Amazon finally unveils Fire TV, its streaming device to rival Roku, Chromecast
If you don't have a Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV, or a gaming console, Amazon finally has a solution for you. The company announced its foray into the crowded streaming set-top box arena today with a device called Fire TV. And just like your Roku, Chromecast, or Apple TV, Fire TV allows you to connect to apps like Pandora, Netflix, Hulu, and others (except, rather unfortunately, HBOGo) and stream their contents on your TV.
Despite the obvious similarities, Amazon swears its $99 gadget is totally different than the others because it's faster and does a better job at search. Instead of navigating a confusing grid of options, says Amazon, Fire TV users can speak into the remote to quickly find content. The device also seamlessly connects with your Amazon account so you can rent movies, television shows or finally catch up on Amazon's catalog of original programming like Alpha House.
Fire TV ships today. Gizmodo has more.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.
-
The US Olympic figure skating team might be the ‘greatest’ everIn the Spotlight The team will take to the ice in February
-
‘It may portend something more ominous’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Political cartoons for January 15Cartoons Thursday’s political cartoons include political parallels, EPA abandoning environment, and more
-
‘One Battle After Another’ wins Critics Choice honorsSpeed Read Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, won best picture at the 31st Critics Choice Awards
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees