Now that the Echo Show 15 can double as a Fire TV and is compatible with the Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote, Amazon is offering owners of the smart display a discount on the Fire TV remote. If you purchase the remote through the Echo Show, you’ll pay just $9.99, which is 66% off the regular price of $29.99. Read more ›
Amazon has announced that HBO Max is once again available as a Prime Video Channel. HBO notably removed the ability to subscribe to the streaming service through 3rd-party marketplaces like Prime Video Channels, Apple TV Channels, and the Roku Channel. The entertainment company is now backpedaling on that decision, starting with a return to Prime Video Channels. You can now subscribe to HBO Max for $14.99 with a 7-day free trial as a Prime Video Channel and, once again, enjoy the benefits that come with subscribing through Amazon.
Ever since Amazon Luna launched, customers have been able to subscribe to a Ubisoft+ Channel which allows them to play about 40 different Ubisoft game for $17.99 a month. If you prefer to purchase games individually instead of subscribing to a monthly service, you’ll be happy to hear that Amazon and Ubisoft have announced the ability to play select Ubisoft games you own on Amazon Luna for free if you are a Prime member. The game has to be among the approximately 40 Ubisoft games currently compatible with Amazon Luna. If you already own any of the listed games, you can sync your Ubisoft account within the settings of the Luna app to make your compatible library of games available in Luna. Any future purchases of compatible games from the Ubisoft Store will automatically show up in Luna. This announcement doesn’t change the ability for Prime members to play a selection of Luna games for free each month, as Amazon says that will continue as usual.
Amazon is offering select Fire TV customers a Free $6 Prime Video credit. There are three known ways to see if you qualify for the free credit. The first is to visit this page while logged into your Amazon account. If the page is blank, then you likely don’t qualify. Otherwise, you should be given the option to earn your free credit. Another way to see if you qualify is to turn on your Fire TV and look for the green banner shown above. If you see it, select it with your remote and you’ll be shown a QR code to scan that will earn you the free credit. The last method is to check your email for a message from Amazon titled “Here’s a $6 rent or buy credit to watch a holiday classic.” The email will contain instructions for how to redeem the free credit. This promotion is running through December 11, so keep an eye out for the banner and/or email. The free credit must be used within 90 days.
The Fire TV interface for the Echo Show 15 recently started rolling out to devices, turning the smart display into an entertainment powerhouse. While there are many apps already available for the device, a lot of them are missing and not compatible. Of the apps that are available, the majority are not optimized for the device’s touch interface and some are so buggy on the new platform that it renders them unusable. Unfortunately, Amazon has chosen to completely block app sideloading on the Echo Show 15, which is a crucial capability that Fire TV app developers need if they want to fix or improve their apps on the Echo Show 15. Read more ›
Amazon announced in September that the Echo Show 15 would be receiving an update that turned it into a full-fledged Fire TV. With only a few weeks left in the year, the Fire TV update is now rolling out to Amazon’s largest Echo smart display, bringing the two product lines closer together than they’ve ever been. Read more ›
Amazon recently updated its Silk Web Browser for Fire TV devices to make it quicker and easier to jump directly to a specific website right from the Fire TV home screen. Silk, which comes pre-installed on all Fire TV devices, now takes advantage of the Fire TV’s app content preview panel that loads below the highlighted app on the home screen. In Silk’s preview panel are now buttons for direct access to your most recently visited website, most commonly visited website, and all your bookmarks. Read more ›
Amazon has updated the games that Prime members can play for free on Amazon Luna, its cloud gaming service. December brings five new games that can be played all month and they are Dusk, a retro FPS, The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero, a role-playing game, Joggernauts, a co-op platformer, Windjammers 2, a disc throwing sports game, and The Smurfs: Mission Vileaf, another platformer. These Luna games are playable on most Fire TV models, computers, phones, tablets, and newer Samsung Smart TVs. They work best with the Luna Controler, thanks to its ability to connect directly to Luna’s game servers over wifi for reduced latency, but generic Bluetooth, Xbox, or PlayStation controllers work as well. If you don’t have a controller to use, you can use your phone as a virtual controller to give the service a try without spending any money.
Just as Amazon did last year, it has added a Holiday Hub to Fire TV devices where you can find festive movies and TV show episodes to watch. For now, you can get to the new hub by saying “Open Holiday Hub” into your remote, but don’t be surprised if an icon to launch the hub appears in your app list in the coming days. The Holiday Hub has rows of content related to the holidays, such as a row of holiday romance movies, top holiday TV episodes, classic holiday movies, holiday comedies, and more. Amazon being Amazon, you’ll also find a row of various holiday shopping guides and deals that you can browse if you’d like.
Amazon has just put up one of the best Echo Show deals it has ever offered. Right now, you can buy an Echo Show 8 for $69.99 and get an Echo Show 5 Kids for free. Paying $69.99 for the Echo Show 8 is a great deal on its own since that’s the lowest price it has ever been. The Echo Show 5 Kids edition on its own is on sale for $39.99, which is also the lowest price it has ever been, so you’re saving $40 if you buy this deal. Both Echo Shows included are the latest generation models released last year. While the Echo Show 5 that is included comes with the green Chameleon fabric pattern, it doesn’t have to be configured as a kids device and can be used as a regular Echo Show 5 if you prefer. As far as I’m aware, Amazon has never offered a bundle like this before so there’s no telling how long it will last.
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