A (165)

Review

TheFireTVisaworthwhile

purchase if you are looking to

consume Amazon content

»Verdict

Value for money

TheFireTVdeliversalotforalow cost, with

little that can rival its processing power

Features

8GB of on-board storage disappointing,

but the Fire TV ticks all other boxes

Design

Premium design and finish mean the

FireTVwillfitininthesmartesthome

Performance

AcapableCPUandplentyofRAM mean that

the Fire TV runs smoothly throughout

»^ Operating system ...............^ Fire OS 3.0 Mojito

(based on Android 4.2.2)

»^ Processor ...................................^ Qualcomm Snapdragon 8064

»^ Memory .......................................2GB

»^ Dimensions ..............................115 x 115 x 17.5mm

»^ Weight ..........................................281g

»^ Expansion slot .......................USB

technical specs

information

Amazon Fire TV

better than worse than

Amazon Fire TV

T

he Fire TV is about more than just a device.

Along with the Kindle, Fire tablets and Fire

phone, it’s intended to draw you into the

Amazon ecosystem and away from Google.

With that in mind, the Fire TV is a bit different.

Yes, it runs Android – this is Android Magazine

after all – and it’s built on AOSP, the open source

core that underpins all Android devices. But instead

of having the Google services available – the Play

store, Play Music, Play Movies & TV – it runs

Amazon’s Fire OS 3.0 Mojito, which adds Amazon

Appstore, Amazon MP3, Amazon Instant Video and

a number of other Amazon services.

The net result is that when you fi re up the Fire TV, it

doesn’t feel like an Android device. That’s not

necessarily a bad thing – Android traditionally

doesn’t run very well on TVs, although whether this

will change with the release of Android TV and the

Nexus Player remains to be seen.

The Fire TV hardware is extremely well made and

the out-of-box experience is second to none. The

device comes preconfi gured to your Amazon account

so after inputting your wireless details (or connecting

to an Ethernet connection), you are up and running.

Dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi means you should get

a good connection in the most inhospitable of living

rooms, something that is traditionally a weakness on

other media devices such as the Chromecast. The

high-spec nature of the Fire TV isn’t limited to the

Wi-Fi – it has a fast processor, plenty of RAM and

high-quality graphics and audio chips. This is

important as Amazon sees you using the Fire TV not

only for video and music playback, but also for gaming

and apps. We would have preferred to see more than

8GB of storage on board for this reason.

Although the Fire TV is Amazon-centric, that

doesn’t mean you are locked out of other services.

The Appstore has a host of alternative options –

Netfl ix, Plex, Spotify Connect... you can get to

most things you could need, as long as they are not

Google own-brand services.

Navigating the system is straightforward and

made even easier by the inclusion of voice search,

which uses a microphone built in to the remote. It

works surprisingly for launching all types of content

on the Fire TV. Text input is a little painful as is

often the case with a simple remote, but if you are

using apps that require a lot of input then a

Bluetooth keyboard can be paired with the device.

In general use, the Fire TV always feels silky

smooth and runs the most demanding of apps and

games with ease.

Soft touch

The Fire TV device and packaging

feel premium and the device and

the remote both have a premium

soft-touch fi nish. Be aware that

there is no HDMI cable included in

the package. Amazon does sell

one separately, though!

Every port

The back of the Fire TV is packed

with all the ports you’d hope for

on a device of this type – a

proprietary charger, HDMI out,

optical audio out, Ethernet (a

very useful inclusion) and a

full-size USB socket

Remote

The Fire TV remote, powered by

two AAA batteries, connects via

Bluetooth, which means it works

without line of sight. It’s simple

to use and includes a

microphone to enable the voice

searching functionality

Amazon Fire TV

The Fire TV comes to the UK – does it deserve a place in

your home?

Price £79

»^ More information^ http://www.amazon.co.uk

»^ Supplied by Amazon UK

Game pad

While the standard remote

doubles a games controller,

more serious gamers might

prefer the dedicated Fire Game

Controller is available. Sold

seperately for £34.99, the

Bluetooth controller includes

dual analogue sticks, shoulder

buttons, triggers and a

dedicated ‘GameCircle’ button

for quick access to your games