dws-2

GeorgeBMac said:

dws-2 said:

Google has never been caught spying, unlike Facebook. Google does spy of course, but they so far have always been very clear and open on what information they collect. This is very, very different than Facebook, which either lies or obfuscates about how they collect and use information.

That's not quite true.
They were found guilty of spying in Europe when their camera cars went around collecting random WiFi data.  Google, after being caught and convicted claimed they didn't know that they did it -- even though they refused to delete the data from their servers.

That sounds like NSA type spying to me -- just collect everything you can get your hands on.

Point taken. Maybe I'm being naive, but as someone who writes code and works in big organizations, I just don't see anything that seems nefarious. Most of the hardware I've worked on had extra sensors on them that were never used nor disclosed, in part because it's easier to just use a standard part that has a bunch of stuff onboard. A microphone is different, but it doesn't surprise me because it seems like it would be logical to include for future security uses like glass breaking sensors or at home sensors (at home sensors are on most of the other Nest stuff).

I'm not arguing that Google should not have disclosed the microphone. I think it shows a sort of hubris to hide what could be important information. However, I still would be willing to bet an insane amount of money that they never activated the microphone. There's no reason at all that they'd secretly use it to collect information, then later tell everyone about having a microphone. If they really wanted to listen, they could have just announced that it had a microphone to be used for detecting intruders, then just collected the information they wanted. A secret microphone just makes no sense from any direction.

Google has never been caught spying, unlike Facebook. Google does spy of course, but they so far have always been very clear and open on what information they collect. This is very, very different than Facebook, which either lies or obfuscates about how they collect and use information.

The microphone was probably there to detect glass breaks or when the user was at home. Maybe they didn’t list it on the specs because it wasn’t working yet, and they didn’t want to indicate a feature they might never enable. I think there’s something similar on the Nest Protect, with some feature they later enabled.

Edit: I’m not saying you should trust Google; just they’ve never lied about this sort of thing in the past, and there’s no reason, based on past behavior, to believe they lied in this case.

supadav03 said:

I’m actually cool with a spec bump only. Give me the latest processor, better reflective coating, longer battery life, 120 hz refresh and beat the starting price of the 2018 9.7 inch iPad (maybe start at $249) and I’m sold.

I think you're being a little optimistic, but I hope not. I'd definitely buy what you're describing!

Pot and Kettle in court! Actually, Sprint seems to be the scummier company in my experience.

Also, since when aren't companies allowed to deceive their customers? What are we, communists? Besides, I prefer my cable company's new 10G because it's like five generations better than anything the phone companies have!

This is probably the emoji that's giving our justice system trouble: ⚖️