Amazon and Google are taking control of smart home devices away from consumers with every software update
Smart home devices are devices that allow you to control home appliances in your home with your voice or smartphone operations, but contrary to the ideals desired by users, manufacturers sometimes add updates that are inconvenient for users in the pursuit of profit. Technology enthusiast Dhruv Bhutani discussed the current situation surrounding these smart home devices.
Smart devices are turning out to be a poor investment
Even if a product was initially introduced as an ``ideal device that would make users' dreams come true,'' when actually used it turns out that the functionality is not sufficient, and even deteriorates with updates. Bhutani gave an example of Amazon's Fire TV.
Technology enthusiasts sometimes use Android Debug Bridge (ADB) to control the Fire TV home screen from a PC, which has many useless and unnecessary elements for users. In February 2024, Amazon announced that existing developers will be able to 'replace full-screen video playback and ad-filled interfaces with a clean alternative home screen, dramatically improving the user experience.' It is said that an update was implemented that completely changed the familiar environment, causing many apps to stop functioning.
'I understand that Amazon wants to protect its business interests,' Bhutani said, 'but I wonder why they not only deprecated a core feature but also gave no warning to update the app. 'If Amazon had done a thorough job keeping the Fire Stick fast, it wouldn't have been such a big issue.'
Another example that Mr. Bhutani gave is NVIDIA's portable gaming device 'NVIDIA SHIELD.' NVIDIA SHIELD also had ``utopia-like functions'' such as connecting a hard drive to the main unit or connecting to a NAS drive, but it seems that subsequent updates have changed it to an overlay full of advertisements.
Google TV is the same, and the home screen is so covered in ads that it's more appropriate to call it ``Google's advertising space'' than ``a screen where users can easily access content,'' and the situation is so bad. About.
Bhutani similarly took issue with the Google Nest Hub smart speaker, saying, ``Voice recognition rarely works well, and even when it does, the answers are inconsistent.But it hasn't always been that way.'' 'It was supposed to be the best smart home product when it was first released, but contrary to my expectations that the user experience would improve, it didn't change at all.'
In summary, Bhutani said, ``It is clear that smart home devices are a very poor investment for consumers. We will carefully assess the situation, and I encourage everyone to do the same.'
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in Hardware, Posted by log1p_kr