The Vergecast Surface Duo hands on / Amazon's Halo fitness tracker / Epic vs Apple: the latest
Aug 28, 2020
Lauren Goode, a technology journalist for Wired, joins to dive into the intricacies of Microsoft's Surface Duo smartphone and Amazon's innovative Halo fitness tracker. They discuss the ethical dilemmas of body scanning technology and its impact on mental health and body image. Additionally, they provide insights into the ongoing Epic Games vs. Apple legal battle and explore the evolving landscape of wearable health devices, emphasizing user privacy concerns amidst technological advancements.
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Echo Look Failure
- Amazon's Echo Look, a device that took photos of outfits and offered fashion advice, failed due to privacy concerns.
- The device's premise of letting Amazon analyze your clothing choices proved unpopular.
Halo's Creepy Feature
- Amazon Halo's body scan feature raises privacy concerns and ethical questions, especially regarding body image issues.
- The feature, which creates 3D models and allows body fat manipulation, is considered creepy by some.
Halo's Missed Opportunity
- Amazon Halo lacks valuable features like SpO2 monitoring despite releasing during a health crisis.
- Its temperature sensor only provides delayed feedback, which is less useful than real-time data.