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Comment by dspillett | Hacker News Reader

"OK Google"/"hey Google" is one of the reasons I went with Amazon's products instead! (other reasons include that they seem to understand my voice more reliably than Google or Microsoft's systems). I get to call it Computer instead of Alexa too, though if I were stuck with Alexa it would still be preferable to Google (or Amazon for that matter).

It's isn't just branding though, if I'm right. The wake word needs to be something that is easy to pick out from a complex audio environment and not be a regular part of common speech so cause confusion (computer fails a bit in that regard) so allowing completely custom wake words might cause reliability issues. Also some might choose wake words that the brands don't want to be seen listening for: I might choose "slave" as a Blake's 7 reference for instance but that could easily offend some if they overhear, and there are many other epithets, slurs, and swears, that would not be deemed suitable either.

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“Computer” seems humane. There’s a teenager down the street named Alexa. She apparently gets asked the weather a lot. :(

I tried this for about a week. But the amount of Star Trek TNG reruns I am constantly watching put a humorous end to that.

As a Radiohead fan I could live with the occassional misplaying of Ok Computer.

Amazon devices don't need the "OK" do that hasn't happened (to me).

Though it can get a little confused occasionally when I'm playing some variety of Star Trek on the nearby TV.

My Alexa logs are 10% brief clips of Geordi Laforge making demands.

Thanks, now I can't read "Computer" without it being in Patrick Stewart's baritone.

I think Thom would approve.

"Hello Computer" seems pretty neutral, it reminds me of this sketch from IT crowd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu88J5JL8Hw

Or Scotty in ST:IV "The One With The Wales": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaVgRj2e5_s&t=172s

I do seem to recall that being able to set a customer wake-word was in the works at one point.

I don't see why the system could not be designed such that one could submit a wake-word, which is analyzed for suitability in terms of being sufficiently distinct in complex audio environments, and then checked against a blacklist.

Shouldn't be beyond Google's technical capabilities.

The thing is, a LOT of people avoid Google Home/Assistant because they simply can't bring themselves to blurt out cheesy branding like that.

They really ought to solve that problem. Probably they will right about the time they port Inbox bundling to Gmail and provide a Drive sync client for Linux (it's been, a decade?).

> then checked against a blacklist

Unfortunately "enumerating the bad" is a strategy that never survives contact with the public.

Why is this a problem that needs solving? If the user chooses an ineffective word they'll figure it out pretty quickly... and if they choose an offensive one-- that's on them.

They could also walk around saying offensive words when not addressing the computer.

Or is google planning on 'fixing' that too?

It wouldn't be a problem if all people were decent and rational.

Unfortunately some would reprogram other people's devices to cause offence for a jape and some will get offended and blame the company for letting it happen.

The difference from Google/Amazon/Apple/MS's point of view is that if I run around yelling the N word and their device doesn't even notice then they can't be seen to be complicit by unreasonable people. It would just be me being an arse.

Heck, some would get offended at the possibility of one of a company's devices responding to loaded words like that even if it never actually happened.

Of course there is another reason: having people use the same word re-enforces brand recognition even if the wake word is not the actual brand just a word/name people associate with it.

Try rclone for syncing gdrive.

One of the reasons?

It's honestly the reason for me.

Such a minor thing, and it's super annoying. Google lost out on hundreds of dollars from me on this simple change.

I'd go for "Zen".

And the resulting announcements. "INFORMATION: Four minutes have elapsed." for a timer, etc.

I’d pay money for Peter Tuddenham’s Zen to respond to commands.

I’d buy a big subwoofer to make the INFORMATION response shake the house too!

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