Amazon has presented the Echo Dot and Amazon Tap, two new devices added to its Alexa-powered gadget series. The first product is a $125 portable form of Amazon’s Echo speaker and a wireless and Bluetooth item.
The second device is a $100 voice-controlled system that can quickly be connected to the speaker. Both gadgets are available for pre-orders pre-ordered this week, but there is a catch. Even if Amazon Tap can be ordered from Amazon.com, Echo is available for buying only through Alexa products, meaning that you have to tell the virtual assistant to order it.
In addition, Amazon also launched a new designer API to allow its products to be incorporated with smart thermostats like the ones offered by Honeywell and Nest. Finally, the Alexa SDK will now allow any system to react to vocal commands.
The company’s unique perspective with its Echo smart speaker was to create a computer system in cloud that is managed by the user’s voice, said Amazon’s officials. They think that the next major systems will be controlled by voice commands.
While clients have numerous five-star scores and opinions for the first gadget showing their appreciation, there were people that had moderate reviews. One of these elements includes simply being capable to carry their Echo product wherever they go, this being the main reason why Amazon’s Tap was created.
Rumors about this convenient speech powered system appeared in Jan and immediately reminded people of Jawbone Jambox and Beats Pill speakers. With a weight of 16.5 oz., Amazon Tap is a wireless Bluetooth enabled gadget with dual audio system, 360-degree multi-directional sounds and has the same speech control options that you get with Alexa.
To use this product, you can activate it by tapping the Go key and link it to Internet with Alexa’s dedicated application. It promises a continuous playtime of almost 10 hours and 21 days if it is on standby.
The Amazon Tap arrives with a support that is very practical for clients to charge it while traveling. With the Echo Dot, the company probably wants people to have other Alexa-powered gadgets in their house without emptying the wallet.
At $100, it is certainly less expensive than the previous Echo model, but has some good options to it, like the far-field range, which can comprehend voice instructions from more than 30 feet in loud surroundings, a light band to display when it is listening to the owner and many other useful features.
Image source: Recodetech