Amazon’s Astro robot for the home is designed to make us love and trust it. (Those eyes!) But to function properly, Astro — which brims with cameras, sensors, facial recognition and AI — needs an enormous amount of your personal data.
That’s one of the issues that CNET’s David Priest grapples with in his excellent and thorough review of Astro, which, in an extended period of day-to-day use, he found to be charming, ambitious and very much a work in progress. It’s more than just an Echo Show display on wheels, for better and for worse. Separately, colleague Laura Hautala digs into the privacy angle. One privacy advocate worries about a “dystopian level of surveillance capitalism,” though Amazon says it has protections in place.
Those stories are among the many in-depth features and thought-provoking commentaries that appeared on CNET this week. So here you go. These are the stories you don’t want to miss.
Amazon’s ambitious robot assistant is available by invite only. It’s equal parts fascinating and frustrating.
Chris Monroe/CNET
Web3 can take power and control out of the hands of big tech companies, according to crypto proponents.
Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images
Tesla is the undisputed champ, but among the traditional Detroit Three automakers there is a consensus as to who’s in second place.
Craig Cole/Roadshow
Commentary: You probably work with autistic people. Here’s how you can better understand and support us.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Cryptocurrency is risky. Our guide can help you navigate the wildly volatile world of digital currency.
Robert Rodriguez/CNET
There’s wealth, and then there’s extreme wealth. The latter may affect the perception of success less than you think.
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We get to know the global juggernaut behind America’s next carmaker and take its first product, an all-electric SUV, for a spin.
VinFast
If you find it hard to mentally visualize objects, you’re not alone. You might have aphantasia.
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He has described himself as a “free speech absolutist.”
