Thanks to an unofficial build of LineageOS 18.1, the latest Android TV 11 builds can be sideloaded onto third-generation Amazon Fire TV hardware.
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Update: The app is now available on the Play Store. Link below.
At long last, HBO is bringing HBO NOW, which first launched first on the Apple TV, to Android.
Additionally, Amazon has today announced that the online-only service is now available on the company’s line of Fire tablets, and that NOW will be making its way to the Amazon Fire TV and the Fire TV Stick very soon.
Amazon has today announced that a bunch of new features are heading to the company’s Fire TV media streaming device. Coming as an over-the-air update in “the coming weeks,” the new software features expandable USB storage, the ability to connect to WiFi connections that require web authentication, private listening on Fire TV, a new hidden PIN entry screen, the ability to search Prime Playlists, new shortcuts, and more.
Some of these features are coming to the company’s more compact Fire TV Stick device in a couple of weeks, too. While expandable USB storage and private listening seem to be only coming to the standard Fire TV due to hardware restraints, the new WiFi features, Prime Playlists, hidden PIN entry screen, and shortcuts seem to be coming to the Chromecast-competitor as well.
Additionally, Amazon has also announced today that the Fire TV Stick is coming to a couple new European countries—UK and Germany— on April 15th.
SEATTLE—March 24, 2015—(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon today announced new features are coming to the best-selling Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick. These features will be delivered as part of a free, over-the-air software update in the coming weeks. Amazon also announced today that Fire TV Stick is now available in the UK and Germany, joining the #1-selling streaming media box, Amazon Fire TV.
“Customer response to Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick has been overwhelming—we’ve been working hard to build more of both as quickly as possible, and we’re excited to be adding new features we think customers will love,” said Peter Larsen, Vice President, Amazon Devices. “In the UK and Germany, Fire TV is already the best-selling streaming media box on Amazon, and we’re thrilled to be bringing our fastest-selling Amazon device ever—Fire TV Stick—to the UK and Germany. We think millions of customers in the UK and Germany are going to love this product.”
New features coming as part of the free, over-the-air software update include:
- Expandable USB storage on Amazon Fire TV—You can now use a connected USB mass storage device to expand your Fire TV storage for downloaded apps and games—this enables you to have more games downloaded for easy access.
- Connect to your hotel or dorm room Wi-Fi with captive portal support out of the box—Take your favorite movies, TV shows, games, and more with you away from home—Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick are the first streaming media devices to enable you to connect to Wi-Fi that requires web authentication—this includes Wi-Fi at most major hotels, as well as some universities.
- Private listening on Fire TV—Enjoy favorite movies and TV shows after the kids go to sleep, without worrying about waking them up. Support for wireless Bluetooth headphones to Fire TV lets you listen to your movie, TV show, or music without bothering others in your household.
- Browse and search Prime Playlists—Prime members can now take advantage of hand-crafted Prime Music playlists directly from Fire TV and Fire TV Stick—there are hundreds of expertly curated Prime Playlists to choose from based on your mood, activity or even artist or decade of choice.
- Hidden PIN entry—With the new PIN entry screen that hides the numbers selected, you can now make sure your kids (or freeloading friends) can’t see your device PIN as you enter it on-screen to confirm a purchase on Fire TV or Fire TV Stick.
- New shortcuts—Quickly put your Fire TV or Fire TV Stick to sleep or enable display mirroring by pressing and holding the Home button on your remote.
Fire TV and Fire TV Stick are available for purchase at www.amazon.com/firetv and www.amazon.com/firetvstick. Fire TV Stick is available to order starting today in the UK and Germany—it will start shipping on April 15. Learn more at www.amazon.co.uk/firetvstick and www.amazon.de/firetvstick.
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New products & more:
HBO GO has made its way to most major platforms by now, including iOS, Chromecast, Apple TV, and more. But today, the streaming service has launched on yet another set-top box: Amazon’s Fire TV. According to Amazon, HBO GO was the most the platform’s most requested service.
Since launch, Amazon Fire TV has more than quadrupled its selection, with over 700 apps and games now available. With the addition of HBO GO, Fire TV customers now have access to over 1,700 titles including every episode of new and classic HBO series, as well as HBO original films, miniseries, sports, documentaries, specials and a wide selection of blockbuster movies.
Whether or not you plan on using the new streaming service doesn’t really matter if you don’t have a Fire TV. So if you’ve yet to get on the Fire TV bandwagon, Amazon’s trying to give you another reason. For a limited time, they’ve knocked $20 off the price of the Amazon Fire TV to celebrate the addition of HBO GO.
Fire TV owners who happen to be Spotify subscribers can now use the music streaming service on Amazon’s set-top box via controls from their smartphone or tablet. In addition to using a mobile device as a jukebox, Spotify Connect lets you seamlessly switch from Fire TV to your phone without disrupting music playback.
Amazon has announced this morning that a slew of new media apps are now available for your enjoyment on the Fire TV. On top of the platform’s already large number of apps, you can now access WATCH Disney Channel, WATCH Disney Jr., MLB.TV, Animal Planet L!ve, and the WWE Network. The company says that even more are coming though, including WATCH ABC, NFL Now, A&E, Lifetime, and more.
The press release also touts the company’s TV gaming endeavors including its exclusive deal with Rovio to bring Angry Birds Family to the Fire TV. The company says that many more apps and games are on their way to the platform, and that this is just the beginning.
New services include WATCH Disney Channel, WATCH Disney Jr., MLB.TV, Animal Planet L!ve, and WWE Network, and more are already on the way—by the end of the year TV services such as WATCH ABC, WATCH ABC Family, NFL Now, A&E, Lifetime, Outside TV, Young Hollywood, North Face TV, Fashion TV, Green TV andDailymotion will all be available to Fire TV customers.
When I was a kid, we used to watch films from the confines of an automobile at the drive-in and in order to hear the movie’s soundtrack you had to connect a low-tech doodad to your car’s antenna to broadcast audio through your stereo system. Technology sure has come a long way and the folks at ClockworkMod are putting a next-gen spin on this retro idea. The software developer is working on a new feature for its AllCast app that will let Fire TV users mute their TV’s audio and broadcast it from their smartphone. Toss in a set of headphones and you’ll be able to stay up all night watching hours of old HBO shows without disturbing anyone in your house.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon is planning to announce its first entry to the smartphone market in June. The possibility of an Amazon phone has been a long-running rumor, but recently sources claimed that the company had partnered with HTC to finally produce the device.
Following the launch of the Fire TV earlier this month, the Amazon phone will mark the second major product category the online retailer hopes to invade in 2014. The phone will presumably run Google’s Android OS, which Amazon has relied on in the past to power its Kindle Fire tablets.
The Amazon device will reportedly feature a display capable of creating 3D images without the need for glasses, according to the WSJ report:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DfrPAAaSLU]
Amazon’s new Fire TV set-top box may seem like every other solution on the market, but there’s one big difference. Fire TV has built-in gaming features that will allow you to play compatible Android games that are available within Amazon’s app store. The bad news is, if you’ve previously purchased any of the compatible titles from the Google Play Store, you’ll need to repurchase them from Amazon. Check out the video overview above for an overview and demo of Fire TV gaming.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhKZ0fQhbeg]
Amazon recently surprised us with its Fire TV set-top box, offering a native solution for customers to stream movies, music, and even play games. Fire TV will only set you back $99, and in my opinion, it’s just what Amazon needed. Instead of relying on third-party streaming solutions, Amazon now has the power to take its media services in a new direction. Take a look at our overview video above to see Fire TV in action.
