In just the last week, Facebook and Google have both announced new smart speakers with video screens. And Amazon is heck-bent on putting Alexa in everything. On the one hand, people seem to want these doohickeys. Research firm Canalys says global smart speaker sales grew 187 percent in the second quarter of this year. On the other hand, an always-on, always-connected listening device in the home really freaks some folks out. Let’s dig into this in Quality Assurance, the segment where we take a deeper look at a big tech story. Molly talks with Tom Merritt, host of the podcast Daily Tech News Show. He says, before you decide whether to worry about smart speakers, you should know what you’re worried about. (10/12/18)
What to worry about when you worry about smart speakers
An assortment of recently launched Amazon devices, including an Echo Input, Echo Show, Echo Plus, Echo Sub, Echo Auto and Fire TV Recast are pictured at the company headquarters in Seattle in September. Stephen Brashear/Getty Images