Amazon nudges Google's Chromecast, Roku with their $19 Fire TV Stick

Amazon have introduced their challenger to Google’s Chromecast and Roku by unveiling their own streaming device, the Amazon Fire TV Stick. The Fire TV Stick will allow users to stream content in to their television sets from Amazon’s in-house video service along with other channels like ESPN, YouTube, Hulu Plus, Pandora, Prime Instant Video and many more. The user can also play games like Flappy Bird using this streaming stick. The Fire TV Stick is said to have a strong processor to avoid any lag while at play. It adapts a design which is similar to all streaming sticks mainly, a wi-fi-connected HDMI dongle that plugs onto the back of the TV set and is powered by a separate USB wire. The dongle is being sold in the US market for $39, or $19 for customers who subscribe to Amazon Prime, which gives customers free shipping and access to music, videos and other online content. The stick plans to give stiff competition to the already established Chromecast and Roku. The Stick goes on sale beginning November 19th and is currently available for pre-order. Amazon claims its stick is the “most powerful streaming media stick” on the market. The device ships in with a dual-core processor paired with a 1 GB RAM. It will have an on board 8 GB storage. It is capable of showcasing 1080p HD video along with Dolby Digital Plus surround sound. Another feature which is included is a system that predicts what you will want to watch next and loads the show or the movie quickly. It is called Advanced Streaming and Prediction or the short form ASAP. You can also use the stick to project whatever is on the screen of your Fire tablet, Fire phone or Miracast-enabled tablet, including many newer models by Motorola, Samsung and Microsoft. Earlier this year, Amazon had also launched the Fire TV set-top box for $99 . The square device, which just about fits in the palm of one hand, streams content from Netflix, Hulu and other video services much like Apple TV or Google’s Chromecast.