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posted by Fnord666 on Sunday July 28 2019, @05:14PM   Printer-friendly
from the sure,-the-first-one's-always-free... dept.

Submitted via IRC for AnonymousLuser

Google will give 100,000 Home Minis to people with paralysis

Smart speakers aren't just cool gadgets to play with for some differently abled people, such as those dealing with mobility issues or vision loss. For them, a smart speaker could be an important tool that can help them become more independent in their day-to-day lives. According to Google's Nest team, they receive a lot of emails from people with disabilities, telling them how the Home speakers are giving them more independence. That's why the tech giant has teamed up with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation to give away 100,000 Home Minis to people living with paralysis and their caregivers.

[...] Redd said the Home Mini gives him a way to control his lights and thermostat easily, and it can make sure he can call family and friends if he needs help. The speaker's ability to set alarms, play music and trivia and make lists could be especially useful to people with quadriplegia, as well. Those interested can check out the official partnership page to find out if they're eligible and to sign up for a free Home Mini.


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  • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Sunday July 28 2019, @05:49PM

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Sunday July 28 2019, @05:49PM (#872341)

    It would be easy to take advantage of a stunted expectation of privacy, wouldn't it?

    Sure would. Easier still to just ignore them, as has been done for centuries.

    I say, let the handicapped choose - I had to pay $25 for my Google Home Mini, they get one for free - if either of us decides we don't like it after letting it in our home, our option is to unplug it.

    We've had ours for about 2 weeks now, it makes a pretty good alarm clock, and the "Broadcast" feature is kinda weird/cool (send a short, one-way-ish, sound bite from your phone to whoever is in the room at the time...)

    If you're only semi privacy paranoid, there's the option to not participate in their random samplings for quality improvement. If you're full tin-hat, yeah, don't plug it in, and quit carrying a cellphone while you're at it.

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