byAmazon
Price:$39.99+ Free shipping with Amazon Prime
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TOP 50 REVIEWERon October 24, 2016
I know why most of you are here. So before I get started, YES. The All-New Amazon Fire TV Stick DOES work with KODI. I repeat, you will STILL be able to sideload Kodi onto this device!
Now that we have that incredibly important piece of information out of the way, I will start off by saying the All-New Amazon Fire TV Stick picks off where its ever so popular predecessor left off, offering you one of the most inexpensive ways to stream HOURS of content to your TV.
The package itself includes:
- The Fire TV Stick
- The Remote control WITH Alexa voice control
- A Power adapter
- 2 AAA batteries (by Amazon basics)
- an HDMI extender if the Fire TV Stick does not fit into your TV’s HDMI port.
The device itself couldn’t be easier to use. Simply plug it into your TV, and you’re good to go! With this device, you’ll be able to use apps such as Netflix, Pandora, HBO, and even Amazon prime (provided you’re a prime member). You will of course need accounts for all of the previously mentioned apps, but if you do not, you can also use YouTube through this device, which has hours of content on it by itself! If you’re an Amazo Prime member, you will already have access to thousands of TV shows and Movies… just in case you didn’t know!
The All New Amazon Fire TV Stick features some changes that are worth mentioning, but if you’re not too tech-savy, just know that this stick performs faster than the older model. This is due to a stronger processor, a 1.3ghz quad core processor vs a 1ghz dual core processor from older models. I WAS a bit disappointed to see that the All-New Fire TV Stick did not upgrade to 2gb of Ram. While 1gb is plenty for streaming in most cases, users may find occasional lag on the home screen, especially when first booting the device up. I’ve found that if I turn on my firestick, and go do something else for a few minutes, or just allow the device some time to boot up, I do not run into this issue. While there has not been an update in ram, I have noticed that navigating the fire stick is MUCH quicker than previous models, which will make anybody happy.
Perhaps the biggest change from the previous Fire TV Stick is the remote control. While all of the buttons are the same, you now have a “Voice Control” button on top of the remote control. By pressing this button, you are allowed access to wide range of commands that take all of the grunt work out of browsing your streaming device. For instance, you can ask Alexa to “Find horror movies”, “play music from pandora”, “fast forward 5 minutes”, etc. This feature is ESPECIALLY useful given the difficulties surrounding the use of streaming devices with a remote control that doesn’t have a keyboard or mouse. It is also worth mentioning that the buttons are now made of a soft rubber material, and are easier to use.
To conclude, If you’re looking for a portable, depdnable, and easy to use streaming device, this is it. At just under $40.00, It’s hard to say no to perhaps the least expensive streaming device on the market. While I do wish that this model featured 2gb of ram for quicker browsing, 1gb is plenty for what most people will be using this device for; streaming. All in all, I would very much recommend this device!
IF you have any questions about this device, please feel free to comment. As somebody who uses Amazon almost daily, I’ll get back to you very shortly.
Now that we have that incredibly important piece of information out of the way, I will start off by saying the All-New Amazon Fire TV Stick picks off where its ever so popular predecessor left off, offering you one of the most inexpensive ways to stream HOURS of content to your TV.
The package itself includes:
- The Fire TV Stick
- The Remote control WITH Alexa voice control
- A Power adapter
- 2 AAA batteries (by Amazon basics)
- an HDMI extender if the Fire TV Stick does not fit into your TV’s HDMI port.
The device itself couldn’t be easier to use. Simply plug it into your TV, and you’re good to go! With this device, you’ll be able to use apps such as Netflix, Pandora, HBO, and even Amazon prime (provided you’re a prime member). You will of course need accounts for all of the previously mentioned apps, but if you do not, you can also use YouTube through this device, which has hours of content on it by itself! If you’re an Amazo Prime member, you will already have access to thousands of TV shows and Movies… just in case you didn’t know!
