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UOFMTIGER'S DEN

Arlo Security Camera Review

6/25/2016

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Netgear’s Arlo Security Cameras are convenient, work well, and can be put just about anywhere.  There are numerous advantages to this setup, but there are a few disadvantages as well, so I though I would finally write a review about this camera system.

Go Wireless

In August 2015, I decided to buy some cameras that I could put outside.  I mainly wanted to add a camera to the front porch, but I also wanted more coverage in the backyard near our shed.  The wireless, “weatherproof” construction (14° to 122° F (-10° C to 50° C)) is ideal for outdoor use.   In fact, in the last year the cameras have held up like a champ.  ​

Note:  I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.

Batteries

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The downside to any wireless gear is that they require batteries.  Depending on how you set up your cameras, batteries may need to be changed out often or not very often at all.  It really just depends on how  much recording they actually perform.  The app, which I will discuss later, has settings that make it easy to set how sensitive to motion the cameras are and how long they record after detecting motion.  Because of the location of my cameras, I have gotten an average of around 5 months of battery power per camera.   Keep in mind that they  cameras takes 4 batteries, so I essentially change out 4 batteries at a time.  The batteries I buy cost less than $17 for 10 batteries.

Wired ​

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I just got the opportunity to review thewired (needs to be plugged into an outlet, but still uses wifi for easy placement) Arlo Q camera.  I already had 5 wireless Arlo cameras and I was taking advantage of the free plan that offers 7 days of video coverage.  When I added the 6th camera, I went over their free plan limit, so I opted for their $99 coverage for a year.  (See USA pricing tiers below)

The Arlo Q camera also has a plan for recording around the clock footage.  Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to record to a storage device/NAS on your home network, so I couldn’t go this route.  The problem is that my Comcast internet account is capped at 300GB, so I would easily go over that cap with CVR (Constant Video Recording).  

It makes some sense that the cameras store footage in the cloud.  If you store recordings on a home network, the storage device could be stolen and you would be left without any footage of what happened.   Of course, a criminal could cut the cable line before entering, so that is an issue with cloud only storage (though you could put a camera near your cable entry point), so there are downsides with either approach.  I wish there was a way to make that decision myself and have separate options available.  Record continuously to a NAS and only motion to the cloud would be ideal or record to both places simultaneously. ​
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The Arlo Qs will allow you to capture audio via the built in mic or you can send audio through the device's speaker while on the road.  In addition to recording when it senses motion, you can also set it up to record audio and motion when it “hears” something.  We probably won’t set it up to record when it hears audio on a daily basis, but it may be something to turn on when we are out of town.  Since we have dogs, I wouldn’t want to have it send me a motion alert every time my dogs bark during the day.   I guess I could use the speaker to talk to the dogs when I am not home, but I don’t expect that I will use that very often, either.

When I tested the camera using the audio sensor, it did work, but I noticed that the audio and video that were recorded weren’t in sync.  Probably won’t matter if you are listening in on criminals that have broken into your home, but I would stick with FaceTime or Skype if I just wanted to video chat with someone in my living room.  The speaker that you can access via the Arlo app works great, too.

Note:  I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.

Privacy

As you know, anything on a network or in the Cloud has the possibility of being hacked.  NetGear has addressed some of those concerns (see below).

However, despite this layer of security, I still don’t want security cameras in areas that I wouldn’t want seen by the public.  For example, if I wanted to keep my bedroom secure, I might put a camera outside the window and in the hallway.  This is just my own preference, but others will have to decide how comfortable they are with cameras showing their private areas (no pun intended).
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The Setup

The initial setup is a breeze and adding more cameras is also a breeze.   You just need to download the app then it walks you through the process.  You also need to setup an account, but NetGear has made the whole setup process easy.  

Below is a video related to setting up the wireless Arlos.  ( I am not associated with the video, but it details the entire process).  The Arlo Q is even easier to setup because it does not use the base station.

