Amazon is saying that the Fire TV is "open," and indeed, Netflix and Hulu Plus are all here. Ratings come from IMDB, as do many of the X-Ray features that let you look at related info on your tablet. It's a nice idea for an ecosystem and, should Amazon pull it off across its entire library as well as it has in the stuff we've seen today, it should be a let up on the competition.
As for that competition, the Fire TV seems to be a really solid option — at least in the $99-and-less category. It feels faster and more intuitive than a Roku, it's easier for the average human to understand than a Chromecast, and the voice search on the remote is definitely nicer than pecking things out on the Apple TV. Each of those competitors has its own distinct advantages, too, so this is far from a blowout — and we'll have much more to say when we fully review it.
Looks good but once again not available in Canada. Good price point and the increased RAM and CPU over the Roku and Apple TV make it worthwhile. Hopefully it is as good as it sounds.
It doesn't really differentiate itself at all from the competition. Didn't Amazon's CEO blast the Apple TV for being 'unprofitable' at $99? If Apple can't turn a profit off their hardware with higher volumes, how the hell is Amazon going to with that CPU?
I'm actually shocked that Apple hasn't already tried to make Apple TV a pseudo-gaming device like Amazon is doing with this.
Could be a draw for the casual gaming market that don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on consoles and games like Xbox and PS.
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A few weeks after crashing head-first into the boards (denting his helmet and being unable to move for a little while) following a hit from behind by Bob Errey, the Calgary Flames player explains:
"I was like Christ, lying on my back, with my arms outstretched, crucified"
-- Frank Musil - Early January 1994
I'm actually shocked that Apple hasn't already tried to make Apple TV a pseudo-gaming device like Amazon is doing with this.
Could be a draw for the casual gaming market that don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on consoles and games like Xbox and PS.
Big refresh is supposed to come this year.
Apparently you're going to be able to play App Store games on it. I would assume you'll be able to use your phone as a controller.
I wonder if you can get this to work in Canada if you use it with UnblockUs?
AppleTV has been pretty slow in making any big changes, but gaming could be a big one. Allow people to pair their phones/ipad to it, and it can act as a controller?
I wonder if you can get this to work in Canada if you use it with UnblockUs?
AppleTV has been pretty slow in making any big changes, but gaming could be a big one. Allow people to pair their phones/ipad to it, and it can act as a controller?
Maybe I'm mistaken, but isn't that already possible? Or is that just mirroring the app to TV?
In any case, I think to make gaming a big part of it they'd have to have a dedicated controller, just like Amazon is doing. Apple would probably make a pretty nice one too.
I'm not an expert on the tech, but if Apple could make Apple tv that's got similar power to the older game consoles (PS3 or Xbox 360) it could be a real winner. Not sure if that'd be possible at a cost similar to Amazon's device. They'd sell it for far less than Xbox 1 and PS4 and I think a lot of casual gamers wouldn't mind that its got less power.
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A few weeks after crashing head-first into the boards (denting his helmet and being unable to move for a little while) following a hit from behind by Bob Errey, the Calgary Flames player explains:
"I was like Christ, lying on my back, with my arms outstretched, crucified"
-- Frank Musil - Early January 1994
Maybe I'm mistaken, but isn't that already possible? Or is that just mirroring the app to TV?
In any case, I think to make gaming a big part of it they'd have to have a dedicated controller, just like Amazon is doing. Apple would probably make a pretty nice one too.
I'm not an expert on the tech, but if Apple could make Apple tv that's got similar power to the older game consoles (PS3 or Xbox 360) it could be a real winner. Not sure if that'd be possible at a cost similar to Amazon's device. They'd sell it for far less than Xbox 1 and PS4 and I think a lot of casual gamers wouldn't mind that its got less power.
Maybe it is already there! I'm not an AppleTV user at the moment, so I guess I'm not the best source of all the features.
but being able to play the games you have already purchased on your Apple TV would be pretty slick (maybe an AppleTV user can confirm this?). If you can use your phone and/or if Apple bundles a simple bluetooth controller with AppleTV that would offer the game controls (just like Amazon), I think they'd tap into that gaming market more, especially with your suggestion of offering similar power to previous generation gaming consoles.
I've got enough invested in the Apple ecosystem that it's going to take something earth-shattering to get me to switch to a product from Amazon or Google or someone else. My iTunes library is full of movies and tv shows I would want to access using new hardware. I suspect I'm not alone.
I've got enough invested in the Apple ecosystem that it's going to take something earth-shattering to get me to switch to a product from Amazon or Google or someone else. My iTunes library is full of movies and tv shows I would want to access using new hardware. I suspect I'm not alone.
quit hoarding mp3's and everything else library years ago after wasting time managing.
I've got enough invested in the Apple ecosystem that it's going to take something earth-shattering to get me to switch to a product from Amazon or Google or someone else. My iTunes library is full of movies and tv shows I would want to access using new hardware. I suspect I'm not alone.
You're probably right.
Crappy reason to stick with something though. Hopefully Apple opens up iTunes to Android like it's rumoured. I would love access to iTunes for media, it would be another option.
Crappy reason to stick with something though. Hopefully Apple opens up iTunes to Android like it's rumoured. I would love access to iTunes for media, it would be another option.
Opening up iTunes would be the ideal solution for me, I think. At first, I thought it would never happen because Apple would basically open up competition against their own product, the AppleTv. But then I recalled (I think) reading that the ATV loses money anyway. The real key is getting people to purchase or rent the media. Opening up iTunes to other devices would actually expose even more customers and could increase sales/rentals. Seems to make sense now that I think about it.
I've got enough invested in the Apple ecosystem that it's going to take something earth-shattering to get me to switch to a product from Amazon or Google or someone else. My iTunes library is full of movies and tv shows I would want to access using new hardware. I suspect I'm not alone.
You can access all of those with another device, pretty sure.
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"Wake up, Luigi! The only time plumbers sleep on the job is when we're working by the hour."
Amazon Fire TV announced