The All New Amazon Fire TV Stick features some changes that are worth mentioning, but if you’re not too tech-savy, just know that this stick performs faster than the older model. This is due to a stronger processor, a 1.3ghz quad core processor vs a 1ghz dual core processor from older models. I WAS a bit disappointed to see that the All-New Fire TV Stick did not upgrade to 2gb of Ram. While 1gb is plenty for streaming in most cases, users may find occasional lag on the home screen, especially when first booting the device up. I’ve found that if I turn on my firestick, and go do something else for a few minutes, or just allow the device some time to boot up, I do not run into this issue. While there has not been an update in ram, I have noticed that navigating the fire stick is MUCH quicker than previous models, which will make anybody happy.
Perhaps the biggest change from the previous Fire TV Stick is the remote control. While all of the buttons are the same, you now have a “Voice Control” button on top of the remote control. By pressing this button, you are allowed access to wide range of commands that take all of the grunt work out of browsing your streaming device. For instance, you can ask Alexa to “Find horror movies”, “play music from pandora”, “fast forward 5 minutes”, etc. This feature is ESPECIALLY useful given the difficulties surrounding the use of streaming devices with a remote control that doesn’t have a keyboard or mouse. It is also worth mentioning that the buttons are now made of a soft rubber material, and are easier to use.
To conclude, If you’re looking for a portable, depdnable, and easy to use streaming device, this is it. At just under $40.00, It’s hard to say no to perhaps the least expensive streaming device on the market. While I do wish that this model featured 2gb of ram for quicker browsing, 1gb is plenty for what most people will be using this device for; streaming. All in all, I would very much recommend this device!
IF you have any questions about this device, please feel free to comment. As somebody who uses Amazon almost daily, I’ll get back to you very shortly.
on October 24, 2016
I own both the new Fire and Roku stick (3600R), below is a short review and honest (personal) opinion on both products.
User Interface: the Fire stick has essentially the same UI as Fire TV (which I also own), it is largely divided by content category (Home, Video, TV, Movie, Music, Games, Photo, Apps, etc.), and integrated seamlessly with Prime eco-system. If you are already a Prime member, you will have better experience with Fire stick than Roku. Roku’s UI has the advantage of integrating more contents (Google Store, My Feed, News, etc.). Roku also allows user to make certain changes in Home screen (add/remove/move tiles), unlike Fire stick. However, both UIs are well designed, smooth. It comes down to personal preference.
Hardware/Streaming Quality: as far as I can tell, there isn’t much difference, both are powerful devices, almost no lags with either device. One of the attached pictures is a screenshot of streaming YouTube 4K content from Fire stick, the picture quality is stunning (output as 1080p).
Remote: I personally like the Fire remote, it is simple (only 7 buttons with a navigation ring), but provides all the functions you will need. I find it is both slimmer and easier to use than the Roku remote. In addition, Fire remote has a voice function, which you won’t find on Roku, this is a big plus. Also note that the Fire stick remote will work with Fire TV but you will have to "unpair" it first (please see the comment made by RoadDog on this review).
Voice Search/Alexa: Amazon has greatly improved the search function. One of the main complains of earlier versions of Fire TV/Stick is that Alexa only search Amazon contents, but not 3rd parties’ (Netflix, etc.). However, with the latest software update, the search results now show both Amazon and 3rd party. You can choose from multiple ways to watch a movie (and whether the option is free of charge is clearly indicated).
Power Cord: the USB cable came with Fire stick is about 4 feet long, it also comes with an adapter. However, I am using a 3rd party wall charger (iClever BoostCube+ 30W Dual USB Wall Charger with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0), and it worked well. In one of the pictures you can see the Fire charger output = 5.0V + 1.0A, iClever output is sufficient. It is a benefit in case you travel a lot, so that you won’t need to bring two separate chargers. One charger with two output slots will be enough for both your phone and Fire stick.
App Quality: one of the main reasons that I bought the Fire stick after I bought Roku is because the quality of Playstation Vue app on Fire system is MUCH better than Roku, from my experience there is simply no comparison. Vue app on Fire gives you much easier access to your recorded shows, live programming schedule and channel switching. Roku doesn’t have live programming schedule, and some of my recorded shows are missing. However, quality of other main apps (Netflix, YouTube, ESPN, etc.) are more or less on par between Fire and Roku.
Price: Fire stick is ~$9 cheaper
Hotel/Travel log-in: with Roku, you will need a separate mobile device (phone) to connect to a specific WiFi network established by the stick, then open up a browser and log in (normally with room# and last name). Often it took me several tries to establish the connection. With Fire stick, no need for a separate device, you will go to "Settings/System/Network" and press the "option" button on the remote, an on-screen cursor would appear, which allows you to log in as if you are using a laptop. I found the "Fire" way simpler and more intuitive.
