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Amazon Fire TV Cube vs. Roku Ultra: Which streamer is better?
Amazon and Roku’s most powerful streaming devices battle it out
If you are in the market for a powerful media streamer for your 4K or 8K TV, it’s tricky to choose between Amazon’s Fire TV Cube and Roku’s Ultra, as both are capable and excellent streaming devices. Of course, the inclusion of smart speaker functionality in the Fire TV Cube sets it apart from the Roku Ultra. But even beyond that, the two have their own advantages and drawbacks in terms of pure streaming capabilities. So, we are pitting the Fire TV Cube against the Roku Ultra to help you decide which is the better media streamer for you.
Amazon's latest Fire TV Cube is ready to go head-to-head with Nvidia's Shield TV
HDMI-in and Super Resolution Upscaling make this box a tempting buy
Amazon just wrapped its annual fall hardware event, where — among all sorts of other gadgets — it unveiled the stylus-equipped Kindle Scribe and a whole slate of new Echo speakers. Of course, the Fire TV platform remains a dominant force in the living room, and today, one of its oldest gadgets is finally getting a refresh. No, we aren't seeing yet another Fire TV Stick. Today, it's the Fire TV Cube's turn, as it finally goes head-to-head with the Nvidia Shield.
Grab a Fire TV Stick on sale right now and get free Sling TV to last through March Madness
Most of the tournament, anyways
If you want over-the-top streaming TV, you'll know that procurement is an adventure in and of itself. There's the question of platform — Roku, Google TV, the like — and which providers you'll add on top — YouTube TV, Netflix, everything else. For those in search right now, we'll make it easy: Amazon is selling its Fire TV devices on great discount and is bundling two weeks of Sling TV for free in time for March Madness!
Amazon's 4K TV streaming stick so cheap right now you can't afford not to buy one
They're pretty much all on sale, starting at $18
It wouldn't be Prime Day if Amazon weren't discounting all of its own hardware. If you've been waiting to upgrade your streaming experience, the entire lineup of Fire TV gadgets is on sale. Whether you're switching from another platform or adding Netflix to your bedroom TV, there's a little something for everyone.newsIf you're just looking for the best deal of the bunch, the 4K version of the Fire TV Stick is for you. At $25, it's 50% off its usual price. Even if you don't have a 4K TV yet, it's worth it alone just to keep your gear futureproofed. This model includes an Alexa-equipped remote, complete with volume and power controls, and supports Dolby Vision.
Anyone with a Fire TV can sign up for Amazon's Luna game-streaming service now
It's becoming easier to get in on the Early Access program
Amazon Luna is creeping up on Stadia when it comes to availability. The company has announced that the platform is now available for anyone interested who owns a Fire TV, departing from its initial invite-only approach to distributing the service. Luna still remains in its Early Access phase, though.New customers can download the Luna app on their Fire TV and sign up for a 7-day free trial without having to wait for approval. This broadens the service's availability and makes it much easier to get in on the action, especially if you already own a compatible Fire TV. Amazon has also announced that its controller can now be purchased without an invitation on Amazon.com/LunaController. But you can just connect your existing compatible Bluetooth controller to your Fire TV if you already have one.Amazon's approach to game streaming is a little different from Google's. Instead of an optional Pro tier with occasional free games and 4K streams, Amazon offers a flat fee that gives you access to a selection of games. There's a $5.99/month Luna Plus tier and a $14.99 Ubisoft+ channel that gives you access to many premium Ubisoft titles. The service is also available on select Android phones as well as on Windows, Mac, and iOS.Source: Amazon
Fire TV update lets you quickly check your security camera feed without pausing the show
Watch people invade your home while watching Home Invaders
Amazon just started sending out a big home screen redesign to Fire TV devices, but that's not all the new stuff that's coming. Owners of the second-gen Fire TV Cube, 2020 4K Toshiba Fire TV, and 2020 4K Insignia Fire TV will soon be able to view their security camera feeds in picture-in-picture mode without interrupting the content currently playing.
Fire TV gets its biggest update ever, with an emphasis on content discovery and personalization
Better Alexa integration, personalized recommendations, individual user profiles, and more
Amazon announced a bunch of new hardware back in September, but the company also teased a brand-new Fire TV experience. Now the update appears to be rolling out to select Fire TV devices, and it promises to be the most significant software upgrade yet, delivering plenty of new features that make it easier to watch what you love.
Fire TV now has access to free local news in 12 cities
Because more news is just what everyone wants right now
Amazon's Fire TV platform offers plenty of entertainment options, and now the list is expanding to include content a little closer to home. The Fire TV news app is rolling out live and on-demand local news to 12 major cities across the nation.
You can now attach a webcam to your Fire TV Cube to enjoy video calls on the big screen
Plus Fire TV is getting tighter integration with Alexa and the Ring Video Doorbell
The holidays are upon us, and video calling is more important than ever these days for staying in touch with loved ones. Amazon is making that easier for users with the second-gen Fire TV Cube by enabling a new feature that lets a webcam be connected to the device for two-way video chatting on your TV — and the company also has new Alexa and Ring features coming to Fire TV.
