Amazon has announced the latest product in its Fire range, the Amazon Fire TV Stick, claiming that it is faster and more feature-packed than popular Google Chromecast. The Amazon Fire TV Stick costs $39 and is available to existing Prime members for $19 for the next two days.
The small HDMI dongle, which will ship from 19 November in the US only, is Amazon's latest attempt to push its TV streaming business. It has apps for Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, NBA Game Time, Twitch, Showtime Anytime, Prime Music, Spotify, Pandora, Vevo, Plex, A&E, PBS, PBS Kids, Watch Disney Channel, YouTube and others.
Amazon says the stick is the "most powerful media stick" in the world. It has a dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage and dual band Wi-Fi.
The Stick also comes with a physical remote control as well as apps to control it from a phone or tablet. Unlike Chromecast which relies on Android and iOS apps to stream from services such as Netflix and BBC iPlayer the Amazon Fire TV Stick is more comparable to Roku streaming devices.
Users can download apps and games to the Fire TV Stick and 'fling' TV shows and films from a Fire Tablet to the big screen. Compatible phones and tablets can also have their screens mirrored using the Amazon Fire TV Stick.
As well as films and TV shows the Fire TV Stick also supports games and slideshows of personal photos and videos. It is available to pre-order now in the US for $39 or $19 for existing Amazon Prime subscribers. There are currently no details of launch outside the US, although the larger Fire TV has finally arrived in the UK.
