Croma, a popular electronics retailer that is part of the Tata Group, has just released 5 new Fire TV Edition televisions in India. The new models range in size from 32 inches to 55 inches and include 720p, 1080p, and 4K resoultion sets. The new models start at ₹17,999 (~$248 USD) and top out at ₹46,499 (~$641 USD) for the 55 inch TV with Dolby Vision. Read more ›
Amazon has announced that it will begin manufacturing Fire TV Sticks in India. This will be the first Amazon device to ever be made in India. Fire TV Sticks will be made by Foxconn subsidiary Cloud Network Technology in Chennai, India. Amazon says that it will “be able to produce hundreds of thousands of Fire TV Stick devices every year.” Considering Amazon sells “millions of Fire TV devices” globally on Prime Day alone, it seems as though the “hundreds of thousands” of Fire TV Sticks made in India will be sold in India, while the rest of the world’s Fire TV Sticks will still be made in China. Read more ›
Amazon Prime Video has teamed up with Airtel, India’s second-largest mobile carrier, to announce Prime Video Mobile Edition in India, the streaming service’s first mobile-only subscription plan. The base subscription costs just Rs 89 (about $1.22) per month and includes 6GB of data, with more expensive plans available that include additional perks. Read more ›
Amazon has just launched its first Amazon-branded Fire TV Edition televisions using its AmazonBasics private label in India. The first two TVs being released, among several in the series, are a 55-inch model for ₹34,999 (~$480 USD) and a 50-inch model for ₹29,999 (~$410 USD). Both sizes are 4K UHD TVs with support for Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG high dynamic range formats, as well as Dolby Atmos audio. Read more ›
A few months ago, Amazon made Echo devices available in India for the first time, but as tends to be the case whenever Alexa arrives in a new country, the devices were only available by invitation. Amazon has now removed the invitation requirement, making Echo devices available to everyone. The Amazon Echo (₹9,999 or ~$150), Echo Dot (₹4,499 or ~$70), and Echo Plus (₹14,999 or ~$230) are available, as well as 3rd-party Alexa smart speakers such as the Harman Kardon Allure (₹22,499 or ~$350).
Amazon is continuing their expansion of Alexa and Echo devices to new countries. They announced a couple of days ago that Alexa and Echos were coming to Japan later this year and now have announced that they’re also being made available in India. The Echo devices are available by invite only starting today at an introductory price with a free year of Prime membership included. Read more ›
The Amazon Fire TV Stick has just launched in India, making it the 5th country where a Fire TV device is officially sold. The Fire TV Stick is priced at ₹3,999, which is about $62. Although it comes with a voice remote for basic voice searching, not surprisingly, Alexa is not available in India yet. It took Alexa over a year to make it to the UK and Germany after first appearing on US Fire TV devices. I wouldn’t expect Alexa to take that long to be made available on Fire TVs in India, but the voice assistant is not present at launch. Notably, the Fire TV set-top box is not being made available in India. I see this as a very good sign that a new 3rd-generation Fire TV, in addition to the “AFTN” device I discovered, is in the works. Read more ›
There have been several signs that India will be the 5th country to official see a launch of the Amazon Fire TV and/or Fire TV Stick. Last year I discovered that Amazon’s India site had a placeholder for an upcoming Fire TV page, which was promptly removed once I wrote about it. Then last month I noted an influx of India apps for the Fire TV, which is a sure-fire sign the device’s release in the country was imminent. Thanks to a tip, I’ve now found what I believe to be confirmation that the Fire TV is launching in India. Read more ›
There have been hints that Amazon is working on launching the Fire TV and their appstore in India for several months. Now it looks like third-party services are getting involved, which usually means the launch is right around the corner. A pair of new apps, Voot and Voot Kids, which are streaming services in India, were just added to the appstore with support for the Fire TV. The red flag is that these Fire TV apps are geographically orphaned, which means they are not available for download in any of the 4 countries where the Fire TV is currently sold. Read more ›
I currently have a theory that Amazon will be bringing the Fire TV to India for the first time when Amazon Prime Video launches there later this year. I just came across more evidence that backs up that theory. If you try loading www.amazon.in/firetv, you’ll bring up a 404 error page, but unlike www.amazon.ca/firetv, www.amazon.es/firetv, or any other international Amazon site that doesn’t sell the Fire TV, the Amazon India URL is set to redirect to another page. This means someone at Amazon has deliberately prepared Amazon India’s website for “/firetv” visits. Read more ›
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