That is what I suspect. I was an early adopter of the less expensive Show 5
because I thought I would find more to do with it. Now that I have the very
accessible Toshiba fire TV I am replacing the show 5 with another Dot third gen
today.
Merv
From: blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of David Goldfield
Sent: Sunday, September 29, 2019 12:51 AM
To: blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-philly-comp] Re: "Alexa, what am I holding?"
Merv,
This is disappointing that the show and tell feature isn't supported on the
Show 5. Could it be that the Show 5's camera isn't powerful enough to produce
accurate results? I haven't compared camera specs on the Show 5 compared to the
10-inch units so this is a shot in the dark.
David Goldfield, Assistive Technology Specialist WWW.DavidGoldfield.org
<http://WWW.DavidGoldfield.org>
On 9/24/2019 8:45 PM, Merv Keck wrote:
David,
This has been discussed over on the support group for the amazon family of Echo
devices but I feel compelled to voice my disappointment here. The Show5, the
smaller and least expensive, and most recent edition, of the family of Echo
show devices is not included in the devices that support this feature. I was
very disappointed to find out that for $90 my show 5 was not included in this
new feature. I had purchased the show 5 even though I don’t have a ring
doorbell hoping that I would be able to use it for more than just voice control
of Prime videos and a few other mundane skills. In fact, the show 5 has
inferior microphone compared to even the third generation dot which is half the
price but does not have a camera.
I’m now considering replacing the Show with a third gen dot. Especially since
the Toshiba fire TV does Prime so well.
Merv
From: blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<mailto:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of David Goldfield
Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2019 5:03 PM
To: blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-philly-comp] "Alexa, what am I holding?"
https://blog.aboutamazon.com/devices/alexa-what-am-i-holding
"Alexa, what am I holding?"
Show and Tell is an Alexa feature designed to help blind and low vision
customers identify grocery items.
Click for a version of the video with audio descriptions.
<https://youtu.be/iiIrazXKk9M>
After losing her sight suddenly at age 41, Stacie Grijalva faced a new reality,
one that inspired a new mission. A mechanical engineer by background, Grijalva
was committed to exploring how assistive technology could make life a little
easier for the blind and visually impaired, and sharing that information with
others. “My job is to help people with visual impairments see how technology
can affect people’s lives and make them feel better about what they do on a
day-to-day basis.”
Alexa-enabled devices are already a big help around the house for Grijalva,
from changing the channel on her Fire TV to using her voice to turn off lights
and appliances. Now, an Echo Show
<https://www.amazon.com/All-new-Echo-Show-2nd-Gen/dp/B077SXWSRP/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=echo+show&qid=1568303198&s=gateway&sr=8-3>
feature makes it easier to identify household pantry items.
With Show and Tell, blind and low vision customers can hold up an item to the
Echo Show camera and ask, “Alexa, what am I holding,” and Alexa helps identify
the item through advanced computer vision and machine learning technologies for
object recognition.
“It’s a tremendous help and a huge time saver because the Echo Show just sits
on my counter, and I don’t have to go and find another tool or person to help
me identify something. I can do it on my own by just asking Alexa,” Grijalva
said.
Amazon believes in starting from the customer and working backwards, a
philosophy also applied to inventing and using our technology resources for
good. That means paying attention to what all of our customers are telling us.
“The whole idea for Show and Tell came about from feedback from blind and low
vision customers,” said Sarah Caplener, head of Amazon’s Alexa for Everyone
team. “We heard that product identification can be a challenge and something
customers wanted Alexa’s help with. Whether a customer is sorting through a bag
of groceries, or trying to determine what item was left out on the counter, we
want to make those moments simpler by helping identify these items and giving
customers the information they need in that moment.”
From early research and exploration through product development and testing,
Caplener’s team collaborated with the Vista Center for the Blind and Visually
Impaired <https://www.vistacenter.org/> in Santa Cruz, California, where
Grijalva is the assistive technology manager. For Show and Tell, Grijalva
enlisted other blind and low vision customers for user studies, providing
feedback to the Alexa for Everyone team. “By working together, we create an
amazing product for everyone,” said Grijalva.
Vista Center community member Brett Fowler lost his vision at age 10. The
stay-at-home dad loves to cook, but he has trouble identifying things like
spices. Fowler says the Show and Tell feature on the Echo Show is a game
changer. “All of these devices that are acting as your eyes, it’s
revolutionary. For me, the less stress I have to put on somebody else is less
stress on me. And it makes me feel good.”
The Alexa for Everyone team also collaborated closely with blind Amazonians,
including principal accessibility researcher, Josh Miele. His decades of
experience designing and evaluating the effectiveness of products for people
with visual disabilities provided valuable insight into product and research
design. “I get to help create products like Show and Tell, make our Fire
tablets and TVs accessible and delightful, and constantly help to imagine new
ways for our products and services to improve the lives of our customers,
including those with disabilities,” said Miele. Globally, an estimated 1.3
billion people live with some form of vision impairment, according to the World
Health Organization, and 15% of the world's population experience some form of
disability.
“It’s essential to work with our customers, not just for them, to create
something that’s truly helpful. It’s just Day 1 and we’ll continue to invent on
behalf of customers every day,” said Caplener.
Show and Tell is now available to Alexa customers in the U.S. on first and
second-generation Echo Show devices. Customers can simply say, “Alexa, what am
I holding” to get started.
David Goldfield
Assistive Technology Specialist
Feel free to visit my Web site
WWW.DavidGoldfield.info <http://WWW.DavidGoldfield.info>
