Amazon Fire Stick TV dongle
Nov 20, 2014, 8:47 am
#34
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Nov 20, 2014, 10:38 am
#35
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I ordered 10/28, was originally estimated at December 4th delivery, then got notification earlier in the week that it would ship yesterday and arrive tomorrow.
Can anyone confirm that it has access to the Fire TV section of the Amazon App Store? I'm really hoping to use this for SPMC, and not having to work-out how to side load onto it would be nice. In one of the hands-on demos I saw on Youtube I could see an "Apps" section on the main screen that was passed over too quickly to make out anything other than Plex... I just don't know if the only apps available are pre-loaded or pushed by Amazon as opposed to open-access to the App Store. I'm wholeheartedly expecting there to be full App Store access, I'm just a bit perplexed that it's not something they're pushing in their advertising or even mentioning in the product description.
Can anyone confirm that it has access to the Fire TV section of the Amazon App Store? I'm really hoping to use this for SPMC, and not having to work-out how to side load onto it would be nice. In one of the hands-on demos I saw on Youtube I could see an "Apps" section on the main screen that was passed over too quickly to make out anything other than Plex... I just don't know if the only apps available are pre-loaded or pushed by Amazon as opposed to open-access to the App Store. I'm wholeheartedly expecting there to be full App Store access, I'm just a bit perplexed that it's not something they're pushing in their advertising or even mentioning in the product description.
Last edited by IsleOfMan; Nov 20, 2014 at 1:13 pm
Nov 20, 2014, 12:57 pm
#36
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Nov 20, 2014, 11:42 pm
#37
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I ordered 10/28, was originally estimated at December 4th delivery, then got notification earlier in the week that it would ship yesterday and arrive tomorrow.
Can anyone confirm that it has access to the Fire TV section of the Amazon App Store? I'm really hoping to use this for SPMC, and not having to work-out how to side load onto it would be nice. In one of the hands-on demos I saw on Youtube I could see an "Apps" section on the main screen that was passed over too quickly to make out anything other than Plex... I just don't know if the only apps available are pre-loaded or pushed by Amazon as opposed to open-access to the App Store. I'm wholeheartedly expecting there to be full App Store access, I'm just a bit perplexed that it's not something they're pushing in their advertising or even mentioning in the product description.
Can anyone confirm that it has access to the Fire TV section of the Amazon App Store? I'm really hoping to use this for SPMC, and not having to work-out how to side load onto it would be nice. In one of the hands-on demos I saw on Youtube I could see an "Apps" section on the main screen that was passed over too quickly to make out anything other than Plex... I just don't know if the only apps available are pre-loaded or pushed by Amazon as opposed to open-access to the App Store. I'm wholeheartedly expecting there to be full App Store access, I'm just a bit perplexed that it's not something they're pushing in their advertising or even mentioning in the product description.
I think the answer is yes, kind of. When I go to the Apps section on the fire TV stick there are 15 categories of apps to browse. When I sign in to amazon on a browser there is a subsection in the Fire TV apps section and you can refine by device. As of this evening there are 184 apps listed for the original Fire TV box, 132 for the Fire TV stick. Many of the apps I looked at on the device appear to have been originally released for the fire TV box and their descriptions don't seem to have been updated. Some others list recent updates specifically to support the stick.
Nov 21, 2014, 9:48 am
#38
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Mine is set for delivery today, I ordered it the first morning of the presale. I'll give it a "test drive" so to speak tonight. I was getting annoyed with the Chromecast losing contact with my phone, or the computer, or whatever I was casting with. It made controlling the device quite difficult.
Edit: As predicted it showed up today. Few notes, it doesn't like to be plugged into a USB port on a TV or cable/satellite box, and it immediately went to pull down a software update. The remote uses RF of some sort. The picture shows the remote next to a Roku remote, and a Chromecast next to a Stick, plus the HDMI extender. The iPhone 5s is for scale.
Edit: As predicted it showed up today. Few notes, it doesn't like to be plugged into a USB port on a TV or cable/satellite box, and it immediately went to pull down a software update. The remote uses RF of some sort. The picture shows the remote next to a Roku remote, and a Chromecast next to a Stick, plus the HDMI extender. The iPhone 5s is for scale.
