Amazon Fire TV Stick announced for $39 to compete against the Chromecast

Meet the Amazon Fire TV Stick, a new content streaming from the online retailer, set to compete against the Google Chromecast. The Fire TV Stick from Amazon is a $39 streaming dongle and can be plugged into any TV that has an HDMI port.

You maybe wondering why you should purchase a $39 Amazon streaming device, when the Chromecast costs just $19. Well firstly Amazon has a deal in store for you if you are an Amazon Prime member... The Amazon Fire TV Stick will be given to Prime customers at $20 off, bringing the price down to $19 to match the Chromecast. Amazon is using this as a motivator to get customers to sign up for their Prime service which costs $99 per year.

Additionally Amazon is highlighting the enhancements their  Fire TV Stick has over the Chomecast. For example, you get 1GB of RAM -which is twice the 512 MB RAM found in Chromecast. Additionally Fire TV Stick packs a dual-core processor, MIMO W-Fi which makes for better Internet connectivity and 8GB of on-board storage. 

The tiny dongle also comes with its own dedicated hardware remote as well for the user’s ease. The streaming stick from the giant online retailer also packs the ‘ASAP’ streaming tech that was introduced with the Fire TV set-top box, allowing users to stream videos without the buffer delay that one normally experiences with streaming services.

Back in April, Amazon launched the Fire TV set-top box in a bid to join in with the likes of Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Roku etc., to compete for a share in the TV content streaming devices market. While the Fire TV Stick is a cheaper alternative to the Fire TV, it is by no means a compromised performer in the streaming device.

Retaining the ability to play games as well, the Fire TV Stick offers access to Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, Twitch, WatchESPN, and an array of services right out of the box. The stick offers voice search functions as well, through the Fire TV Remote app on your Fire Phone, or Android Phone. The iOS version of the app should be available soon. Additionally, you can purchase the optional Fire TV Voice Remote and pair it with the Fire TV Stick for $29.99 to perform voice searches without the need to run an app on the mobile.

source - Amazon