Amazon Fire TV Stick With Alexa Voice Remote
The Amazon Fire TV Stick is an affordable full featured media streamer handy for anyone who wants to advance their 1080p TV experience without switching to 4K. In our Amazon Fire Stick with Alexa Voice Remote review we look at what this new gadget has to offer; the device has been enhanced to allow TV control as well as other new capabilities.
FEATURES
- Review price – $39.99
- Alexa
- HDMI extension cable
- Micro USB cable
- USB power adapter
DISCUSSION
The new Alexa Voice Remote included with the Fire TV Stick is the same one that comes with the Fire TV Stick 4K and Fire TV Cube. The new product maintains the same simple flat black plastic wand design from the previous voice remote, but adds three new controls. To start with the basic design, the remote is dominated by a round direction pad with a large select button in the middle. A microphone button and pinhole mic sits above the pad, along with a new power button. Menu and playback controls sit below the navigation pad, with a volume rocker and mute button below them. The Alexa Voice Remote has a similar design to that found on the Fire Cube, except the new model has these three new controls.
The power, mute, and volume up/down buttons collaborate with the infrared emitter on the front of the remote to directly operate your TV. This allows a wide array of televisions to be compatible with the new Amazon gadget. Immediately, the Fire Stick ascertains the sort of TV you’re using(through an automated process that involves pointing your remote directly at the TV). The remote can be used to switch your TV off and on, mute the TV, or adjust the volume.The remote does not offer standard functionality of a television remote; it only offers the functionality described above.
If you would rather operate the Fire TV Stick with your tablet or smartphone, the Amazon Fire TV Remote app for Android and iOS is available for download. It offers a number of playback controls, voice search functions, an onscreen keyboard, and a menu navigation touchpad.
The Fire TV Stick also comes with a short HDMI extender cable useful for recessed television ports, a pair of AAA batteries for the remote, a USB power adapter, and a micro USB cable. Amazon utilizes an immensely altered version of Android, like it does with its other Fire TV systems. It’s identical to Android’s TV interface, with huge icon rows displaying content and apps, organised in separate categories such as “suggested shows” and “most recent picks”. It’s simple to navigate and user friendly.
The Fire TV Stick is the same as other Fire TV devices and utilizes a condensed version of Amazon’s app store for all of its services and apps, instead of routing through the Google store. Hulu, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon are all offered as streaming services through Fire TV Stick. Even before installing any apps, Amazon Prime subscribers get access to many advantages added onto the Fire TV Stick. Amazon videos can be accessed directly from the stick’s interface, allowing you to quickly watch any Prime content.
Prime Music also offers a variety of music albums accessible with your membership, and for an extra $7.99 monthly, you can get the Amazon Music Unlimited library. Any inadequacies in the Fire TV app store are compensated by the formidable voice assistant and search capabilities. By pressing down on the remote’s mic button, you can speak into it to search for shows, movies, or apps. To use it hands free, pair it with any Echo device. However, the hands free function may be limited due to the fact that the remote needs to be directed at the TV.
Regarding Alexa, the voice assistant can search (among different apps and services) based on movie/show titles, director/actor names, as well as broad themes/genres. Be warned, however, that if your commands are not clear, your results may be unpredictable. Alexa can also find out sports scores, add things to your shopping list, check the weather, and check Wikipedia.
The Fire TV Stick, due to it being more than a speaker, can display visual content according to your commands, just like the Echo Spot and Echo Show. The voice recognition on the device is responsive and very impressive for a streaming device costing only $39.99. Performance is swift. It’s assisted by a quad-core processor that noticeably quickens navigation and loading, more so than the former model of the Fire Stick.
CONCLUSION
The Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote is worth the buy for users looking to upgrade their viewing experience. It’s easy on the budget, and the new Alexa remote functions makes it stand out even more.
