Alright, so I’ve been messing around with this thing they call the “silver haired echo trainer 2” lately. Heard about it from a buddy down at the community center, said it was supposed to be better than the first one. Curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to jump in and see what the fuss was about.
First step, obviously, was getting my hands on it. Wasn’t too hard, found the place to download it after a bit of searching online. The download itself was pretty quick, no major dramas there. Then came the install.
Installation and Setup
I kicked off the installer. It wasn’t super complicated, mostly just clicking ‘next’. But, there was this one screen asking for permissions, a whole bunch of them. Seemed a bit much, asking for access to my microphone, contacts, calendar… felt a bit intrusive, you know? I hesitated for a bit, read through what it wanted. Decided, what the heck, let’s see where this goes, and allowed the basic ones needed for it to function, like the mic.
Once installed, I fired it up. The main screen looked cleaner than the old version, I’ll give it that. Bigger buttons, clearer text. Seemed like they actually listened to some feedback. The first version was a nightmare for my eyes.
Getting Started with Training
So, the core idea, as I understand it, is to help you practice recalling stuff or maybe getting used to voice commands. I chose the memory recall module first. It started simple:
- Showed me a short list of items.
- Waited a few seconds.
- Asked me to repeat the list back using my voice.
The voice recognition was… okay. Sometimes it got what I said spot on. Other times, especially if I mumbled or there was background noise (like the kettle boiling), it completely misunderstood me. Had a few frustrating moments yelling “Grocery List!” at my computer screen. Felt a bit daft, honestly.
I spent about 20 minutes on it the first day. Then I tried the voice command practice. This part felt a bit more useful, trying to get the phrasing right for smart home stuff or just dictation. It gave prompts like “Ask for the weather” or “Set a timer for 5 minutes”. Again, the recognition was hit-and-miss.
The Daily Grind
I made it a point to use it every morning for about two weeks. Just 15-20 minutes after my coffee. Stuck mostly to the memory exercises. It gradually got harder, longer lists, quicker recall times. I did find myself getting slightly better at remembering the random lists it threw at me. Whether that translates to remembering where I put my keys… well, the jury’s still out on that one.
One thing I noticed is that it keeps track of your progress. Shows you graphs and scores. I’m not usually one for charts, but it was sort of satisfying seeing the line go up, even if just a little bit. Made me feel like I wasn’t just wasting my time talking to a machine.
Final Thoughts So Far
So, is this “silver haired echo trainer 2” any good? It’s definitely an improvement over the first version. Easier to look at, slightly better structure. The core function – the training exercises – are decent enough. Simple concept.
But the voice recognition still needs work. It’s the main way you interact, and when it fails, the whole experience grinds to a halt. And those permission requests at the start still niggle at me a bit. Why does a memory trainer need my contacts list?
Overall, I’d say it’s okay. Not revolutionary, but a potentially useful tool if you’ve got the patience for its quirks, especially the voice part. I’m going to keep using it for another few weeks, see if the memory gains stick or if the voice recognition gets any less annoying. Worth a try if you’re curious and have some time to kill, but don’t expect miracles overnight.
