[ad_1]
Amazon's hardware product suite, powered by its virtual assistant, Alexa, is used for everything from music playback to controlling different aspects of a user's connected home, including the weather. .
Amazon and third-party developers are also adding new "skills" to Alexa's already impressive library. But what many people may not be aware of is an important limitation of the wizard – something that Alexa can not do, at least not now, even though a user's life may depend on certain circumstances. . We are talking about being able to call 911.
Many consumers could easily have found themselves in the shoes of someone like Bridget Taylor, a 62-year-old girl from Jonesboro, Arkansas, who fell earlier this year after leaving the hospital. his bathtub. Her cell phone was not at hand and she wondered if she could scream for Alexa to call 911. The Wall Street Journal, who reported on this episode, today publishes an article explaining why smart speakers such as Amazon, Google and others – used in some 20 million homes in the US – face many technical and regulatory challenges for able to make calls.
On the one hand, the paper notes, the reliability of the Internet can be a problem, just as the importance of transmitting accurate location data and a call back number for the speakers. emergency.
"Most speakers only offer one-way calls and do not have the same real-time GPS data as smartphones" WSJ Notes. "Same sending 911 call location data from cell phones difficult, as much of the country's 911 infrastructure has grown around fixed phones.
"In order to be able to call 911 from a smart speaker, there should be an additional monthly 911 service charge that customers or technology companies should pay to support the emergency call infrastructure. Current 911 monthly surcharges vary by state or county, but typically range from $ 0.25 to $ 3.00. They are included in wireless and fixed consumer bills. "
The paper goes on to say that, according to an Amazon spokesperson, Echo Connect can make emergency calls because it can be connected to landlines or other home phone services. Echo and Echo Dot Standard, however, can not.
Dan Henry, Director of Government Affairs of the 911 Group of the National Emergency Number Association, told the WSJ It supports adding emergency calls to smart speakers only if the devices are able to provide location information and a callback number.
Source link
