Amazon announces $39 Fire TV Stick to take on Chromecast, Prime members can get it for just $19

| Oct 27 2014 - 6:39 am PT

Amazon is following up its $99 Fire TV streaming media player with a $39 streaming HDMI stick, which is similar to Google Chromecast (reg. $35, on sale for $28 w/ $5 credit) and Roku Stick ($49).

According to Amazon, the Fire TV Stick has 4 times as much storage (8GB) and 2 times as much memory (1GB) of Chromecast. It’s also the only one of the big three streaming sticks that packs a Dual-core processor, which Amazon says “results in faster and more fluid navigation.”

Fire TV Stick includes a physical remote, which doubles as a gaming controller. Aditionally, for a $30 up-charge, you can outfit your Fire TV Stick with a voice remote to take advantage of Voice Search. A free remote app is also available now for Android and will be landing on iOS shortly.

Available streaming content includes: Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, NBA Game Time, Prime Music, Pandora, Spotify, and more for instant access to shows like Transparent, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Game of Thrones, and The Wire—plus the largest selection of movies and TV episodes to rent or buy from Amazon Instant Video.

ASAP (Advanced Streaming and Prediction) allows for instant streaming by automatically buffering videos the Fire TV Stick predicts you’ll want to watch. Amazon also promises future support for WiFi networks with captive portals like hotels, airports, college dorms, and more.

First TV Stick is available for preorder now for $39, but Prime members (free trial) can get it for just $19 for the next two days.

Full press release follows…

Introducing Fire TV Stick: The Most Powerful Streaming Media Stick—Just $39

Powerful hardware—dual-core processor, 2x the memory of Chromecast, dual-band, dual-antenna (MIMO) Wi-Fi, and exclusive features like ASAP for instant streaming

Best of both worlds: included remote control means simple and easy navigation, plus you can use your phone as a remote with the free mobile app that includes voice search

Simple and easy to use—features Amazon Fire TV’s award-winning user interface—just plug it in and you’re ready to stream in minutes

Vast selection of the most popular video and music services, including Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, NBA Game Time, Prime Music, Pandora, Spotify, and more for instant access to shows like Transparent, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Game of Thrones, and The Wire—plus the largest selection of movies and TV episodes to rent or buy from Amazon Instant Video

Fling or mirror content from your phone or tablet directly to Fire TV Stick

For two days only: as a thank you to new and existing Prime members, Fire TV Stick is just $19

SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oct. 27, 2014– (NASDAQ: AMZN)—Less than seven months ago, Amazon introduced Amazon Fire TV, and it quickly became the best-selling streaming media box on Amazon. Today, Amazon is bringing the same experience customers love about Amazon Fire TV—ease of use, great performance, and vast selection—to a smaller and even more affordable device. Introducing Fire TV Stick, a small stick that connects to the HDMI port on your HDTV for instant access to movies, TV shows, music, photos, apps, and games. Fire TV Stick is just $39 and is available for pre-order starting today at www.amazon.com/fire-tv-stick and will ship November 19. As a thank you to new and existing Prime members, Fire TV Stick is available for two days only for just $19 on Amazon.com.

“Fire TV Stick is the most powerful streaming media stick available—a dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of storage, dual-band and dual-antenna Wi-Fi, included remote control, voice search with our free mobile app, easy set-up, an open ecosystem, and exclusive features like ASAP for instant streaming,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. “The team has packed an unbelievable amount of power and selection into an incredible price point—Fire TV Stick is just $39.”

Fire TV Stick delivers instant access to a vast selection of content, including the most popular video and music services such as 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.com, and more. The number of video services and games available on Amazon Fire TV has tripled in just seven months, with more services and games being added every week. You can also rent or purchase over 200,000 movies and TV episodes from Amazon Instant Video, which has the world’s largest selection of videos to rent or buy, including new releases and blockbusters.

Amazon Fire TV Stick features:

