Martin Gregorie wrote:

> Andy Burns wrote:
>
>> I realise that any microphone connected to a computer is best treated as
>> though it is "always on" but you do seem to have to press the button to
>> talk to the AI-in-a-box.
>
> Is that true of Google's Alexa equivalent when its on a phone or a PC?

AIUI the phone is listening locally for the "OK google" trigger phrase,
then it starts listening properly and sending audio back to base to be
decoded ... once or twice I've heard the phone say "If you just said
something, I didn't catch what it was" when I haven't uttered the
trigger phrase, as a coincidence it happened last night while I was
listening to the radio, so I pressed rewind by a few seconds and thought
I would tell what it had confused for the the trigger phrase, but it
didn't trigger second time around.

> are you sure the button isn't just added decoration on this thing?

Dunno, it might be able to be configured to listen 24x7, but the guy
demoing it kept hitting the supplied button each time he spoke to it,
guess it'll be in people's hands (from the magazine give-away) soon
enough that people will be making unboxing videos about it ...

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