Would you pay for a better virtual assistant? Amazon seems to think so, with reports of a superior AI-oriented Alexa is coming. Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Eric Bolden, Marty Jencius, Jim Rea, and Web Bixby look at whether this is a good idea, sparking a broader discussion of AI andsmart assistant satisfaction and expectations. They then turn their attention to yet another allegation against Apple by Spotify, and speculate on who might buy them and why.
MacVoices #24183: Live! – Paid Smart Assistants, Kaspersky, and AI Web Scrapping
Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Marty Jencius, Jim Rea, Web Bixby, Jeff Gamet, Eric Bolden, and Mark Fuccio take a MacVoices Live! look at Amazon’s potential plan to charge for its AI assistant, Alexa, and its implications. The discussion also touches on the US ban on Kaspersky software due to security concerns, lack of transparency, and AI companies scraping websites despite privacy settings. The importance of ethical considerations in AI development and the challenges faced in the evolving landscape of technology are fodder for both positive and negative viewpoints.
MacVoices #23262: MacVoices Live! – Spotify and Audiobooks; Samsung and Texts (3)
This MacVoices Live! session concludes with a discussion of Spotify's new audiobook library and Samsung's pursuit of blue bubbles in messaging. The appeal and limitations of Spotify's 15-hour monthly allowance for audiobooks is debated as is Spotify's plan to use AI...
MacVoices #23255: MacVoices Live! – Everyone Blames Everyone Else (2)
The discussion of other tech companies blaming Apple continues as Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Jim Rea, Eric Bolden, Web Bixby, Mark Fuccio, and Ben Roethig look at Apple's pricing structure and its impact on developers, focusing on the 15%...
MacVoices #23239: MacVoices Live! – Spotify Charges For Lyrics, The USB-C Transition (Part 2)
Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Jim Rea, Web Bixby, Eric Bolden, and Ben Roethig shift to a new topic on MacVoices Live!, examining Spotify's decision to put song lyrics behind a paywall weighing the pros and cons. We also delve into Apple's challenges, including...
Older Episodes
MacVoices #23203: MacVoices Live! – Prime Day Purchases and Adoption of Threads (1)
The MacVoices Live! panel of Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Ben Roethig, Jeff Gamet, and Web Bixby went shopping on Amazon Prime Day (who didn’t), and reveal their purchases both tech and non-tech. That led to some discussion of hardware choices past and present, and...
MacVoices #22259: MacVoices Live! – Holiday Party and Most Important Apps (1)
What started as an informal virtual holiday get-together evolved into an enthusiastic discussion of the most important apps used by our panel members. Along the way, we covered the anniversary of Apple’s purchase of NeXT, two business books that are dated but provide...
MacVoices #22248: MacVoices Live! – Voice Assistant Expectations and FCC ISP Guidelines (2)
Chuck Joiner, Eric Bolden, David Ginsburg, Jim Rea, Mark Fuccio, Web Bixby, and Jeff Gamet finish off an intense discussion of Alexa, Siri, and our expectations for voice assistant performance. The MacVoices Live! panel also touches on some new ISP regulations that...
MacVoices #22247: MacVoices Live! – Amazon’s Alexa Loses Millions (1)
The MacVoices panel of Chuck Joiner, Eric Bolden, David Ginsburg, Jim Rea, Mark Fuccio, Web Bixby, and Jeff Gamet start the session by examining a report on the failure, and cost, of Amazon’s Alexa. The discussion evolves into an intense examination of voice...
MacVoices #22177: MacVoices Live! – More Revolutionary Products, An iPad to the Moon, Apple Ad Revenue (2)
Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Mark Fuccio, Warren Sklar, Jeff Gamet, Jim Rea, and Guy Serle continue a MacVoices Live! discussion of revolutionary products before turning their attention to the unusual reason an iPad is being sent to the Moon and what it says about...
MacVoices #22041: MacVoices Live! – Super Bowl Tech Ads, QR Code Security (1)
The MacVoices Live! panel of David Ginsburg, Guy Serle, Andrew Orr, Jim Rea, and Kelly Guimont takes a look at the Super Bowl ads that had a tech bent, especially the crypto and Amazon Alexa ads. Were they effective? One of them took down the company’s server, and one...
MacVoices #22035: MacVoices Live! – Spotify/Joe Rogan and Owning vs. Renting Media (3)
The MacVoices Live! panel of David Ginsburg, Jim Rea,, Jeff Gamet, and Brittany Smith wrap up a discussion of who’s right and wrong (if anyone) in the Spotify/Joe Rogan controversy. Then, quite by accident, the group covers whether we are buying, or just renting, or...
MacVoices #22004: MacVoices Live! Expectations and Desires for 2022 – HomePod and Smart Assistants (3)
The extended Siri discussion wraps up with a comparison to a very old (and fondly remembered) program. The next set of expectations and desires included why Apple needs to focus on a HomePod ecosystem or whether the existing iPhone/app is adequate, and how it has one...
MacVoices #21128: MacVoices Live! – How Many Apps Do You Really Use On Your iPad? (2)
Our Amazon Prime Day conversation wraps up and then the MacVoices Live! panel of David Ginsburg, Jeff Gamet, Frank Petrie, Jim Rea, Warren Sklar, Jay Miller, and Kelly Guimont discuss finding out how many apps you really use on your iPad. All those pages and pages of...
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