The most powerful streaming media stick—Dual-core processor, 1 GB RAM, and 8 GB storage for fast and fluid navigation and instant search results. Fire TV Stick has 50% more processing power and 2x the memory of Chromecast; it has 6x the processing power, 2x the memory, and 32x the storage of Roku Streaming Stick—this results in faster and more fluid navigation, plus more storage for apps and games. It delivers stunning 1080p HD video and immersive audio with Dolby Digital Plus surround sound. All of this power comes in an incredibly small package—Fire TV Stick is the size of a pack of gum.
Simple to set-up and easy to use—Arrives pre-registered so you can simply plug it in and start streaming in minutes. Features the same fast and fluid user interface as Amazon Fire TV, with big, beautiful images and easy-to-discover content.
Includes a remote control—Customers have told us they want to use a remote control, not just their phones, to watch TV. Now, everyone in the household can watch movies and TV shows without borrowing your phone—use the included remote to easily navigate and discover movies, TV shows, apps, and games.
Free Fire TV Remote App (with Voice Search)—If you prefer to navigate using your phone as a remote control, the Fire TV Remote App for Fire phone, Android phones, and coming soon to iPhone, lets you navigate and manage playback from your phone. The app also features voice search that actually works—it is powered by the same voice search engine as Amazon Fire TV, enabling you to simply speak the name of a movie, TV show, actor, director, or genre into your phone, and you’re done.
Fast, reliable streaming—Fire TV Stick features dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi with MIMO for fast and reliable streaming. Chromecast only has single-band, single-antenna Wi-Fi.
Instant streaming with ASAP—No more waiting for your movies and TV shows to buffer—ASAP (Advanced Streaming and Prediction) predicts which movies and TV episodes you’ll want to watch and buffers them for playback before you even hit play so videos start instantly.
Fling movies and TV shows from your phone or tablet—Fling movies and TV shows from your Fire tablet or Fire phone to Fire TV Stick, turning your TV into the primary screen and freeing up your phone or tablet to provide playback controls, a customized display for X-Ray, or simply a place to email, browse the web, and more, while you watch a movie. Fire TV Stick supports standards like DIAL so you can also fling services like YouTube, Spotify, and coming soon, Netflix, from your Android phone or iPhone.
Mirror your phone or tablet display—Wirelessly mirror your tablet display to your Fire TV Stick from Fire tablets, Fire phone, and Miracast-enabled phones or tablets including devices from Motorola, Samsung, LG, and Google without any additional apps or software.
X-Ray for movies and TV shows—Using Second Screen on your Fire tablet or Fire phone, you can see X-Ray information as your movie or TV show plays on your TV via Fire TV Stick. See information about cast and crew, the names of songs as they play, as well as a list of music in the movie or TV show, trivia items in context with the action on the screen, and character backstories so you can easily remind yourself of the character’s history. X-Ray is exclusive to Amazon and is powered by IMDb.
X-Ray for music—Lyrics display and scroll line-by-line automatically as the song plays, so you can follow along with songs.
Great for casual gaming—Play your favorite casual games like Monsters University, Ski Safari, and Flappy Birds Family.
Personal photos and videos—Play slide shows and choose your favorite album for the screen-saver on Fire TV Stick. Photos or videos you take on your phone or tablet can be automatically uploaded to Amazon Cloud Drive, so they appear on your Fire TV Stick.

Fire TV Stick is not a gadget—it’s a seamlessly integrated service that brings together the features customers expect from Amazon, including:

Whispersync—Amazon’s Whispersync technology saves and synchronizes your video and music library across all of your devices. Start watching a movie on your phone or tablet, and when you get home, pick up where you left off on your TV. For games that support Whispersync, your place in the game will also sync across devices so you can always pick up where you left off.
Watch on hundreds of devices—When you buy a movie or TV show on Amazon, you can watch it on hundreds of devices, including iOS, Android, and Fire OS devices.
Worry-Free Archive—Automatically backs up your Amazon digital content in the cloud so you never need to worry about losing your collection.
Top-Rated, World-Class Customer Service—When a customer shops on Amazon, buys a Fire TV Stick, or buys digital content from Amazon, they know that they are also getting Amazon’s world-class customer service. Customers with a Fire HDX tablet or Fire phone can also use the Mayday button to receive 24×7, free, live, on-device tech support for all their Amazon devices.
Free Month of Amazon Prime—Amazon continues to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to bring Prime members new movies, TV shows, songs, and books to enjoy at no additional cost. Prime members enjoy unlimited, commercial-free, instant streaming of tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes with Prime Instant Video. Eligible customers get a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime when they purchase Fire TV Stick.

Fire TV Stick is available starting today for just $39—order at www.amazon.com/fire-tv-stick. As a thank you to Prime members, Fire TV Stick is available for two days only for just $19 on Amazon.com. Customers who are new to Prime can sign up for a free trial and also receive this special price.

You can also choose to upgrade to the Amazon Fire TV Voice Remote for $29.99.

Eligible customers get a free 30-day trial of Netflix and Amazon Prime when they purchase Fire TV Stick.

Images of Fire TV Stick are available at www.amazon.com/pr/devicesandcontent.

About Amazon

Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire phone, Fire tablets, and Fire TV are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon.

Amazon Prime Members Save $20 on Fire TV Stick
Exclusive offer for Amazon Prime members: get the all-new Fire TV Stick for just $19. If you’re not a Prime member yet, sign up for your free 30-day trial then purchase Fire TV Stick to get this special price. Add it to your cart and the discount will appear at checkout. Hurry, this offer is good for two days only.

Terms and Conditions: Offer expires at 6:00 a.m. (PT) October 29, 2014. Offer limited to two per customer and account while supplies last; may be limited to one per customer and account if indicated on the Fire TV Stick page. Offer only applies to new Fire TV Sticks sold and shipped by Amazon Digital Services. If you do not purchase a qualifying product while the promotion is in effect, the offer will not apply. Offer does not apply to digital content. Offer good while supplies last. Shipping charges may apply to discounted and free promotional items. Offer may not be combined with other offers. Amazon reserves the right to modify or cancel the offer at any time. Offer is non-transferable and may not be resold. Offer discount will be allocated proportionally among all promotional items in your order. Offer valid for customers located and with billing addresses in the United States. Does not apply to orders placed with 1-Click. If any of the products related to this offer are returned, we will subtract the value of your promotional discount from your return credit, and returns are subject to applicable refund policies. If you violate any of these terms, the offer will be invalid.

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