The App

The app has numerous options for setting up everything.   My preference is for different “modes”.  For example, I have a “Night” mode that I use when I get home from work.  It essentially leaves every camera on, with the exception of the living room (which is where I spend most of my time).  I have an “All Motion On” mode that turns every camera on (including the living room).   I have a "Front only" mode for when we have people over in the summer and we will be in and out of the backyard.  Of course, the app has a live button so that you can see what is going on with any area the cameras cover at any time.
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Each mode has individual settings that let you decide how each camera will notify you of motion ( Email/ Notification) and how sensitive each camera will be to motion.  They also let you decide how long you want to record motion.  For the wireless cameras you can record up to 120s.
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One thing that disappointed me was that the Arlo Q counted as my sixth camera, but it cannot be grouped with the wireless Arlo cameras.  This means you will need separate modes and settings for wired and wireless Arlos.  ​
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Since I am usually the last person to leave the house and the first to arrive, I setup my Arlo Q with "geofencing".  This essentially uses your Smartphone's location service to determine if you are home or away and can turn on or off the cameras automatically using this information.  I have read that leaving this feature on with the wireless Arlo cameras will eat through batteries a lot faster than normal, but I haven't tried it.  It is the best reason to get the Arlo Q cameras for placement in areas that have a power outlet.

The app will also allow you to schedule times that the cameras turn on and off.  My schedule isn't consistent enough from day to day to be able to use the feature, but it might come in handy for some people.

One thing I really like about the app is the fact that it has the option to use TouchID.  This is more secure than just telling it to remember the password and much more convenient than typing in the password each time I check my cameras.  ​
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IFTT - Automation

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​Of course, the Arlo app has numerous features, but IF ( "if this then that" automation app) takes everything to another level and gives you even more options.  

For example, if you have Hue bulbs, you can have them blink rapidly or come on when a camera senses motion.  I like to listen to headphones in my office, so I have my office lights blink when the cameras on the porch sense motion.  You can also have it turn on a Wemo switch when a camera senses motion, so you can use the feature even if you don't want to spend a lot of money on Hue lights.

Another cool feature is where you can set one camera to record when another camera senses motion.  One of the issues with the cameras is that they sense motion faster when they are setup perpendicular to the pathway.  My porch placement wasn't ideal, so I was often capturing motion too late and only seeing people walk away.  

By putting another (A) camera in the pathway outside the porch and then telling the (B) porch camera to start recording when (A) camera sensed motion, it is now much better at recording people approaching the porch.

There are Alexa controls, sprinkler controls, and more in the IF app.  I expect the list to grow as more connected devices are added.

Some of my complaints

​As I mentioned, I would like the option to pick where I store recordings.  The fact that we are required to use NetGear servers makes me worry about what would happen if NetGear ever discontinues the service or goes out of business.  I have some ordinary IP cameras and they aren't tied to a service, so I can record to a drive and have that drive backed up via Crashplan to the web.  This means I can have years of archives if I want.  For me, this is the number one issue with these cameras and makes it hard to recommend them without any reservations.

My second issue is how the wireless Arlos sense motion.  It often starts recording too late if they aren't in the ideal location.  The other issue is that the wireless Arlo can't sense motion through windows like my IP cameras. They use small changes in heat to record, so insulated windows  make that impossible.   The wired Arlo Q uses changes in video frames to sense motion, but I still had issues recording through glass.  I have read that it works if you put it right up against the window and you do not have night vision enabled, but that would defeat the ability to record at night, which I don't want to give up.   Also, we have double windows, which may make it harder to capture motion.  

Another small issue is the notifications aren't very informative compared to other options.  My IP camera app has the option to send a photo to my watch with frames that are captured.  This gives me the option to take a quick look at the notification, see that it is just a FedEx delivery, and go back to what I was doing.  The Arlo notification tells you that there is motion on a camera, but you have to open the app to see what is happening.  If it is currently recording, you have to go to the live camera, wait for it to start running, and then see what is happening.  If the action is over, you need to wait for video to stop recording, then look at the video to see what set it off.  Not ideal compared to a free IP camera app I use for my old cameras.  Though, my IP app doesn't record video, it simply takes a bunch of photos, so it has its own set of issues.

The Wrap Up

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​The Arlo wireless cameras are small, weatherproof cameras with great picture quality that can be put pretty much anywhere.  The Arlo Q has even better picture quality and can be put anywhere with a power plug.  The cameras are extremely versatile and their ability to work with IFTT automation makes them even better.  

