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Amazon Tap receives a hands-free activation.
Amazon Tap is one of the lesser known smart speakers from Amazon, which has seen a lot of success with its Alexa-equipped Echo and Dot devices. Its status was mostly due to the fact that it required users to push a button in order to activate it rather than just use a voice command.
If you were excited about the advent of smart speakers and jumped the gun and purchased the Amazon Tap, you should be excited to learn that the company is currently rolling out an update which will bring this first-generation speaker in line with the functions of Amazon’s newer products.
The new update will basically turn Amazon Tap into an always-on smart speaker without the need to push a physical button to activate the speaker. Like other Amazon smart speakers, the Tap also comes with Alexa, which will also activate when you call out her name. However, users will still have to enable the new hands-free mode of the speaker through the Alexa app either on iOS or Android, when it’s connected to a Wi-Fi network.
Despite the fact that Amazon Tap launched in early 2016 when the company also announced the Dot mini-speaker. However, unlike the Echo, the Tab did not feature an omnidirectional microphone and Alexa was activated by pushing a button. This was led to Amazon Tap being almost completely ignored by consumers who opted for the Echo.
Another feature exclusive to Amazon Tap was portability. The device came with a rechargeable battery, unlike the Echo which requires being constantly plugged into function. However, with Alexa becoming voice-activated on the Tap, this means that the battery life of the device will drastically decline. According to Amazon, the battery will last around eight hours, but users can enable the sleep mode by pushing its power button as a way to save time. However, this feature seems to negate the benefit of activating Alexa through voice commands rather than a button.
All Amazon Tap owners should receive the update in the coming weeks. However, it is unclear whether Amazon plans to change the name of the device considering that any activations taps are not necessary anymore.
Image credit: Amazon