Physical Appearance: in fact, this is the only category I’d put Roku on top of Fire stick. The new Fire stick (1.2 x 3.4in) is much larger than Roku (you can see from the picture), it is even larger than the first generation Fire stick. This really surprised me as I thought the trend is to make them smaller. I also prefer that Roku put the power slot at the end of stick, while Fire stick put it right in the middle, which is really awkward.
In short, if you are a Prime member and use Playstation Vue, I’d highly recommend the new Fire stick.
User Interface: the Fire stick has essentially the same UI as Fire TV (which I also own), it is largely divided by content category (Home, Video, TV, Movie, Music, Games, Photo, Apps, etc.), and integrated seamlessly with Prime eco-system. If you are already a Prime member, you will have better experience with Fire stick than Roku. Roku’s UI has the advantage of integrating more contents (Google Store, My Feed, News, etc.). Roku also allows user to make certain changes in Home screen (add/remove/move tiles), unlike Fire stick. However, both UIs are well designed, smooth. It comes down to personal preference.
Hardware/Streaming Quality: as far as I can tell, there isn’t much difference, both are powerful devices, almost no lags with either device. One of the attached pictures is a screenshot of streaming YouTube 4K content from Fire stick, the picture quality is stunning (output as 1080p).
Remote: I personally like the Fire remote, it is simple (only 7 buttons with a navigation ring), but provides all the functions you will need. I find it is both slimmer and easier to use than the Roku remote. In addition, Fire remote has a voice function, which you won’t find on Roku, this is a big plus. Also note that the Fire stick remote will work with Fire TV but you will have to "unpair" it first (please see the comment made by RoadDog on this review).
Voice Search/Alexa: Amazon has greatly improved the search function. One of the main complains of earlier versions of Fire TV/Stick is that Alexa only search Amazon contents, but not 3rd parties’ (Netflix, etc.). However, with the latest software update, the search results now show both Amazon and 3rd party. You can choose from multiple ways to watch a movie (and whether the option is free of charge is clearly indicated).
Power Cord: the USB cable came with Fire stick is about 4 feet long, it also comes with an adapter. However, I am using a 3rd party wall charger (iClever BoostCube+ 30W Dual USB Wall Charger with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0), and it worked well. In one of the pictures you can see the Fire charger output = 5.0V + 1.0A, iClever output is sufficient. It is a benefit in case you travel a lot, so that you won’t need to bring two separate chargers. One charger with two output slots will be enough for both your phone and Fire stick.
App Quality: one of the main reasons that I bought the Fire stick after I bought Roku is because the quality of Playstation Vue app on Fire system is MUCH better than Roku, from my experience there is simply no comparison. Vue app on Fire gives you much easier access to your recorded shows, live programming schedule and channel switching. Roku doesn’t have live programming schedule, and some of my recorded shows are missing. However, quality of other main apps (Netflix, YouTube, ESPN, etc.) are more or less on par between Fire and Roku.
Price: Fire stick is ~$9 cheaper
Hotel/Travel log-in: with Roku, you will need a separate mobile device (phone) to connect to a specific WiFi network established by the stick, then open up a browser and log in (normally with room# and last name). Often it took me several tries to establish the connection. With Fire stick, no need for a separate device, you will go to "Settings/System/Network" and press the "option" button on the remote, an on-screen cursor would appear, which allows you to log in as if you are using a laptop. I found the "Fire" way simpler and more intuitive.
Physical Appearance: in fact, this is the only category I’d put Roku on top of Fire stick. The new Fire stick (1.2 x 3.4in) is much larger than Roku (you can see from the picture), it is even larger than the first generation Fire stick. This really surprised me as I thought the trend is to make them smaller. I also prefer that Roku put the power slot at the end of stick, while Fire stick put it right in the middle, which is really awkward.
In short, if you are a Prime member and use Playstation Vue, I’d highly recommend the new Fire stick.
