14 DAY TRIAL // Meet Mycroft Mark II, an open-source intelligent voice-activated personal assistant designed with privacy and security in mind, and ready to rival big names like Google Home and Amazon's Echo.
Remember Mycroft? It's the open-source voice assistant that can be installed on various GNU/Linux distributions and be used on a wide range of appliances built on top of the tiny Raspberry Pi single-board computer, such as the Mycroft Mark I device. Well, now the Mycroft team wants to bring you Mycroft Mark II, the second-generation Mycroft Mark intelligent personal assistant for your smart home.
Besides the fact that it stays true to its roots of being an open voice-activated assistant with respect for your privacy, the Mycroft Mark II is designed to challenge the proprietary Amazon Echo and Google Home voice assistants. The Mycroft Mark II processes all of your data in a transparent way that can always be verified and modified by the user. You're in control of your data when using Mycroft Mark II.
"What sets Mark II apart? It’s open source. This means your personal data stays private, you can customize your experience, and Mycroft is a neutral player in the voice game, allowing you to be confident in your personal preference of apps and skills. More than this, the Mycroft platform is created by a community of innovators, keeping the technology honest and well-rounded," reads the Indiegogo page.
An Open Source voice assistant for everyone
Here's what Mycroft Mark II can do for you. Being a hands-free smart speaker can get answers from the Web, play music, control various appliances in your smart home, etc. Basically, it's capable of handling all the little things in your life. What Mycroft Mark II won't do, is mine your data or sell your products, and it definitely won't attempt to own your online life.
It's a personal assistant for everyone, for your entire family, but using open hardware and software. While the first-generation Mycroft Mark was mainly designed for makers, developers, and hackers, Mycroft Mark II wants to be a consumer-ready home assistant with a new design, high-quality stereo speakers, active noise cancellation, beamforming, array microphones, and a bright screen.
Technical specifications and availability
Under the hood, Mycroft Mark II is powered by a Xilinx Quad-Core processor, uses a generous 4-inch IPS LCD touchscreen to display all the information you need, and incorporates stereo sound speakers with dual 2-inch 10W drivers. The device also includes Hardware AEC, noise reduction, beamforming, far-field 6-microphone array, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support, a USB Type A port, a MicroSD card slot, and a 3.5mm audio out jack.
The device is set to arrive in December 2018 and ships worldwide. You can still get an early bird Mycroft Mark II for only $129 USD from the device's new Indiegogo campaign. The device already raised more than $400,000 founds from over 2,200 backers with the old Kickstarter campaign, but if you want to pre-order it you'll have to go on Indiegogo, where you'll also find all the details you need to know about its development and other perks.
