Amazon Tap is like an Echo that's hard of hearing

The Amazon Echo is an incredible device, mostly because it lets you use voice commands to do everything from playing music to calling up an Uber to controlling your lights and thermostat. Shrink the Echo in half, cut the power cord and remove the hands-free voice commands and the Amazon Tap is what you get. It's a portable Bluetooth speaker, and it still gets you access to Alexa, Amazon's personal voice assistant whom you can boss around, but it didn't sweep me off my feet the way the Echo did. At 130, the Tap is smack in the range of average portable Bluetooth speakers. With a height of 6.2 inches and diameter of 2.6 inches, the Tap is compact enough to toss into your bag.