Qualcomm powering Amazon’s Fire TV
It feels like it came out of no where, Amazon have announced a new set top entertainment system called Fire TV. This will run a customized version of Android, just like the Kindle Fire tablet. Here are a few hardware specs of the device:
- Quad-core processor (supposedly is three times more powerful than Apple TV and other rival devices)
- 2GB of RAM
- Dedicated graphics processor
- Will ship with a tiny, plastic remote control that has only seven buttons and a directional pad
- Voice command search queries
- Support for Android gaming ( Amazon has launched a studio internally to develop in-house games)
This is a new device that plugs into your television and lets you stream video content from the Internet. Much like Apple TV, and Google TV before it Fire TV is more of a lounge/living room solution than the Chromecast however it essentially fulfills the same goals. The primary focus of Fire TV will be Amazon Prime Video however it will also support third-party content, like Netflix and Plex. As per usual this is geared towards the US market with Hulu and HBO being some of the touted apps. There is little news as to when we can expect to see it on UK shores and there will have to be negotiations with likes of BBC and Sky over their delivery services before it arrives. According to Amazon, more third-party apps will be coming to the Fire TV in May. This includes music apps like TuneIn, Pandora, & iHeartRadio.
In addition to TV and movie content the little black box is boasted as a gaming platform also. We will see some rather tasty games, obviously the finest Android can provide. The Fire TV is being powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor. As the first product of its kind to go live with a Snapdragon 600 processor, the Fire TV will utilize the processor to enable new and improved user experiences, essentially redefining the living room experience. Multimedia performance with 1080p HD video, 7.1 Dolby surround sound, a graphics accelerated UI and console quality gaming. The Qualcomm processor also provides the Wi-Fi connectivity.
The device will be available to buy today for $99, and a gaming controller for it will cost $39.99, Stateside of course.
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