The Echo has proven to be a legitimate hit for Amazon, with consumers really taking to the ever-evolving robot assistant’s talents. The Amazon Tap is the outfit’s on-the-go version of the Echo, allowing you to enjoy its voice-activated features whether you’re driving to work, enjoying a cup at the local café, or camping with friends over the weekend.
Like the Echo, it’s a functional wireless speaker that lets you stream tunes from Prime Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn, as well as stream local playlists on your phone (it comes with both WiFi and Bluetooth). Sporting two 1.5-inch drivers and dual passive radiators with Dolby processing, it promises a quality listening experience, too, with omni-directional sound, crisp vocals, and extended bass response.
The Amazon Tap also inherits the Echo’s virtual assistant talents, so you get to conjure Alexa any time you feel like taking advantage of its many capabilities. Yep, the system has grown in a huge way since its original release, going well beyond the information and weather lookups to including interfacing with numerous apps and smart home devices, including Domino’s (for ordering pizza), Uber (requesting a ride), and Garageio (for opening your garage door).
It measures 2.6 x 6.2 inches (diameter x height), making it small enough to carry comfortably, with an optional sling accessory that gives it both a rubber case for protection and a hole on top for hanging on a hook. Features include a mic button that you need to tap before talking to the device (it saves battery that way), playback controls on top, and a battery rated at 9 hours of continuous playback.
Available now, the Amazon Tap is priced at $129.99.