Streaming technology and its related devices are a hot commodity, and Amazon are the latest to get in on the action in a big way. They recently revealed and released Fire TV, a box meant to stream shows and movies to your TV, as well as play games and music.
It retails for $99 and seems promising, but what did the initial reviews have to say? Read the excerpts below to get a feel for the general reception for Amazon's device, and decide for yourself if it's something you're interested in.
CNET, 7.8/10: "The Good: The Amazon Fire TV is best way to watch Amazon Instant movies and TV yet, and Prime subscribers can stream thousands of titles for no additional charge. Voice-search feature is cool and works well. The interface is zippy, and Amazon content streams lightning-fast. Supported third-party apps include Netflix, YouTube, Hulu Plus, Watch ESPN, and Pandora, as well as hundreds of games. Amazon also offers flexible parental controls, and the kid-friendly Free Time platform is coming to the Fire TV soon. And setup is incredibly simple."
"The Bad: The user interface strongly favors Amazon Instant content over other services, and the voice-search feature doesn't comb through Netflix or most other non-Amazon apps. Some major apps are missing, including HBO Go and Spotify. The $99 price feels relatively expensive, especially since you really need the $40 Fire Game Controller and a Prime subscription to get the most out of the box."
The Verge, 8.8/10: "For all that the Fire TV offers in performance and auxiliary features, it doesn't do anything to push the envelope, to truly give you a reason to cut the cord if you're on the fence. The Fire TV doesn't give me access to any more channels or content (and in some cases, it has less) than I could get with a Roku, an Apple TV, or even a Chromecast. (Amazon's own content is even accessible on the Roku.)
"Thanks to features such as X-Ray, voice search, photo and music integration, the Fire TV is by far the best way to watch content from Amazon's own Instant Video service. Add in the fun and engaging games, fast performance, and access to much of the same content and services you get on the other platforms, and it's easy to see why the Fire TV replaces the Roku 3 as my set top box recommendation. But it doesn't give its best features to its whole ecosystem, and if you already own an Apple TV or a Roku or a Chromecast, there's little reason to invest in Amazon's option."
Gizmodo, No Score Given: "Voice search is never not amazing. You almost dare it to mess up, trying the most complicated names you can think of. Literally the only name Fire TV couldn't get right was Darren Aronofsky (Erin Off Ski), which still manages to be in the ballpark.
Fire TV's quad-core processor makes for browsing at breakneck speeds. Load times? Haha, what load time? When you select a movie, the movie starts instantly. Anytime you click home, you go home instantly. Fire TV is faster than any smart TV interface or streaming device I've laid eyes on."
"Fire TV doesn't have HBO Go. That is bad, bad, bad in an environment where almost every other streaming device you might consider-any of the Rokus, Apple TV, or Chromecast-already have it. That doesn't mean it won't come eventually, but there's no word as to how long you might be waiting.... More features and more horsepower are rarely a bad thing, but in this case it's driven the price of Fire TV much higher than one might have expected from an Amazon product. In a world full of $35 Chromecasts and $50 Roku sticks-which definitely can't do as much as Fire TV, but can arguably do more than enough-forking over $100 for the ability to play some biggie-sized tablet games is a tough sell."
Mashable, No Score Given, Mashable Choice Award 2014: "Some of the negative reviews on Amazon.com for the Fire TV lament the lack of access to local media files and the inability to connect to an external USB device. To those users, I say: I understand your frustration (although Plex for Android is available and that's one solution), but the Fire TV isn't being billed as that type of device.
The Fire TV has the potential to be tweaked, hacked and customized beyond any other major streaming box on the market, but it is very clearly meant for people who want to enjoy streaming content from a variety of services, along with the ability to play games on their television. The Fire TV achieves those goals beautifully, especially at $99."