TOP 500 REVIEWERon December 8, 2016
I am SO GLAD I bought this Fire TV Stick with Alexa. It has literally made my life happier. As I write this review I'm listening to "soft classic rock". All I had to do was say..."Play soft classic rock" and music started playing. For people like me who are elderly, tech illiterate, perhaps disabled, and who love music, movies, and TV shows, let me explain a few things. I've been looking at this stick for some time now but was scared to buy it. Then one day I said...the heck with it...I'm not stupid...I can read instructions...if it doesn't work for me I can send it back...I have nothing to lose and it's affordable. So I purchased a fire stick...yea me...lol.
This is NOT complicated to hook up AT ALL and there are very clear instructions that anyone can understand. The box you get includes power adapter, a cable, and extender cable, the fire stick, 2 batteries for the remote, and an Alexa Voice Remote. It's as simple as can be. First of all the instructions say the extender cable is to improve WiFi and remote performance so I used it. Why not..better is always better..lol. So...I plugged one end of the power cable into the power adapter and the other end of the cable into the fire stick. Then I plugged the fire stick into the HDMI extender cable and then plugged that into the TV. I have a wide screen Sanyo. When you stick your head around the left side of our TV you see three places to plug "things" into. They're called ports...lol. Mine are marked HDMI 1, 2, and 3. I just plugged the stick into port HDMI 1. Last, I plugged the adapter into the wall socket and that was it. That's it. THAT'S IT!!!! That's ALL I had to do. Read the short instructions to connect this fire stick. Turn on your TV and then follow the instructions that appear on your screen. The Fire Stick does the rest.
Obviously you can watch movies and TV shows as explained in the description but there's so much more. Ask Alexa what the weather is for the day in your home town or where your kids live across the country. I love music but somehow got away from listening to it over the years. Not anymore. There's always music in our house now. Just turn on the TV and tell Alexa what to play. This time I pressed the button and said..."play soft rock". Alexa said..."here's a station that plays soft rock". The first station didn't appeal to me so I pressed the button again and said "next". I got another soft classic rock station that's been playing for over an hour now. I've been listening to songs I used to love and haven't heard in a long time. How I love "Hotel California". They call them stations but it only plays music...no commercials or chatter...one song plays after the other. Also a box shows on the screen that gives you the name of the song playing and the artist. You can ask for any kind of music from classical, to rock, to alternative, to show tunes.
I'm still learning. I know there's more I can do with this and it will get easier to find exactly what I'm looking for as I play around with it. I bought mine during the introductory promotion for the "All-New" version...think it was $29.95. Now it's $10 more but still worth every cent. Don't hesitate to buy it because you think it's too complicated. They really made a good little device here and it's very easy to use for anyone who has a TV and WiFi which you probably have if you have a computer.
This is NOT complicated to hook up AT ALL and there are very clear instructions that anyone can understand. The box you get includes power adapter, a cable, and extender cable, the fire stick, 2 batteries for the remote, and an Alexa Voice Remote. It's as simple as can be. First of all the instructions say the extender cable is to improve WiFi and remote performance so I used it. Why not..better is always better..lol. So...I plugged one end of the power cable into the power adapter and the other end of the cable into the fire stick. Then I plugged the fire stick into the HDMI extender cable and then plugged that into the TV. I have a wide screen Sanyo. When you stick your head around the left side of our TV you see three places to plug "things" into. They're called ports...lol. Mine are marked HDMI 1, 2, and 3. I just plugged the stick into port HDMI 1. Last, I plugged the adapter into the wall socket and that was it. That's it. THAT'S IT!!!! That's ALL I had to do. Read the short instructions to connect this fire stick. Turn on your TV and then follow the instructions that appear on your screen. The Fire Stick does the rest.
Obviously you can watch movies and TV shows as explained in the description but there's so much more. Ask Alexa what the weather is for the day in your home town or where your kids live across the country. I love music but somehow got away from listening to it over the years. Not anymore. There's always music in our house now. Just turn on the TV and tell Alexa what to play. This time I pressed the button and said..."play soft rock". Alexa said..."here's a station that plays soft rock". The first station didn't appeal to me so I pressed the button again and said "next". I got another soft classic rock station that's been playing for over an hour now. I've been listening to songs I used to love and haven't heard in a long time. How I love "Hotel California". They call them stations but it only plays music...no commercials or chatter...one song plays after the other. Also a box shows on the screen that gives you the name of the song playing and the artist. You can ask for any kind of music from classical, to rock, to alternative, to show tunes.
