Smart speakers have become the rage these days and I for the life of me can’t understand why. Unlike smartphones assistants, they are very limited in what they can do. Play music. $349.00 for an Apple HomePod? No thank you. Amazon’s Alexa is priced reasonably but at your privacy’s cost. It is confirmed that the speaker listens to everything that’s going on around it even when it is not part of the conversation. Smart speakers spy on you on behalf of the company that made them.
I love tech and new things. After all, technology was invented to help us get things done. I use it and always advice those around me to adopt and use it to its full potential. Getting things done easily is great, problem is that it gets to a point where you no longer feel human living in the real world. Somethings should be left untouched. Otherwise, the joy of simply doing things is gone.
Digital shopping is great and opened the opportunity for greater things but there is something special about going to the store, looking for the thing you want and buying it. It’s not about the item but the journey. I know that some of you will ask what does a smart speaker have to do with doing things? Exactly! Downloading music has replaced buying CDs already. Don’t take it unnecessary further. You don’t need a spy device that is sending everything you do in exchange for a play my song command that you can do with a remote or simply walking to the device and hit play.
Some would argue that smartphones are the hub for corporate spying but at least with a smartphone your getting a powerful, portable computer that you use and carry with you all the time. What is a smart speaker? A speaker with voice gimmick. You don’t need it. Use the money on something more worthy like a tablet, computer upgrade or simply save the money for something down the line.