Last edited by WIRunner; Nov 21, 2014 at 11:53 am
Nov 24, 2014, 2:57 pm
#40
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Fire TV stick is on sale today at Best Buy for $24.99:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/amazon-f...=1219460752591
For that price I would consider it superior to the Chromecast, considering the following... Like the Fire TV stick, I pre-ordered the Chromecast within moments of its announcement. For the limited services I use on it (Hulu and Netflix) the Chromecast really hasn't improved at all since launch over a year ago. No new novel features or unique apps have been rolled out, at least nothing that appeals to me. Compare that the Fire TV stick, which adds a physical remote, access to Amazon video and Prime Music and many existing Fire TV apps. I just don't see myself using the Chromecast again now that I have a Fire TV stick, unless I added another TV to the household.
Besides the additional content, here's what I like about the Fire TV stick:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/amazon-f...=1219460752591
For that price I would consider it superior to the Chromecast, considering the following... Like the Fire TV stick, I pre-ordered the Chromecast within moments of its announcement. For the limited services I use on it (Hulu and Netflix) the Chromecast really hasn't improved at all since launch over a year ago. No new novel features or unique apps have been rolled out, at least nothing that appeals to me. Compare that the Fire TV stick, which adds a physical remote, access to Amazon video and Prime Music and many existing Fire TV apps. I just don't see myself using the Chromecast again now that I have a Fire TV stick, unless I added another TV to the household.
Besides the additional content, here's what I like about the Fire TV stick:
- The dedicated remote. No more unlocking my phone or tablet to skip a title sequence.
- The voice search via mobile app is interesting but only really works for the Amazon content. Would be nice to have that extended into Apps such as Hulu and Netflix, if only as a voice keyboard input option for searching in those apps.
- Netflix + Hulu + Amazon Instant is the magic combo for my household. PBS is a nice bonus. This isn't groundbreaking, but I don't think it was possible at this price point before.
- The remote's physical attributes. It is small and slippery.
- Inability to change volume using the remote. You would think that with HDMI controls you could do this.
Nov 25, 2014, 8:37 am
#42
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The SPMC download from the app store currently isn't supported on the FireTV or Stick.
Sideloading of either XBMC or SPMC through ADB works on the stick just like on the regular FireTV.... I haven't gotten around to doing it yet, but probably will sometime today. If it goes well, I'll probably pick up 2-3 more this week and sell an aging ATV2 that's running XBMC in my boys' room.
Others are reporting MHL/CEC remote passthrough as working, though I haven't tested it yet and only have one TV that's capable (a 32" Insignia in my boys' room).
Sideloading of either XBMC or SPMC through ADB works on the stick just like on the regular FireTV.... I haven't gotten around to doing it yet, but probably will sometime today. If it goes well, I'll probably pick up 2-3 more this week and sell an aging ATV2 that's running XBMC in my boys' room.
Others are reporting MHL/CEC remote passthrough as working, though I haven't tested it yet and only have one TV that's capable (a 32" Insignia in my boys' room).
Nov 30, 2014, 7:54 am
#43
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I called Amazon this morning to try and get some clarification on how order fulfillment is prioritized on the Fire TV Stick when purchased at the Prime promotional price. Unfortunately, I'm only marginally less confused than I was after reading of others' experiences here.
The first Amazon contact I chatted with couldn't offer an explanation for the re-prioritization of some orders placed after mine, but upgraded my shipping to Next Day without prompting. This had the remarkable effect of moving the estimated delivery date from 12/23 to 12/17. While certainly a better date, it wasn't quite what I was hoping for, and she offered to have a Fire TV specialist call me. Unfortunately she routed the request to the digital content team, who then had to get me connected to the Fire TV people.
The Fire TV Stick specialist I spoke with claimed that demand far exceeded the promotional allotment, and that many who ordered under the promotion won't see theirs until January. She also claimed my (original) estimated delivery date of December 23rd was quite good, and that the revised date of 12/17 was very surprising to her.
