Amazon launches all-new Fire TV Stick with faster hardware and Alexa Voice Remote
There are a lot of media streaming products to choose from, but my personal favorite is Amazon’s Fire TV Stick. It’s compact, powerful and gives you access to Amazon’s full range of on-demand video content, as well as apps and games.
Today, the retail giant announces a new version of Fire TV Stick that’s faster and adds Alexa voice control to the remote. No more browsing long lists of TV shows and movies, now you can simply ask Alexa to play anything you're interested in, launch apps, and more.
As well as launching shows, you can ask Alexa for recommendations -- "thrillers", for example -- and control playback with your voice.
The new Fire TV Stick boasts a fast quad-core processor, 802.11ac MIMO Wi-Fi and Advanced Streaming and Prediction (ASAP) for Amazon Video. It also offers support for High Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC), so users can enjoy more 1080p HD streams.
It’s available to pre-order in the US from today, priced at $39.99, and will begin shipping on October 20. Customers who purchase and activate the device by October 31 will also receive a free content package worth up to $65, including one month of Sling TV, two months of Hulu (Limited Commercials), and a $10 credit for Amazon Video to rent or purchase new releases or old favorites.
"We are proud that our customers have made Amazon Fire TV the #1 streaming media player in the US. With more than 120,000 reviews and a 4.2 says rating, they've also made the Fire TV Stick the most reviewed product ever on Amazon", says Marc Whitten, Vice President, Amazon Fire TV. "Today, we are excited to make it even better. The new Amazon Fire TV Stick has been completely redesigned with incredible performance, powerful voice search and the included Alexa-powered remote to deliver instant access to a vast selection of movies, TV shows, games and Alexa skills at just $39.99".
You can pre-order the Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote here.
Amazon also reveals that it will be pushing out a major software update for Fire TV later in the year. The retail giant says this update will offer:
…a new on-screen experience that makes finding what to watch next even easier and more enjoyable. Fire TV will present a cinematic experience, offering video trailers and content screenshots to help customers access the content they want more quickly -- without the need to open and close multiple apps. Finding and enjoying apps and games will be easier too with new support for a customizable apps list on the home screen. Accessibility improvements will also be included, allowing customers to use Fire TV and any compatible apps with the VoiceView screen reader. These features will be available for all Fire TV customers as a free, over-the-air update, starting with the new Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote and latest generation Fire TV later this year.