Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was not meant to be secret

Re:Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was n... by CodeSheikh on Wednesday February 20, 2019 @10:06AM (#19208351)

I am sorry but I do not buy this "added to backlog and forgot" theory, especially for a resources-packed company like Google. Are you implying that everyone from PM to devs to QA all ignored the microphone sitting in there? All electronics needs to be compliance tested at a gov labs in Northeast (Baltimore area) because of electromagnetic signature since Nest devices have WiFi. Are you saying even they forgot to bring it up as well?

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Re:Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was n... by balabaster on Wednesday February 20, 2019 @11:11AM (#19209016)

I'm not saying the microphone was ignored or forgotten about, I'm saying the "add that line to the specification sheet for public release" was forgotten about.

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Re:Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was n... by lrem on Thursday February 21, 2019 @03:55AM (#19215523)

I work in Google and my org of over a hundred engineers has a single tech writer assigned. I assure you she never sees the bottom of her backlog.

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Re:Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was n... by balabaster on Thursday February 21, 2019 @09:22AM (#19217029)

This is so common in so many companies I've worked with that it doesn't even begin to surprise me. This is an accepted way of life at most tech companies.

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Re:Google says Nest’s built-in mic not listed in specs was n... by SpicyLemonZest on Wednesday February 20, 2019 @11:12AM (#19209023)

Sure, that seems plausible. If the existence of the microphone wasn't a secret internally, why would PM or devs or QA or government inspectors be disturbed to see it?

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