Amazon ’s part - controlled help , Echo , is come a few sibling you’re able to bark your orders at . Meet the Echo Dot , which is designed to connect to whatever speakers you already happen to own , and the Amazon Tap , a portable translation of the Echo .
You ’ll recallEcho , the tabletop loudspeaker tube with a baked - in intelligence engine called Alexa . Amazon slowly rolled it out as an experimentation in late 2014 , and has been graduallyimplementing more and more“skills”—tasks that the intelligence have it off how to do . The ware has been a qualified success , and Amazon is ready to go large now .
The $ 90 Echo Dot resembles a ice hockey puck . It ’s available starting today , but there ’s a haul : It must be consecrate through an Alexa endpoint by an Amazon Prime penis . So you could only get it if you have an Echo already , or apply Amazon Fire TV , which also sports Alexa smarts .
The Echo Dot ’s big merchandising point is that it allows consumer to plug into their own house speakers . It does have sound , but it ’s more dull , desirable for use as a smart bedside alarm clock . you’re able to colligate to it via Bluetooth or an audio cable . The Dot was created in part because Amazon found that customer sleep with their speakers and want to habituate them in alignment with the Alexa technology . My $ 100,000 talker system thanks you , Amazon .
The Echo Dot is so succinct that Amazon envisions / hopes that consumers will consider scatter them throughout their homes , using each Dot to control their lights , thermostat , and other smarthome features in every room ( as well as play music , re - ordering cat food , or whatever affair you could cerebrate to blunder out out that Alexa can assist facilitate ) . It uses the same “ far field ” voice recognition as the full - sized Echo , which stand for it can pluck up commands from 20 - 25 pes away in noisy environs , and it also has the same colored light band that let you know when it ’s responding .
The Amazon Tap — so name because , like the remote control - controlled Amazon Fire TV , it ’s “ intercept to use ” rather than always on — is a portable translation of the Echo . It ’s a Bluetooth and wi - fi loudspeaker that offers booming sound in addition to all of the vocalisation - controlled ability that Alexa has ; it also provides nine hours of play time , count one pound , and comes with a charging dock that fits neatly around its radix . Like the Echo Dot , it goes on sales agreement today and will start ship March 31 . It costs $ 130.99 and you’re able to just grade it conventionally — no Alexa lure - up need .
From the very offset , Amazon Echo has been a amazingly useful and interesting product . Still , it ’s always been something that ’s more “ tasteful ” than “ necessary ” . These new ware forecast well for the time to come .
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