I'm still learning. I know there's more I can do with this and it will get easier to find exactly what I'm looking for as I play around with it. I bought mine during the introductory promotion for the "All-New" version...think it was $29.95. Now it's $10 more but still worth every cent. Don't hesitate to buy it because you think it's too complicated. They really made a good little device here and it's very easy to use for anyone who has a TV and WiFi which you probably have if you have a computer.
on May 24, 2017
Bought this around Christmas. Used it just a couple times...literally. Unfortunately I went to turn it on after only having it for 5 months and it would not power on. I went through all the troubleshooting online and nothing worked. Called Amazon tech support, but no luck getting it to work. They came back to me and said that they could only give me a $20 credit and not the full $39.99 I paid for it. I looked into the warranty on those Amazon products and it states a year warranty. Not happy Amazon. I've always had good things to say about Amazon, but I probably won't buy Amazon Kindle/Fire products anymore because you won't honor your warranty.
on May 21, 2017
My Alexa stick quit working about 6 months, was then told it only has a 90 day warranty, which after 15 minutes and being guided by an Amazon supervisor I found the fine print at the bottom of a page about warranty info. So this Prime member , of several years was told you are out of luck. Who would of thought an electronic product you buy would deal out after 6 months and Company refuses to stand behind it. Such a disappointment in Amazon
on May 21, 2017
Better than any smart tv OS. Hands down better than roku. Chromecast isn't even a contender, unless you really enjoy being tethered to your phone for the purpose of watching t.v.
If your at all tech savvy and can read simple instructions google will have you side loading apps like KODI in no time.
I have 3 of these in my house. The only tv we pay for is Netflix and HBO Now. We have a prime account so also get prime video, but that's just a benefit of a subscription we already want and have.
If your at all tech savvy and can read simple instructions google will have you side loading apps like KODI in no time.
I have 3 of these in my house. The only tv we pay for is Netflix and HBO Now. We have a prime account so also get prime video, but that's just a benefit of a subscription we already want and have.
on May 23, 2017
I was very excited to finally receive this item after it being back-ordered for a few weeks. When it arrived, I started to go thru the set up instructions. About halfway thru, it would not proceed. I thought it may have been my tv since it's a little older and freezes sometimes, so I shut it off and waited a few days. When I came back to it,I realized, after the buttons worked 3 times, that it was the remote that was not functioning. I replaced the batteries with brand new ones and it still didn't work. I'm quite disappointed. And even more so that there's no easy way that I can tell to return JUST the remote instead of the whole item. I'm not sure how long I will have to wait for a replacement.
If/when I receive a replacement, I will update my review.
If/when I receive a replacement, I will update my review.
on January 9, 2017
Kind of a clunky device since t needs to be plugged in for power and HDMI. The interface is confusing because I have a smart TV that also has Amazon built in and sometimes it's hard to know which Amazon device I'm using and to use the correct remote. My main reason was to use this device to mirror from my tablet and phone. The connection is not smooth and the picture quality drops significantly when mirroring from android tablet or iPhone. Overall, the fire stick does not meet my needs to cast videos easily and clearly.
on May 28, 2017
Amazon's Fire TV Stick is one of the best streaming devices I have used so far. I had used almost all of the streaming devices available: Apple TV, Roku unit and stick, and Google Chrome. The interface is simple and easy to navigate. It comes with Alexa Voice assistant as an added feature. The craftsmanship is top-notch; the stick comes with an extension cable to boost wi-fi signal strength and the remote control feels good in your hands. The remote comes with batteries and has just enough buttons to help you navigate to your desired channel.
The set-up is extremely simple and takes only few minutes. You do have to log-in with your existing Amazon account or you would have to create one if you are a new user. If you have Amazon Prime, then you have the access to all of your Prime benefits on your fingertips. This is a must have for anyone who uses Amazon!
The set-up is extremely simple and takes only few minutes. You do have to log-in with your existing Amazon account or you would have to create one if you are a new user. If you have Amazon Prime, then you have the access to all of your Prime benefits on your fingertips. This is a must have for anyone who uses Amazon!
