Amazon follows on the Echo, the odd voice assistant in a cylindrical speaker, with the Echo Dot and Tap-- a pair of equally curious echo audio devices featuring the same Alexa cloud-powered voice assistant.
The Echo Dot is the Echo minus the speaker part, making a small, puck-shaped device. It features the same far-field microphone array as its bigger brother, and has a small built-in speaker allowing use as an alarm clock or a smart home controller. Users can also boost the Echo Dot's audio capabilities by plugging it into another speaker, turning it into a voice-controlled audio payer.