"You call it Alexa, not Echo. The box says Echo, but you will never interact with it as such."
Wait, what ?
Never mind the name mismatch - I agree that is odd.
But ... this is quick convenience device for rapid reaction to spoken commands ... and the command is three syllables ?
I understand the need to avoid false positives - waking up and responding to common speech patterns that get used throughout the day that are not directed to the device, but surely you can come up with a two-syllable command that won't generate those.
I have no intention of ever using a device like this in my home, but if I did, 50% more syllables for every interaction would drive me nuts.
There's one benefit to having both Echo/Alexa. When I have guests over and their fascinated by Echo it's much easier to have a conversation about it using the word "Echo" - otherwise they'd trigger Alexa using the wake word every other sentence..
It's also handy when Alexa is accidentally triggered (like one time when I was watching a youtube video). I whisper to my wife "Don't talk Echo is listening!" :)
It seems to be the norm. "Hey Siri" is three syllables. "OK Google" is four. "Hey Cortana" is also four.
I bet they really can't find a 2-syllable word that doesn't false positive all over the place. At least not with either the quality of speech recognition or the wide range of accents that need to be understood.
Wait, what ?
Never mind the name mismatch - I agree that is odd.
But ... this is quick convenience device for rapid reaction to spoken commands ... and the command is three syllables ?
I understand the need to avoid false positives - waking up and responding to common speech patterns that get used throughout the day that are not directed to the device, but surely you can come up with a two-syllable command that won't generate those.
I have no intention of ever using a device like this in my home, but if I did, 50% more syllables for every interaction would drive me nuts.