https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BH83OOM/
This is the battery-operated one where you have to push a button on the device to wake it up each time.
Not sure if the price cut is because there will be a new model coming out to match the new model of the dot and the echo, or if it’s just a regular promotion. I think this is only for prime members, but I’m not sure.
This thing keeps going on sale, it must not be meeting any expectations they set for it. They might as well make $99 the new price lol.
$79 last month at Lowe’s BestBuy and a few others. Add the $15 off $50+ Lowe’s coupon and got mine for $64. For that price I couldn’t resist. Works better in the basement than the Echo voice remote did.
To me it just seems like a large remote with a speaker… It really is just a disappointment in the echo line of products… maybe if this was first?
Its just for a different type of user @bamarayne . Think of it more as an interface into Amazon Music without the need for a phone. Tap “alexa play crap pop music” and boom, your teenagers are happy.
Yeah… I agree… each use case is unique.
Pretty much my use ( sans the teenagers crappy music) Voice Alexa remote for basement workshop, and can easily be put out by the hottub to have music without worry about another phone being knocked into the hottub. I find I’m using it more than I do the actual back yard speakers.
I never understood the use case on this. The allure of the echo is the always on nature. I can’t see needing a portable one that I have to press to interact with. I might as well get a gear watch and use the Alexa or roger app to pass along commands if my other echo is too far away.
That’s what I thought when it very first came out, because physically I can’t press a button (I’m quadriparetic) so the always on feature is very important to me.
But it turned out that there are in fact a lot of people who wanted to carry the device along and use it as a music player with some additional Alexa features like being able to ask when the Giants play next.
“your use case is not my use case.” Choice is good. 
I get that but at the same I’d just buy a BT speaker for 1/2 price. Choice is good but the ability to question usability is good as well.
This is a network speaker, not just a BT speaker, so you don’t need to have a control device ( phone ) with you.
I am sure you have other things in your home that I would have no use for or don’t make sense to me. I never thought wasting money on Hue Dimmers or Hue Taps made any sense. Then I got 2 dimmers, because we had an extended house guest that just could NOT comprehend voice control of the lights. Then I added a Hue Tap by the door after we came home at 3am to a dark house because the internet went out. Now after the recent Hue meltdown(s) I ordered 2 more dimmers and another Tap to just for local backup control.
Right but if you travel with it the network features are not always available. Plus I have a phone that has a data connection. To each there own and I see JD’s point. I enjoy the exchange of use cases of this forum.
I think the issue with the Tap is that in order to use voice control you have to physically tap the button 1st. It’s a minor, petty thing but with echo fully voice operated users are getting spoiled to that feature. Some people will like Tap just because it needs to be touched to start instead of the device constantly listening.
I have fully embraced the hands free voice control from Alexa via the echo devices. I have three of those. Once the dots arrive on the 20th I’ll have a total of 9 Alexa devices in the house… enough for voice control in every part of the house.
I’m actually thinking about setting up askAlexa as a separate install for each room/device… only time will tell.