Personally, I plan to add a few more cameras, but I still can't recommend them without reservations due to the requirement of using only Netgear's servers for all recordings.  However, for my own use, that downside isn't enough to deter me from using them on my property.  

Upsides:
Easy setup 
Wireless option means they can be put anywhere
Full featured app
Wired Arlos can be controlled from the same app
If This Then That automation
Great picture quality
Free limited cloud storage up to 5 cameras 
Geofencing option

Downsides
NetGear cloud is only storage option
Wireless Arlos can't sense motion through glass
Battery costs for wireless cameras
Monthly charge for going over 6 cameras 
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My thoughts on Apple's recent announcements

6/17/2016

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I thought I would give some of my thoughts on Apple's recent announcements at WWDC.  I am excited to see several of the new additions, but below are the top new features that I am interested in:

1.  Apple Music

It looks like they changed the Apple Music app quite a bit.  I was plenty happy with the old version and thought it needed some enhancements (options for multiple Airplay speakers, better album/artist review, and improved matching of albums).  However, this looks like more of a surface level update that has large text all over the place to tell you where you are.  This must be the answer for people that couldn't understand when they mixed playlists in with albums?  In fairness, many bloggers talked about how hard it was to navigate, so hopefully the huge text saying "Monday's Playlists" will make it easier for them to figure out where they are now and what day of the week it is.  

They changed the landing page to the "Library" page.  I prefer it to land on "For You" like we do now.  I don't have to subscribe to Apple Music if I just want to listen to my library.  For me, the service is more about having access to new "to me" music.   

I am happy to see lyrics, the discovery mix that was picked "just for me", and a daily curated playlist.    They also now have "Browse" instead of "New".  As I have mentioned in the past, I like "New" because of the "Mastered for iTunes" albums they often included on that page.  I am afraid that section is now gone for ever.   

In any event, I am looking forward to trying this out and as long as they don't screw up the For You suggestions and Siri too much, I will continue to use the service.
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2. Apple Watch

Of all the announcements, the Apple Watch announcement was the most exciting.  The ability to "keep favorite apps in memory with background updates" is a game changer.  They are saying that "favorite apps" will load about 7 times faster, so if it takes less than 14 seconds to load, it will now take less than 2 seconds.   

The new "scribble" feature will allow you to type by using your finger to draw every letter.  They also have new watch faces.  The one I am most excited about is getting the ability to add "complications" on my own photos/faces.  I occasionally want to put a Memphis Grizzlies face on my watch when my team is playing, but I lose Carrot Weather in the process.  This will make it much more likely that I will use my own watch face.  

The one thing they didn't discuss in much detail is exactly what "Speaker Audio" might bring to the Apple Watch.   They specifically mentioned that "audio and video can be embedded right inside your app UI".   I am hoping this means that we will soon be able to play podcasts through the speaker on the watch.  
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3. AppleTV

leThey added Sling to the AppleTV, but that is not what I am excited about.  I am happy to see a new Remote app.  The new Remote app will have all of the features of the Siri Remote.  This means that the gyroscope and accelerometer will be able to be used in games.  For my large hands, the little Siri remote was difficult to control for racing games, but with the much larger iPhone 6s Plus, I will have much better control than I had in the past.   I am hoping that third parties, like Simple Control app, will have the ability to control Siri on the AppleTV in the near future.

Another awesome feature is "Single sign in".  This means you sign in once instead of signing into every app individually.  Much more convenient.   It will also automatically load compatible apps on the AppleTV when you download them on iOS.

4. macOS

Instead of needing a password, the Mac will now automatically sign in when you are wearing an Apple Watch ("Auto unlock").  Siri is also now added to the Mac (about time)!  

Universal Clipboard looks pretty awesome.  It will allow you to copy from iOS and paste to the Mac.  I am sure this will require newer Macs, so my 2011 Macs probably won't have this ability, but it is pretty cool to be able to copy images, for example, from the iPhone to the Mac. 

