The amazing thing about modern technology is that we literally have devices that we can ask to lock doors, turn off and on lights, look up recipes, and even change channels for us, all with a verbal command. The scary thing about modern technology is that we’ve also invited always-listening microphones into our homes to meet that convenience. Pozio aims to solve the privacy issue without taking away our digital butlers using listening blockers that double as cradles!
Pozio’s idea is that instead of a device connected to the internet and constantly listening, you use their device…which is not connected to the internet and is only listening for one command, “Pozio, stop.” If it hears the command, it stops blocking for 30 seconds so you can chat with your smart speaker, then resumes blocking. This way, you can ask Google, “hey, which streaming service has Power Rangers” but then you don’t have to worry Google is listening to you while you actually watch Power Rangers. Because no one over the age of 12 wants there to be a digital record of that.
Now, here’s the only thing that might give you pause. Pozio is not cheap. Their “block and talk” phone cradle starts at $229, and their Shield Mini/Shield covers are $189/$199. You can snag a Google Home Mini or an Alexa Dot for less than $40 easily. So this product is for people who want a smart speaker but also want to spend 2-3x the cost of the smart speaker for the smart speaker to not listen to them.