3 ms·
It wasn't that long ago that it wasn't socially acceptable to have phone conversations in public wearing Bluetooth ear pieces, whereas now we don't think twice
by imiric 3y ago
It wasn't that long ago that it wasn't socially acceptable to have phone conversations in public wearing Bluetooth ear pieces, whereas now we don't think twice about it. A few decades before that, the same thing with portable music players and headphones.
Society adapts quickly to technology, but, as you say, the tech needs to be good first.
I think we've reached that point with voice recognition and AI assistants. It's now a matter of time until someone connects the pieces into a functional and accessible product.
The reason smartphones are not the devices to get us there is because they're not a good fit for this use case. Pulling out a rectangular slab with a huge screen out of your pocket every time you want to interact with a voice assistant is enough of a UX hurdle that most people won't do it, even if it would be socially acceptable. Even if this was in a watch form factor, which we'll surely see as well, just bringing your arm close to your face would get slightly annoying over time.
So a light pebble device you can pin on your shirt or wear as a necklace seems like a good form factor for this. The Limitless Pendant is another recent contender, and seems like a better thought out product compared to the Humane Pin. These devices aim to be unobtrusive, and disappear into the background, yet still remain deeply integrated into our lives. This is what technology is trending towards. I reckon the smartphones of today will seem primitive in a few decades, replaced by seamless VR/AR in glasses and primarily voice-driven wearable tech. We're currently in this transitional period where companies are investing in high-risk products to see what sticks, but eventually someone will launch something that resonates. Just like Apple did for smartphones in 2007.
- mulderc 3y agoWhy wouldn't the device just be your ear buds connected to your phone? I already use siri all the time as I usually have my AirPods in and it works great. That seems like a much more likely device to access our digital assistance than some necklace or pin. Better yet, you could just pair it with your smartwatch and not even need the phone. I'm still deeply skeptical on voice driven tech as we have had that available and easy to use from various devices for over a decade now and it hasn't taken off for tons of reasons. I just am not going to have a conversation with my computer with others around.
- hbn 3y agoI agree. No matter how good LLMs and voice recognition get, having a screen is still the best way of inputting and reading information in many scenarios. If I'm trying to find a restaurant to go to, unless I'm in a real "just decide for me" mood, I want a screen. I can read fast, see pictures of the food, open multiple browser tabs to remember potential options, quickly scroll menus, etc. I don't want a voice slowly reading me out the names of restaurants one-by-one. And that's just finding a restaurant. Imagine using voice input to book a flight. I feel sick just thinking about it.
- imiric 3y agoFor visual content we'll need some kind of screen, of course. But I don't think this will be in the form of a rectangular slab we carry in our pockets, where we use our fingers as input. It's much more likely that it will be in the form of lightweight glasses, and eventually contact lenses, or if we get to that sooner, directly in contact with our visual cortex. It's scary to think about today, but we'll get there eventually. As for input, think about how slow, clunky and imprecise touch typing really is. I'm typing this on my phone right now, and it's still infuriating. And this is after more than 15 years of perfecting this technology. This is just the best it's ever going to get. Voice recognition OTOH, if it gets to a state where it's 100% reliable, understands all our accents and nuances, in all kinds of environments, then it's not difficult to imagine it becoming the primary input method. And in recent years, LLMs have made generational leaps in this area to the point where this can finally be a competent option. You won't need to have a list of restaurants read back to you, or have to have long interactions to book a flight or vacation. This is what the Rabbit device is trying to sell, and they at least have the right idea. The AI will have deep knowledge about you, so that just by saying "book me a restaurant tonight", it will make the right decision for you. At least, that's the idea. I think we'll get there eventually, even if the Rabbit is not the device that does it today.
- vunderba 3y agoTell me how you're going to use voice input in a library, or for that matter any environment where noise is socially frowned upon. Voice input can definitely function as a primary source of input, but you're always going to need a secondary source as a backup.
- runlevel1 3y ago> It wasn't that long ago that it wasn't socially acceptable to have phone conversations in public wearing Bluetooth ear pieces, whereas now we don't think twice about it. When amongst other people? Maybe I'm behind the times, but it's still rather annoying in my mind. And the younger generations don't really seem to talk on the phone much at all anymore. They just text.