Amazon launches Fire TV for $99 to compete with Apple TV and Roku

Amazon has just unveiled the Fire TV home set top box as several rumors in the past had suggested. The online retail giant was long expected to venture its way into the home entertainment segment given its vast collection of content through services like Prime. The Fire TV will support Hulu and Prime from the get go and will get support for other content services eventually. Expectedly, this home media console comes with support for games too, with the likes of Disney and EA expected to bring multiple games to the platform. A bluetooth gaming controller is also being sold by Amazon for an additional $40. Amazon is leveraging the open source Android platform much like it did with the Kindle Fire tablets for content and other applications. It is said that there will be dedicated apps of popular services like iHeartRadio, Last.fm and many more in the coming weeks. Speaking of the functionality of this new device, it’s a very small unit physically but with a pretty beefy hardware inside. It is believed to pack a quad core CPU accompanied by 2GB of RAM to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Initial demos from Amazon revealed that usability is pretty simple and users can choose from a variety of content right within the home screen. There was no lag whatsoever from the looks of it, although actual performance is yet to be ascertained. There’s HDMI out support for sound as well, which is a neat addition to have. The device plugs into your television set just like a conventional HDMI media device would, so there’s nothing too complicated there. Amazon will bundle the Fire TV with a bluetooth remote control which supports voice search as well. This function will allow users to say names of popular Hollywood or TV stars and the device would almost immediately give out all their essential details. Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablets will serve as companion devices to play music or movies on the Fire TV, so Amazon is offering an incentive for users who are already part of its ecosystem. Pricing is perhaps the most attractive feature of the console as it only costs $99 if bought individually or $140 along with the gaming controller. It will be interesting to see if Fire TV will convince customers to switch from a Roku or Apple TV, but considering the pricing it’s being offered for, it might be worth a try. Continue reading →

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