Optimized storage seems to be a cloud solution that helps you get more local space on your Mac.  This seems like it will make a lot of people go over their current iCloud plans, so I wonder how many people will ever use it.  

You can now buy stuff on the web with ApplePay on the Mac and you can authenticate with an iPhone or Apple Watch.   Pretty cool and it may help other vendors compete with the convenience of Amazon without giving up security to more retailers.  Another cool feature is the picture in picture that looks similar to what we already have in iOS.

5. iOS 10

They have redesigned the lock screen.   They now make the lock screen available by just lifting the phone.  Now you can see a lot more information without ever logging into your iPhone.  Do we really want this?  I am not sure I want to have the ability to respond to messages without ever logging into the phone.  In other words, I am sure they will make it easy to select which apps you want to use with this feature, but personally I use TouchID so that my phone is secure when I am not around.  

They have added new, much more useful ways to use 3D Touch.  They have also opened up Siri to developers for messaging, ride booking, photo search, workouts, payments, and VoIP Calling.

There are big updates to Photos.  I realize that some of the features are similar to what is already available in Google Photos, like being able to detect other objects in the photo, but for me it is best to have this in Apple's app because of privacy reasons and the ability to get quick access to the photos right in the Photos app on the Mac.  

Some people are skeptical about how good Apple will be at this "detection" process, but then again, I haven't had that much luck with Google Photos, especially with the fact that it thinks my dogs are cats about half the time.  I could excuse them for my pup that has larger than normal ears that stand up, but it also thinks a cocker spaniel with sagging ears is a cat.  Not to mention that it thinks my parents Pomeranian is a bear.  There is actually one incident where it thinks my dog photo is a flower...yes, folks, this is the much raved about benchmark by which Apple will be judged.  If this is what "Big Data" gets you, bring on Apple's "Deep Learning" via on device, privacy protected, artificial intelligence.

There are also big updates to the News app, navigation, messaging, home kit, etc.  

To Wrap Up

As usual, lots of new features in the next operating system updates.  I am mostly looking forward to the Apple Watch updates and the Apple Music update, but I think all of the updates should enhance the experience for a lot of people in Apple's ecosystem.  

As a side note, Apple has essentially doubled down on privacy and security, so I will be anxious to read more about "Differential Privacy" which is their way of keeping individual user information private while still being able to use data analytics to deliver a better user experience.   This is huge departure from what Facebook and Google are doing right now, so I think it will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few years.  As I have mentioned before, I prefer Apple's approach, so we will just have to wait and see if there is a huge price to be paid by those that care about their privacy.
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Amazon Echo Dot Does Music!!

6/8/2016

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Now that I have had the Amazon Echo Dot for a week or so, I have found the many music features to be very useful.  I have a mix of different devices, so I thought I would discuss the many ways to use this gem for music.

Note:  I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
​

I made a video to demonstrate some of the features:

Amazon Dot Physical Features

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The Echo Dot is nothing if it isn’t versatile.   Of course, it has its own speaker, which comes in handy if you want to move the little fella around the house (which is easy since you can power it from any micro-usb cable and it will automatically connect to the network when it is plugged back in).  Its onboard speaker is perfectly adequate for background music or for reading books to you when placed on a bedside table.   The volume can be increased or decreased via voice commands or by turning the top of the Dot.

While the internal speaker is convenient, the real magic is when you connect it to a speaker or stereo via the aux output.  I have a Phillips SoundRing in our kitchen for Airplay audio.  The SoundRing also has an Aux input, so I connected it to the Dot via the audio cable that Amazon provided and the sound was better and more space filling than just using the onboard speaker.   I could see this being used with a Tivoli Pal, the stereo in an office, etc.   

Bluetooth Streamer

The Dot can send audio via Bluetooth and receive audio via Bluetooth.  Although, it can’t send and receive at the same time.  In other words, you can’t send it audio from an iPhone and also send audio to a Bluetooth receiver.   This is a slight weakness, but I am not sure if it is even possible with current tech.  

The Bluetooth sending capabilities are very nice to have, though.  In my case, I have a vintage Marantz stereo in my living room that gets very little use.  However, I have a ClipR bluetooth receiver laying around and hooked it up to my stereo.  I also have a Belkin Bluetooth receiver that I planned on using, but it requires a password, so the Echo will not pair with it.