Alexa Routines have been around for years, but they’ve been getting some nice upgrades in recent months. While they can already integrate a whole bunch of supported smart home devices from various brands, Amazon’s own Fire TV dongles have surprisingly been missing from the equation. Amazon is finally doing something about that by bringing Fire TV integration to Alexa Routines.Now you can set up a routine for your movie night that will pause your Fire TV and turn on your lights with a single command. And when you get back, another routine can dim the lights and start playing the film. You could also integrate these Fire TV commands with your bedtime routine to turn off the Amazon dongle and lights, and set an alarm for the morning — all in one go.You can use your imagination to come up with many more automated or voice-triggered routines involving your Fire TV devices and even share them with your friends and family.That sounds like a neat addition that will save you from giving multiple commands to Alexa. In case you’re new to this whole smart home game, Amazon’s got a handy guide to help you get started with these Routines.Source: Amazon
Amazon already had its Prime Day festivities last month, but the company apparently still has some Echo speakers it needs to clear out. Amazon has again discounted most of its hardware products, plus a few third-party devices running Fire TV.The bulk of the discounts are on Fire TV devices, including the HDMI sticks, the Fire TV Cube that looks like a Borg ship, TVs running Fire OS, various Echo Show smart speakers, and the pint-sized Echo Flex. Most of the prices are identical to what we saw on Prime Day, so if you already bought something then, you don't have to worry about missing out.
How to sideload any application to an Amazon Fire TV
Copying APKs to a Fire TV is tricker than you might think
Amazon's Fire TV devices run a heavily-modified version of Android, which means you can install some Android applications on it. While the built-in Amazon Appstore does have a wide selection of apps and games, you can still install software not available through the official store (like the Kodi Media Center) if you have the APK file.
With Halloween in the rearview mirror and November speeding like a freight train toward Thanksgiving, the official holiday shopping season will be here before you know it. To help you get a jumpstart on your wishlist, we have a sneak peek at some of the Amazon device deals leading into Black Friday.As it does every year, Amazon will be hosting a huge multi-day sale on many of its popular products, including Kindle, Ring, and Blink. You'll have to wait for the specific day to snag the products you want, but you'll be rewarded with big savings.
Staying up to date with the latest news often means having to watch the reports on time and going through parts you're not necessarily interested in. Amazon is trying to make this more engaging with a new app that curates news reports for you based on your interests.
Back in September, Amazon announced a myriad of new TV devices that would be gradually released in the following months. Among them was the revamped Fire TV cube, which is now available for purchase on the company's site.If you're unfamiliar with the product, it was initially released last year and was a combination of an Echo speaker and a regular Fire TV stick. The new device is naturally an improved version, which is designed to be twice as powerful as the previous one. It also supports what Amazon calls "Local Voice Control," which means voice commands such as "Alexa, go home" and "Alexa, select number one" work four times faster than with the older cube.The all-new Fire TV Cube is up for sale in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, and Japan, and costs $120 in America.Buy: Amazon
We're not far from the days when Amazon and Google were feuding over how YouTube was shown on Echo Show displays and not selling Chromecasts on the Amazon marketplace — in the course of the saga, both companies pulled services from their counterpart's platform. However, the pair came to terms earlier this year with an agreement that resulted in YouTube services coming back to Fire TV devices in July. Now, Amazon has taken one step further forward by welcoming YouTube TV into the fold.YouTube TV offers over 70 channels, including local stations, with unlimited cloud-based DVR and simultaneous live viewing on up to three screens per account. If one of your screens happens to be coupled with a Fire TV Stick (2nd Gen), Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Cube, or if it's an OEM-made Fire TV edition set, YouTube TV is now available on it. Get the app here.
The last YouTube service Amazon has yet to adopt is YouTube Kids. It's expected to do so by the end of the year.Source: Amazon (Medium, Appstore), Google Support
The smart TV market is fierce, but Amazon is determined to keep up with Roku, Apple, Samsung, and other rivals. Today the company announced a slew of new TV products, including an updated Fire TV Cube, more partnerships with TV manufacturers, the first Fire TV soundbar, and increased international availability.
Smart TV platforms are slowly getting better at organizing all the media services you're subscribed to. Much like how different streaming services have different shows and movies available, you might be subscribed to multiple live TV services that don't have the same channels. Amazon is rolling out an update to its Fire TV devices that organizes all your live content in one centralized location.
Setting up a new device can sometimes be time consuming, as you need to unwrap it, plug it in, and go through the installation process before you can finally use it. To smoothen these steps, Amazon has created its "Frustration-Free Setup" program with "Wi-Fi simple setup", so you won't have to spend time authenticating when launching a new Alexa-enabled device for the first time.The concept is simple: When purchasing a new compatible Echo or Fire from Amazon, the retailer automatically links it to your account. If your password was previously saved on the cloud, for example when setting up an Echo speaker, your new product won't ask for your Wi-Fi password and will instead connect to your router automatically. As you might have guessed, Wi-Fi single setup requires you to have already saved your credentials using another device, and will therefore only work when installing a new one. In case you bought your new device from a third-party retailer, the feature would still work, but you'd need to link it to your Amazon account using the Alexa app first. Lastly, the functionality requires both the new and existing devices to be on the same Wi-Fi network during installation."Wi-Fi simple setup" is not new, as it was already available on the company's smart plug, microwave, and second-generation Echos, and is now expanding to the Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Stick Basic Edition, Fire TV Stick 4K, and Fire TV Cube. Unfortunately, it doesn't work with older products, such as first-generation Echos, Echo Dots, Fire TVs, and Fire TV Sticks. Finally, should you prefer to keep your password private, you can chose to opt-out at any time.Source: AmazonVia: AFTVNews
If you're looking for a smarter way to stream the big game on your TV, you can save a few bucks on a new Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K or Fire TV Cube, which have dropped to $39.99 and $79.99, respectively.