and vid

Ah, this reminds me of the Chumby (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chumby https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chumby) from 2008, I'm sure with voice recognition and video call capabilities, the Echo is hopefully a bit more useful.

olympus 9y ago
One thing the Chumby had going for it was that it was pretty hackable. Had/has a small community around it. The Echo devices don't have that (AFAIK).
- bau5 9y ago
  Depends on what kind of hacking. 591 questions here: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/alexa https://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/alexa
cptskippy 9y ago
Does it have a camera? I didn't see it mentioned in the specs or anything about video calling.
- danesparza 9y ago
  From the pics on the site, it appears to have one. One of the pics seems to indicate a video call scenario as well.
- ceejayoz 9y ago
  The description says: > Call anyone hands-free, or make video calls to family and friends with an Echo Spot, Echo Show, or the Alexa App. Instantly connect to other Echo devices around your home.
  - cptskippy 9y ago
    I see that now, I was on mobile and didn't expand the description. I went right for detailed specs which oddly lack any mention of the camera.
- j79 9y ago
  The Technical Details (https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-MW46WB-Introducing-Echo-Spot/dp/B073SQYXTW/#tech-specs-desktop https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-MW46WB-Introducing-Echo-Spot/d...) indicates a "Front Facing Camera".
  - mycall 9y ago
    In a bedroom situation, physically disabling might be a good idea, unless your into those things.
    - cptskippy 9y ago
      I'm kind of disappointed that it has a camera because in the bedroom as an Alarm Clock replacement is the only place I really see such a tiny display as being of value. The camera is a detractor. I understand that Amazon wants to push their calling features but they're really of zero interest to me. Video calling is always a disappointing experience regardless of who is implementing it. The voice calling that only calls other Echo devices or POTS using an unknown number is also of little interest. Personally I send any calls from numbers I don't know to voicemail, and I know many people who do the same. I would much rather have Alexa recognize my voice and use my phone to initiate calls.

olympus 9y ago

One thing the Chumby had going for it was that it was pretty hackable. Had/has a small community around it. The Echo devices don't have that (AFAIK).

bau5 9y ago
Depends on what kind of hacking. 591 questions here: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/alexa https://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/alexa

cptskippy 9y ago

Does it have a camera? I didn't see it mentioned in the specs or anything about video calling.

danesparza 9y ago
From the pics on the site, it appears to have one. One of the pics seems to indicate a video call scenario as well.
ceejayoz 9y ago
The description says: > Call anyone hands-free, or make video calls to family and friends with an Echo Spot, Echo Show, or the Alexa App. Instantly connect to other Echo devices around your home.
- cptskippy 9y ago
  I see that now, I was on mobile and didn't expand the description. I went right for detailed specs which oddly lack any mention of the camera.
j79 9y ago
The Technical Details (https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-MW46WB-Introducing-Echo-Spot/dp/B073SQYXTW/#tech-specs-desktop https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-MW46WB-Introducing-Echo-Spot/d...) indicates a "Front Facing Camera".
- mycall 9y ago
  In a bedroom situation, physically disabling might be a good idea, unless your into those things.
  - cptskippy 9y ago
    I'm kind of disappointed that it has a camera because in the bedroom as an Alarm Clock replacement is the only place I really see such a tiny display as being of value. The camera is a detractor. I understand that Amazon wants to push their calling features but they're really of zero interest to me. Video calling is always a disappointing experience regardless of who is implementing it. The voice calling that only calls other Echo devices or POTS using an unknown number is also of little interest. Personally I send any calls from numbers I don't know to voicemail, and I know many people who do the same. I would much rather have Alexa recognize my voice and use my phone to initiate calls.