I paired the Dot to the ClipR and it sent music that was playing in my kitchen to the living room Marantz receiver over Bluetooth.  From my experience, I was only able to send audio to one device at a time, so when I sent audio to the ClipR, music stopped playing through the aux output.  Still, this is pretty awesome if you have a setup like mine or if you have a pair of Bluetooth headphones.
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Bluetooth Receiver

The other major benefit is that it will pair with an iPhone or an Android device.  There are many services not supported by the Echo, so if you wanted to listen to Apple Music/Tidal, you would normally have to listen to it on your smartphone.  However, by pairing your phone to the Echo, you can just send the audio to the Echo and it will send the audio out via the aux input to whatever you have it connected to. 

In some ways, especially in the kitchen, when your hands are often full and you aren't critically listening for sound quality, Bluetooth is better than Airplay.  If you have paired with the Dot at some point in the past and have something playing on your phone, you can just tell Alexa “Pair with iPhone” and audio will automatically go to the Dot’s connected speaker.  You can also un-pair the iPhone via voice, so it is hands free.  I did run into issues trying to use it with more than one iOS device, though.  It seems to think anything connected to it is an iPhone.  In other words, I had to forget the Echo on my iPhone to pair it with the Apple Watch or AppleTV.  Not a big deal for me since I don't have multiple family members trying to use it this way, but it might be an issue for some.

In any event, its many features are pretty awesome for casual audio.

Services

Out of the box, the Echo comes with easy setup for Pandora, Amazon Prime, Tune in, iHeartRadio, and access to the Premium Spotify service.  You simply pair your accounts via the Alexa app.

For example, If you are going to scramble some eggs and then go watch TV, it is so convenient just to say “Alexa, play me some jazz” or “Alexa, play Frank Sinatra radio on Pandora" and have music in the background while you are prepping your meal.  You just say “Alexa, stop” or “Alexa, pause” when you are walking to your living room/Den.

I don’t use Premium Spotify anymore because I prefer Apple Music on iOS, so I can’t say how well that works, but I would imagine it would be very convenient for Spotify subscribers.   

I did use iHeartMusic to play podcasts and I used Pandora to play my stations and it works great.  
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Amazon Prime

The Amazon Prime Music service doesn’t have the huge Apple Music library that I am accustomed to, but it is great to have in a pinch.  You can also load up your music (although I have found that to be a time consuming headache, so far).  The service doesn’t like my nested folders and it doesn’t like a lot of my Apple Lossless files.  I have managed to get about 8,815 of my 25,000 files loaded, but it is no where near as easy to load as the overly-criticized iTunes Match (which was a set it and forget it process).

It should be mentioned that Amazon Prime has about 1 million songs that you can play.  The service is ad free and has unlimited skips.  It is great for just saying, "Alexa, play me some Classic Rock" or "Alexa, play me some jazz".   It does require an Amazon Prime account, but it is icing on the cake for those of us that use Prime for shipping.

In any event, the Prime Music service is pretty awesome considering that it offers advantages over ad based freemium services and monthly paid services.

For Audio Tech Geeks Only 

I have a full review of using the Dot with J River Media Center.  However, in short, the feature is AWESOME! 

J River Media Center, which I bought years ago for my PC (I have it running on the Windows 10 partition of my iMac via VMWare Fusion, but there is a J River option for the Mac), is an alternative to iTunes for managing your own media collection.  It has more features and is much more flexible than iTunes.  But to be honest, I have mainly been using iTunes because it is part of the Apple ecosystem (Home Sharing).  However, since getting the Dot, I have been using J River a lot more since I  discovered that it has an Alexa “skill".  (Note:  A “skill" is simply an add-on for the Echo that makes it work with many different services.  Skills can be easily added right from the Alexa app.)

As I mentioned in the longer review of J River, I often use it in conjunction with Airfoil.  Airfoil is an app that can send audio to any combination of Airplay receivers or even Bluetooth receivers.  One of the ways I use it is by setting up Airfoil to send audio to my AppleTV.  

