Outdoor Alexa

One of the selling features of the Echo Tap, the device that required a push to trigger interaction, was that is was portable and you could (at least outside of wet weather) take it outside. It didn’t last long as a product, mostly being replaced by third party low cost Alexa Built-In speakers.

Outdoor music is kind of an iffy proposition. At least in North America, for many parts being outside on your own property is a smaller subset of households and it’s seasonal. You also have to consider noise, music selection, and acoustics. It’s almost better just to listen to ambient sounds than to music — if those aren’t lawnmowers or construction.

But, for the brief moments that being outside is nice (at least where I am now… less two weeks ago, my kids were making a snowman), I think about having access to voice computing to check on things without looking at my phone. For example, how’s the weather later today or did my order arrive?

I can envision an outdoor version of the Echo Flex that could be used for this purpose. Or the Google equivalent of the Home for outdoors.