Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

It was just a few weeks ago that I was bemoaning the fact that I did not scoop up an Echo back when they were being released last year. Not only could it be had at nearly half off the current price, but it came with a voice remote and we could have had a year longer using this amazing device... Well, here I am, a year late to the game and I can now proudly say that I own both an Echo and this new little Tap! Can I just say that I am OBSESSED with all things Echo and Alexa. These are devices that you may not realize how much you'll use it until you've given them a try. I have been spending the last few years getting our home automated. I currently use a combination of Smartthings, IFTTT and Logitech Harmony to control the home. Alexa fits right into the middle of all that and gives us the ability to control our home via voice. For me, this is the killer feature. I can integrate all three parts of our home control right into Echo/Tap and make our house even smarter with very minimal setup. With Echo you have to trigger Alexa to listen by using a wake word (Alexa, Amazon, Echo) but with the Tap, you just push the button on the front of the device and give the command you want accomplished: "Turn on Watch TV" - my family room TV is turned on "Turn on Night" - all of my evening lights are turned on in the house as darkness settles in "Turn off Night" - all lights are turned off as we head to bed "Turn on Morning" - the kitchen light is turned on and so is the TV as I stumble down to start brewing my coffee "Ask Automatic what my fuel level is" - the gas level in my car is checked and reported "Add Milk to the grocery list" - adds milk to the shopping list and then IFTTT takes over and sends it to my Grocery list on my iPhone "Trigger I'm Hot" - my thermostat is changed to a cooler temperature These are just a few of the things we ask of Alexa on a daily basis. The only learning curve has been in learning exactly how to phrase questions in such a way that Alexa knows what we are asking her to answer or do. Outside of the home automation aspect, Tap brings a lot to the table. It's a battery powered bluetooth speaker with instant access* to your Amazon and Prime music libraries, Spotify, I Heart Radio and Pandora. You can even use Tunein to access podcasts and other audio. You can have Alexa read you books from your Kindle library or even play your Audible books for you. You can customize your interests and get an instant news briefing, a rundown on the weather or traffic, add some things to your grocery or To-Do lists, check on your calendar or even have Alexa tell you some jokes to get you laughing. I have found the sound quality to be quite good and up-to-par with most quality portable bluetooth speakers. Because Amazon has opened the API developers are creating fun little apps called Skills that you can integrate right into Alexa and expand upon what she is able to do. One of the skills I've installed include an app that is called Cat Facts. When I ask Alexa to open Cat Facts she tells me an interesting fact about cats. Another is called The Wayne Investigation, it's a "chose-your-own-adventure mystery" game where you are brought right into Superman's world and get to help solve a mystery. There's even a skill for Fitbit users to link their Fitbit to Echo and have Alexa give you a rundown on how your day is going. The integration possibilities are endless. One of my favorite uses is trying to find the "Easter Eggs" hidden inside Alexa, ask her things like "Alexa, define Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock" or "Alexa, what is the meaning of life" and you may enjoy the answers. I know my geeky family sure did. If you want an easy list of the Easter Eggs check out the AmazonEcho sub at Reddit. They're all listed there and constantly updated. We use our Tap as an addition to our Echo and as a device that will be taken on the road with us when we travel. While some complain that pushing a button to invoke Alexa makes this device not as useable as an Echo or a Dot, I feel that it fits the needs we have as a secondary device nicely. You can't beat the portability. The fact that this device is battery powered and can go for 9 hours of usage before needing to be charged is what makes it a great addition to the Echo family. As the warmer weather approaches, I'm already envisioning all of the ways we'll be incorporating the Tap into our activities. It's nice to know that we won't have to leave the convenience of Alexa and her all-knowing powers behind just because we've left the house. I think Amazon has hit it out of the ballpark again with this device.. *Please note: you MUST have Tap connected to the internet (via Wifi or Hotspot) to invoke the Alexa commands. If you are offline the device will simply function as a bluetooth speaker.