She then offered me a $5 credit (which I of course accepted), but couldn't supply any additional insight into why my estimated shipping date was further out than others here have reported, even though their orders were placed after mine.
Did those of you that have purchased the Fire TV Stick under the $19 Prime promotion and already received it select next-day shipping, perhaps? That's the only thing I can see that might have a larger impact on delivery date than one would expect.
The first Amazon contact I chatted with couldn't offer an explanation for the re-prioritization of some orders placed after mine, but upgraded my shipping to Next Day without prompting. This had the remarkable effect of moving the estimated delivery date from 12/23 to 12/17. While certainly a better date, it wasn't quite what I was hoping for, and she offered to have a Fire TV specialist call me. Unfortunately she routed the request to the digital content team, who then had to get me connected to the Fire TV people.
The Fire TV Stick specialist I spoke with claimed that demand far exceeded the promotional allotment, and that many who ordered under the promotion won't see theirs until January. She also claimed my (original) estimated delivery date of December 23rd was quite good, and that the revised date of 12/17 was very surprising to her.
She then offered me a $5 credit (which I of course accepted), but couldn't supply any additional insight into why my estimated shipping date was further out than others here have reported, even though their orders were placed after mine.
Did those of you that have purchased the Fire TV Stick under the $19 Prime promotion and already received it select next-day shipping, perhaps? That's the only thing I can see that might have a larger impact on delivery date than one would expect.
Nov 30, 2014, 8:27 am
#44
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Chicago
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I called Amazon this morning to try and get some clarification on how order fulfillment is prioritized on the Fire TV Stick when purchased at the Prime promotional price. Unfortunately, I'm only marginally less confused than I was after reading of others' experiences here.
The first Amazon contact I chatted with couldn't offer an explanation for the re-prioritization of some orders placed after mine, but upgraded my shipping to Next Day without prompting. This had the remarkable effect of moving the estimated delivery date from 12/23 to 12/17. While certainly a better date, it wasn't quite what I was hoping for, and she offered to have a Fire TV specialist call me. Unfortunately she routed the request to the digital content team, who then had to get me connected to the Fire TV people.
The Fire TV Stick specialist I spoke with claimed that demand far exceeded the promotional allotment, and that many who ordered under the promotion won't see theirs until January. She also claimed my (original) estimated delivery date of December 23rd was quite good, and that the revised date of 12/17 was very surprising to her.
She then offered me a $5 credit (which I of course accepted), but couldn't supply any additional insight into why my estimated shipping date was further out than others here have reported, even though their orders were placed after mine.
Did those of you that have purchased the Fire TV Stick under the $19 Prime promotion and already received it select next-day shipping, perhaps? That's the only thing I can see that might have a larger impact on delivery date than one would expect.
The first Amazon contact I chatted with couldn't offer an explanation for the re-prioritization of some orders placed after mine, but upgraded my shipping to Next Day without prompting. This had the remarkable effect of moving the estimated delivery date from 12/23 to 12/17. While certainly a better date, it wasn't quite what I was hoping for, and she offered to have a Fire TV specialist call me. Unfortunately she routed the request to the digital content team, who then had to get me connected to the Fire TV people.
The Fire TV Stick specialist I spoke with claimed that demand far exceeded the promotional allotment, and that many who ordered under the promotion won't see theirs until January. She also claimed my (original) estimated delivery date of December 23rd was quite good, and that the revised date of 12/17 was very surprising to her.
She then offered me a $5 credit (which I of course accepted), but couldn't supply any additional insight into why my estimated shipping date was further out than others here have reported, even though their orders were placed after mine.
Did those of you that have purchased the Fire TV Stick under the $19 Prime promotion and already received it select next-day shipping, perhaps? That's the only thing I can see that might have a larger impact on delivery date than one would expect.
Nov 30, 2014, 8:37 am
#45
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What's crazy about the delayed shipping is the local best buy had a large display filled with them, and was selling them for $24.99. I picked one up for my mother, and she loves it. Much easier for her to use than the chromecast.