 |
|
|
|||||
The only surprise in Amazons reveal of Alexa+ this week was the price. With inflation rampant and many more impactful subscription services to choose from, $20 per month is an absolutely bonkers price for an as-yet unproven AI chatbot. Recall that Alexa has historically not cost anything as long as you've had hardware to run it. The same goes for Google Assistant (and now the basic version of Gemini) as well as Apples Siri. Theyve always been tools to enhance hardware, not the product itself. What's stranger is that $20 per month, which I will reiterate is bonkers, is essentially fake the equivalent of an inflated MSRP. And the reason I know that is because a whole-ass subscription to Prime costs $5 a month less, and includes Alexa+. You can read this one of two ways. Amazon thinks Alexa+ is worth more on its own than the entirety of Prime. Or, the ridiculous pricing is an artificial speedbump to steer people into Amazon's ecosystem while also encouraging them to buy some Echo hardware while theyre at it. Somehow a company accused in the US and Europe of deceptively separating customers from their money hasn't tried this trick yet. In a vacuum, $20 for Alexa+ does line up with some other premium AI services OpenAIs ChatGPT Plus and the Google One Gemini Advanced plan both cost the same. And Amazon is doing something at least a little different by letting a generative AI voice assistant loose on your smart home, just as it did with the original Alexa. And I do find the option to build a library of uploaded documents within Alexa+'s memory intriguing, much as I'd prefer anyone but Amazon be the one storing that info. But despite some potentially useful features, its impossible to recommend spending that kind of money on Alexa+ now, given that Amazon predictably flubbed some demos in its presentation and hardly let any journalists at its event really test it out. I dont think Amazon is expecting a ton of sign-ups at that $20 monthly price. Besides prodding more people to sign up for Prime, this wild price for Alexa+ telegraphs a move to jack up the cost of Prime sooner than later. Its been just over two years since Amazon increased Primes price, so were certainly due for another gouging. Of course, the company will point to Primes increased value over that time, and to be fair you do get a lot your dollar at this point assuming that you want to continue spending more cash at Amazon. And Alexa+, with its built-in ability to make a grocery list and order it through Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods, slots nicely into that framework. Vanilla Alexa's propensity to order regular, non-perishable goods from Amazon sometimes without users intending it will of course carry over. My recommendation? Given the economy, just back the hell away from this entirely. There are plenty of services that are more entertaining or useful for your money. Googles Gemini Advanced plan comes with 2TB of Drive storage and a handful of other perks. Or you could sign up for Xbox Game Pass. Or blow your money on a couple video-streaming services and let the #content wash over you as we slide into the abyss. At least those options arent a portal to handing Amazon more of your hard-earned cash.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/20-a-month-for-an-ai-chatbot-in-this-economy-150021310.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
Microsoft is officially getting rid of Skype as of May 5 and encouraging its users to pick Teams once and for all. In its announcement, the company stated that the move will allow it to "streamline our free consumer communications offerings so we can more easily adapt to customer needs." Microsoft is also far from subtle in its push for Teams and included step-by-step instructions for migrating over. All users need to do is log in with their Skype credentials and their chats and contacts should appear. Teams and Skype users will be able to communicate with each other until the latter shuts down. Microsoft also published an entire YouTube video illustrating how to transition user data. However, anyone who doesn't want to move to Teams can choose to export all of their data and history before May 5. The news is hardly surprising given recent moves such as removing credits and phone numbers from Skype in favor of subscriptions. XDA initially reported the possibility of Skype shutting down, with a Skype for Windows code preview reading, "Starting in May, Skype will no longer be available. Continue your calls and chats in Teams." New users won't be able to access paid Skype features, while current subscribers can use credits and their plan through the end of their renewal period. Skype launched over two decades ago in 2003. Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5 billion in 2011 right around the time myself and everyone I knew was desperately searching for a strong enough Wi-Fi connection in their home to talk with friends (yes, really tough situation here) and before video chats became the norm at work. While Skype doesn't really have much to differentiate it in a world filled with the likes of Zoom, FaceTime and, yes, Teams, it's still hard to say goodbye to a service that provided such excitement and connection. Skype felt like a new era of communication and it will be missed. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/skype-will-take-its-final-curtain-and-video-call-may-5-144256172.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
Meme coins are not securities and, hence, aren't subject to federal laws regulating the financial instruments, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The agency has issued its official stance on meme coins, comparing them to collectibles, since their value is "derived from speculative trading and the collective sentiment of the market." Meme coins do not fit the definition of securities under the law, SEC said, because they do "not generate a yield or convey rights to future income, profits, or assets of a business." People who purchase them are also not considered to be investing in an enterprise, which means they're not "investment contracts" that are classified as securities. As such, people who sell and offer meme coins do not have to register their transactions with the commission under the Securities Act. Buyers are not protected by securities laws as a result, though that doesn't automatically mean that scammers can use them to dupe people without repercussions. Any fraudulent transaction involving meme coins could still be subject to enforcement action under other federal and state laws. The Trump administration's Securities and Exchange Commission has been showing signs of being friendlier towards the cryptocurrency industry ever since he took office. Just within this month, the SEC agreed to end an enforcement case that accused Coinbase of illegally running an unregistered securities exchange. The commission also dropped an investigation into Robinhood, which faced charges of violating securities laws with its crypto listings and sales. Even though the commission will not be regulating meme coins, it says it will still evaluate the "economic realities" of the presumably suspicious transactions they're involved in. Meme coins must be crypto assets "inspired by internet memes, characters, current events, or trends" purchased for "entertainment, social interaction, and cultural purposes" and whose value is "driven primarily by market demand and speculation." They typically have "limited or no use or functionality," the commission wrote, and "experience significant market price volatility." Crypto assets labeled as "meme coins" in an effort to evade regulations will still be considered as securities if they don't fit that definition. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/sec-says-meme-coins-are-not-subject-to-federal-securities-laws-140032772.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||