Amazon today announced it is launching its Fire TV media streamer stick in the United Kingdom, approximately six months after the device first launched in the U.S.
The redesigned Fire TV stick, which costs £39.99, is the first of Amazon's media streamers to come with an Alexa-enabled voice remote. It features a new quad-core processor that makes it 30 percent faster than the previous version, according to the company. It also supports the 802.11ac Wi-Fi protocol.
The Fire TV can be used to search for movies and TV shows, launch apps and control media playback. Like Amazon's Echo smart speakers, the Alexa remote can also be used to enable a number of "skills" such as asking for the weather or controlling smart devices around the home.
In addition, Amazon also announced a free Fire TV software update that will bring Alexa to all Fire TV devices in the UK—including first generations of both Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, as well as the Fire TV with 4K UHD.
The update will make Alexa available to the millions of UK customers with Fire TV devices already in their homes, and upgrades every existing Fire TV Voice Remote to an Alexa Voice Remote. Customers without a voice remote can use the Fire TV app for iOS and Android to access Alexa, in the same way they do today with Voice Search. The same software update also upgrades previous generation Fire TV and Fire TV Stick devices to the new, cinematic UI.
The Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote is available today for £39.99 from Amazon UK and is also on sale in shops including Dixons, John Lewis, Tesco, and Maplin. The update bringing Alexa to existing Fire TV devices will roll out to customers over the coming weeks.
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