Amazon Fire TV Stick

Amazon Fire TV Stick Review

Is the Amazon Fire Stick Right For Your Family?

Here's What's in this Article...

firestickThe Amazon Fire TV Stick has been receiving a lot of attention and for a good reason too. This small device works as a powerful Media streamer that is sure to turn any TV into a Smart TV.

Even better, the stick is quite affordable not to mention the fact that it is also user-friendly. And lets face it, one of the main features in any home interior is our TVs. In fact, mine is the main focal point in my living room’s interior decor. And because I live in the middle of nowhere, it’s important to be able to use my internet for my TV whenever possible since even the best tv antennas for rural areas don’t do much where I am living!

But let’s get back to the review… This Fire TV Stick has undergone several upgrades in the past two years and the current version works much better that the earlier versions.

Below we take a detailed look at this Fire TV Stick. We will go over its notable features and some of the reasons why it is an ideal choice for you

Design

This stick comes in plain rectangular shape. It is about 3.4 inches in length, 1 inch in width, and 0.5 inches in diameter. The stick features a USB port on one side and an HDMI plug on the other end of the stick.

The stick is black in color. There is nothing impressive about this stick’s design at all according to The Tech Reviewer. This, however, should not be a problem given the fact that the stick is plugged behind the TV.

fire stick remote functionsThe stick comes with a black remote that is close to 6 inches long. The remote has a circular navigation pad at the top and a variety of confirming buttons below the navigation pad.

The remote in the new Amazon Fire TV Stick comes with a microphone button just above the navigation pad. The remote’s design is quite sleek and it comes in a smooth all black casing.

Performance

The Amazon Fire Stick is a great device that has made live streaming easy. Thanks to the sticks processor, you get to enjoy faster load and an easy time when searching for content.

The fact that the user interface is quite straightforward also means that everything from searching for content to navigating through the many apps available is made easy.

The Voice Command in the latest version works really well. All you have to do is to press the microphone button at the top of the remote and speak.

The built in Alexa is quite accurate and will search for content according to film names, genres, and even actors. With this stick, you can also play back whatever you are watching with relative ease. You will, however, experience a second or two of fuzzy pictures.

The only downside with this Amazon Fire TV Stick as far as performance is concerned access to content in Apps. You have to first navigate to each App before accessing the content in that App.

This means that though Alexa is quite accurate, the content you get through a direct search is limited.

Pros

fire stick alexa1. Well laid out interface

Quite a user-friendly device that most if not all people can navigate with relative ease. All the buttons are clearly marked and finding content using the remote is easy.

It also helps that there are no installation costs involved. All you have to do is plug in the stick behind your TV and start using the stick immediately.

2. Accurate Alexa Search Feature

This feature makes searching for content seamless. You just have to hold down the microphone tab and speak. The voice Echo will accurately interpret what you said and provide the options available in each category.

This feature also makes searching for content in different Apps easy. As long as you know the content in the App, you can speak to the remote and let Alexa do the searching for you.

3. Cheap

This stick comes at a price that is affordable to many. For less than 50 bucks, you get to enjoy over 5000 channels and over 1000 games. The stick also works great and generally provides a wonderful experience.

Cons

1. You have to launch each App before accessing content in it

You can only access Netflix and Amazon content from the home screen and direct searches. If you want to access anything in the different Apps, you have to first of all launch the App.

This can be quite cumbersome not to mention the fact that it limits Alexa and how this voice echo works.

2. Limited Resolution

This device comes with a resolution of 1080p. While this is understandable given that the Amazon Fire TV Stick is a budget device, a better resolution would do this device a lot of good and enhance the overall user experience.

Use Kodi for Fire TV Stick or other software

Kodi is an amazing software that gives you access to a wide range of content. You can use this software on your computer. You can also install this software in your Amazon Fire TV Stick.

The software will not only allow easy access to a wide variety of content but the fact that it is free also means that it will make it much cheaper for you to access content on your TV.

Below is a simple guide on how you can download and install the Kodi software to your TV Stick.

  1. Plug in your Amazon Fire TV Stick to your TV
  2. Go to settings and select the find Apps from unknown sources option. Put this feature on and select yes on the pop-up window that appears when you put this feature on.
  3. Go back to the home screen. Install the ES File Explorer.
  4. After you have installed it, open it and select add, then favorite, and then enter the text http://kodi.tv/download. Hit the next button, then type Kodi in the next box and select add once you hit the next button.
  5. Go to the panel and find the Kodi URL. Find Kodi apps and select ARM Version. At the bottom of the panel, select open in new window for ES File Explorer to download the software.
  6. Once the software is downloaded, select File Open Option and install the software.

You can also install Kodi using your laptop. Just download the software in your laptop and use the Android Debug Bridge to install the software to your TV Stick.

Another way to install the software is using the App2Fire app on your android device.

Verdict

There is no doubt that the Amazon Fire TV Stick is an amazing device. It is simple, affordable, and best of all it works. You get access to a wide selection of content and you can upgrade your stick by downloading equally great software such as Kodi.

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