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Over the course of the last year, I wrote exclusively about the Chrome OS. Consequently I became interested in the cloud. Future articles will be on cloud focused products, Chrome OS, and random thoughts of a Linux lunatic. This month I will review one cloud based item.
One item that touches the cloud is the Amazon Tap. Some reviewers consider it to be the real life version of a personal assistant. This is the vehicle for Amazon’s virtual assistant named Alexa. Alexa is Amazon’s answer to Cortana and Siri. Alexa can be found in an app—similar to Amazon Echo and Amazon Echo Dot. The Tap is a middle-of-road option. The Echo and Echo Dot are always active to answer your commands or questions. The Tap is not and requires a touch button to use it (see photos). Therefore the Tap has a longer battery life, since it is not always active.
I purchased the Tap directly from Amazon. The item was backordered for three weeks. It arrived in a simple black box with simple instructions. The Tap needs to be fully charged. I then downloaded the Alexa App to my iPhone. Using an iPhone, I connected to the Tap. After that successful connection, I tied the Tap into my Wifi. The Tap is tied to my Amazon Prime account.
I can ask basic questions, and listen to books, or music. The sound quality from the Tap is fine for the average owner. There is a learning curve to Alexa. You must learn how to give commands correctly to maximize Alexa’s usefulness. Simply stating “Ramones, I wanna be Sedated,” does not work. You need to say “I want to hear I wanna be Sedated by the Ramones.” Alexa will then query Amazon and start playing the song.
Alexa has a learning AI. She eventually recognizes your voice and preferences. Additionally, the Alexa App on my iPhone checks if my requests and fulfillment are done correctly. Alexa lists these as cards. These cards are a part of the learning AI protocol developed by Amazon. To maximize Alexa, I have to interact with the iPhone App.
There are numerous cloud products to simplify our lives, which are unnecessary—Rocket Book One is such an example. It is a well made notebook, that is quite sturdy. However it is a notebook that uses QR codes, an app, and the camera on your smartphone. From these three elements, you can write your notes, take a picture, and it will label the page via QR code to reside on the cloud. Thus, I can have instant access to my notes on my iPhone. While it sounds magical, it is something I can already do with my iCloud account or Google Photos.