Note:  Newer Macs will let you chose an Airplay device to send native audio, so if you just have one Airplay speaker, you might not need Airfoil.

Assuming my computer and AppleTV are on, I just tell Alexa to “Launch House Band” and she will ask what I want to play from my collection, I tell her the album or artist and it plays over my Apple TV.

So, I know in my original article that I didn’t say how I turn on the AppleTV, my receiver, etc. without getting out a remote.  Well, I have an iOS app called SimpleControl (it was once called Roomie Remote and I have reviewed it in the past) and it can actually be paired to work in limited ways via the Dot.  I just tell Alexa “tell Simple Control to launch AppleTV” and the macro that launches the whole process takes place.  

It is probably the easiest way to listen to your music collection, but I already owned all the components (J River, Airfoil 5, SimpleControl app, and Airplay receivers) to get started.  It can get a bit pricey to add all that stuff from scratch, but it might be worth it to those wanting voice automation for their home audio collections.

As a side note, if I am in a separate room from Alexa, but want to use the JRiver features, I use the ~$5 Lexi app.  It is an iPhone app that works like an Echo.
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The Wrap Up

The Amazon Echo Dot makes music easy to access and it does it in many different ways.   My favorite is the J River Media Center feature because I wasn't expecting it to work that way, but all of the features are useful.  For any music fan, I think the Dot is a no-brainer because it offers so much more than a conventional Bluetooth receiving device and only cost ~$90.  I would probably buy a couple more, but I am waiting to see if Apple bring to market something similar since it would most likely have better integration to my music via Apple Music and Airplay.  However, the great thing about the Dot is that it is so versatile and small that I can always find a place and use for it.  
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Apple is doomed! If....

6/5/2016

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First let me say that I am a fan of Marco Arment and I listen to ATP on his app Overcast nearly every week.  However, he has an often referenced post that has lead to panic by many in Apple forums.  (Note:  I am not just talking about trolls that have nothing better to do than hang out at Apple forums and proclaim Apple is doomed with each rumor or product release)

Sometimes the panic is so high that it reminds me of that guy on the street corner with the sign proclaiming  "THE WORLD IS ENDING!!"

The title of the article is:  If Google’s right about AI, that’s a problem for Apple
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The premise of his article is that Apple could suffer the same fate as Blackberry because they don't collect people's data and, in turn, can't use that data for artificial intelligence. Here are a couple excerpts from the article:

"But if Google’s right, there’s no quick fix. It won’t be enough to buy Siri’s creators again or partner with Yelp for another few years. If Apple needs strong AI and big-data services in the next decade to remain competitive, they need to have already been developing that talent and those assets, in-house, extensively, for years. They need to be a big-data-services company. Their big-data AI services need to be far better, smarter, and more reliable than they are.And I just don’t see that happening. Becoming a major big-data AI services company doesn’t happen completely in secret and suddenly get released to the world, completed, in a keynote. It’s a massive undertaking, spanning many years, many people, and a lot of noticeable interaction with the world. It’s easier to conceal the development of an entire car than a major presence in AI and services."

There are a lot of disclaimers about "if Google is right or Google is wrong", so he is just pointing out that if gathering tons of your data becomes necessary to keep customers, then Apple is too far behind to catch up. Duh! If people simply decide to stop buying anything iOS, the that would be bad for Apple, too.

If Google is Wrong

Look, it is hard to talk about the ramifications of giving up all of your information to a private company without getting political (which I have avoided like the plague on this site). So I will just say that if the government exploits this kind of data and possible overreach happens to people/institutions, that the media cares about, the concern over personal privacy could turn on a dime. All it takes is one big story that is covered non-stop by the big networks and Google's data collection practices might get a second look by consumers.

Personally, I think this is as probable as people flocking in mass from a service that respects their privacy  to a service that wants to  put a three thousand pound parrot on their shoulder that watches their every move twenty four hours a day.

​ Below is a video of the type of thing that many people currently shrug off that could be very damaging to Google's brand in a different political environment:

If Apple is Wrong

Apple is not done with Siri. There are articles about VocalIQ making Siri a lot better. Also, there are rumors that Siri will be opened to third parties soon. I don't know anyone that thinks Apple is finished fine tuning and improving Siri.

