One of the most interesting and useful new features of the redesigned Fire TV interface is something being referred to as App Peeking. It allows you to browse the movies, shows, and channels available within an app right from the Fire TV’s Home screen, without needing to launch the app. As part of my series of deep-dives into the new interface, here is everything you need to know about this new feature and how it works. Read more ›
The new redesigned Fire TV interface is out on select Fire TV models and is coming to nearly all Fire TVs, Fire TV Sticks, Fire TV Cubes, and Fire TV Edition devices early next year. I’ll be doing a deep dive into all of the various changes and areas of the new interface over the next few days/weeks and there is no better place to start than with how apps are accessed and configured. Here is a thorough overview of everything related to your apps in the new interface. Read more ›
The new line of 2020 Fire TV Edition televisions come with a new remote that is backwards compatible with all past and present Fire TV Edition televisions made by Toshiba and Insignia. Among several differences, compared to the old remote, is a new “Recent” button. Here’s an overview of how the button works and the hidden menu that it opens. Read more ›
The Amazon Echo Wall Clock was among the more surprising devices that Amazon announced at their Alexa hardware event earlier this year. It’s Amazon’s second Alexa Gadget, the other being Echo Buttons, which means it needs to be paired to any Echo model for it to work. Once paired with an Echo, the Echo Wall Clock will display Alexa timers, alarms, and notifications. Here’s an overview of how it works, along with a few video demos. Read more ›
The all-new 3rd-gen Amazon Echo Dot is out and it is a shockingly impressive device. Even though it’s only slightly larger than the previous model, it sounds so much better than the old Echo Dot that you likely wouldn’t regret upgrading for the significantly better audio alone. On top of the better audio, you’re also getting a much more attractive device. Here’s an overview of the Echo Dot 3. Read more ›
Software update version 6.2.5.3 to the Amazon Fire TV has added the ability to configure the media player so that it adjusts your TVs refresh rate to match the frame rate of the video content being played. This is a feature that home theater enthusiasts have been wanting for a long time because it eliminates video judder and results in a perfectly smooth one-to-one correlation between the frames of a video and the frames being shown on the TV. Read more ›
A major part of Alexa’s roll on the Amazon Fire TV Cube is the voice assistant’s ability to control home theater equipment and serve as a universal remote. While controlling external devices with Alexa is great, Amazon has also added a lot of new voice navigation capabilities to the Fire TV Cube itself to better utilize Alexa. Here’s an overview of the different ways you can use Alexa to navigate around the Fire TV Cube’s interface. Read more ›
Something that greatly differentiates the Amazon Fire TV Cube from the Fire TV 3 is the Cube’s Micro USB port and the official support for expandability that comes with it. I’m sure most Fire TV Cube reviews will quickly dismiss the port as simply where you connect the included Ethernet adapter, but, if you’re reading this, you probably already know better. Come with me on a magical voyage as I explain in excruciating detail how wonderful the Fire TV Cube’s micro USB port is and how it shows that Amazon is listening to our feedback. Read more ›
One of the standout features of the Amazon Fire TV Cube is its universal remote features that let it control other devices, such as TVs, A/V receivers, and cable/satellite boxes. It does this through a clever blend of new and old technologies. For newer devices that support it, the Fire TV Cube uses HDMI-CEC, which allows consumer electronic devices to communicate and control each other through the HDMI connection. For older devices without HDMI-CEC capabilities, it uses infrared signals through a built-in IR blaster, which is how most remote controls communicate. The best part is you don’t have to know or care how your devices communicate because the Fire TV Cube walks you through a simple setup process and takes care of it all for you. Read more ›
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