However, if people decide that they need features that can only be obtained by giving away all their privacy, then Apple will fall behind, assuming that the rest of the features Apple offers aren't more important than these specific AI features.

No two ways around it,Apple has been harping on the fact that they don't want your personal data and are willing to work around it to accomplish their goals:
"Our business model is very straightforward: We sell great products  We don’t build a profile based on your email content or web browsing habits to sell to advertisers. We don’t “monetize” the information you store on your iPhone or in iCloud. And we don’t read your email or your messages to get information to market to you. Our software and services are designed to make our devices better. Plain and simple."

My Opinion

One thing that is often discounted by tech bloggers is Apple's ecosystem. When you buy Apple products, you aren't always just buying an iPhone. You are buying an entire ecosystem that works together and Apple has been making huge strides in making things more cohesive. Picking up calls on your Mac, iPad or iPhone, seeing your messages on all their products, using the hand off features that allow you to put down your phone and pick up where you left off on another device using Safari, mail, calendar, etc. The list goes on and on.
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I have been using the iPhone since the 3Gs came along. I wanted a phablet phone like Samsung offered for over a year, but I waited it out for one reason...Apple's ecosystem. The ability to use so many apps on the iPad or iPhone and not needing to repurchase all of them (many aren"t even available) on Android was a huge factor. Airplay is another factor because there is nothing similar to it on Android (I havecompared Casting to Airplay in an older post, but Airplay is simply more versatile on iOS than Casting is on any platform).

In other words, I, like many others, would need a very compelling reason to leave Apple at this point. I am not saying that Google won't come up with that very compelling reason, but nothing I have seen so far makes that move worth it. Trust me, I am quite aware that there are useful features on Android phones that we are missing on iOS (some are waterproof, widgets, customization, etc). However, it just isn't compelling enough to leave the at this point.

The question is how much giving up privacy in exchange for AI would change current lifestyles? Personally, I just don't think it can provide a drastic change. Let's say I searched for Phillips Hue lights on Google this morning. They now have that information. What can they do to make my life easier? Maybe suggest a cheap place to buy it? Can't they do that from the search engine?

Let's say that I was texting with my girlfriend about eating streak for dinner, do I really need them to butt into our conversation (which I believe could get really annoying) and ask if we want to make reservations at a restaurant between where I am and where she is?  I don't think it would help because both of us are heading home after work and we are more likely to eat at a place near home.  Maybe it knows that and suggests a place near our home? Guess what, I already know the places around the house and most of them don't take reservations.  Then what? In other words, what are they learning about me that helps make my life so much easier that I am willing to throw away the Apple Ecosystem and my privacy?

It is an interesting subject for sure. At the end of the day, I am simply more comfortable with the way Apple does things right now. I am not saying Google is bad, but it just makes me feel slightly less comfortable, so I will stick with iOS until a huge change takes place ( something of the magnitude that had me switch to the iPhone from the Palm Treo). I am betting that it won't happen, but you never know...Google could be right!   Of course, monkees could fly...
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HiFiMAN HE-350/Massdrop

6/1/2016

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As you may know, I am somewhat of a headphone fanatic.  However, I wasn't really in the market for a new set of headphones until I saw the $99, Massdrop HiFiMan 350 deal.  

​For those that don't now, HiFiMAN headphones are very well reviewed and they typically sell for ~$250 and above.  When I saw this deal, I jumped on board.   Massdrop has a lot of other specials for audiophiles, people that like mechanical keyboards, and much more.  This is my first purchase from them, but I am sure it won't be the last.  The only downside is that I have read reports that the headphones probably won' be available until August, but I am willing to wait.
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Below is a look at some of my current headphones.  As I said, I don't really need a new set of headphones, but the deal on these was just to good to turn down. 
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    About me:

    Dog loving, Big Green Egg worshiping, Tech enthusiast, residing in Memphis, TN.  Home of the Tigers, Grizzlies, Elvis, Al Green, Stax, Hi Records, Ardent Studios, Beale Street, Peabody Ducks, etc..  I have also added the Jeep Wrangler to the list of things I am enthusiastic about.

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