Amazon started making their own smart TV sets and announced the lot for the first time this week. The Amazon Fire TV Omni Series will be released with Fire TV smart TV access, Alexa, far-field voice controls, and a variety of display sizes. There'll be Fire TV Omni Series sets in 43, 50, 55, 65, and 75-inch models, all with 4K Ultra HD (UHD) resolution.
We may see an Amazon-brand Fire TV model (or multiple models) launch in the US as early as next month, according to a new report. Amazon's alleged plans to offer smart TVs running its Fire TV platform under its own brand have been rumored for a while now, with sources claiming the project has been in the pipeline for a couple of years. Though it won't be the first time Amazon has launched its own TV, it will be a first for the US market.
Now the Nintendo Switch has an app that's effectively a window into the Pokemon programming universe. This is an entirely free app, with free content inside. The Nintendo Switch is just the latest platform to gain access to the Pokemon TV mobile app - the app is also available on iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Kindle Fire, and all manner of Android devices. Pokemon TV can also be found on Android TV, Roku, Apple TV, and Fire TV devices.
The retail powerhouse team-up between Best Buy and Amazon continues with a new line of Insignia-branded smart TV sets. These newest sets will launch later this year alongside Best Buy Toshiba-branded Fire TVs with features that are ever-so-slightly better than their predecessors. The Insignia F50 Series Fire TVs are the first of the line branded with "Fire TV" instead of "Fire TV Edition" - and that could be an important distinction in the coming years.
There are some people already complaining about what has been dubbed as "Zoom fatigue," but it seems there is really no end in sight for video meetings. In fact, some companies are pushing that old-new communication medium even further, integrating video conferencing software anywhere they see fit. The latest to do so is Amazon, which is announcing support for Zoom on its Fire TV Cube to bring those meetings to an even larger screen if your laptop isn't big enough for that.
![Verizon Fios TV app on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV [UPDATE: comment from Verizon]](https://www.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/verizon-fios-tv-app-box-apple-tv-1280x720.jpg)
Verizon Fios TV is the latest company to do away with [some*] hardware TV box requirements on a wider variety of devices with Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. Instead of requiring a Verizon Fios TV box on every TV with which a user would want said TV functionality, Verizon released apps for Fios TV for Apple TV 4K, Apple TV HD, and Amazon Fire TV devices [that allows a user to reduce the number of boxes they use to one*]. These are only the latest platforms on which the Verizon Fios TV app is available. Switching from Verizon Fios TV hardware boxes to Fios TV apps on smart TV devices could potentially reduce a Fios TV user's monthly bill by a substantial amount.
Amazon's Fire TV platform was launched in response to Google's Chromecast. Its first device was an HDMI dongle, but it quickly outgrew that form, expanding to a more traditional set-top box and eventually to actual TVs. Smart TVs powered by Fire TV are still far and few in between, but now they're getting two of the most coveted features for any smart TV: Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support.
Amazon has finally expanded Watch Party support to its Fire TV devices, enabling people who are located in different places to watch the same content together. Though Watch Party isn't a new tool, it launched with limited usefulness: you could only use it when streaming Prime Video on desktop. Watch Party is also now available on mobile, but with restrictions.
Amazon and Best Buy revealed a new set of Toshiba television sets with Fire TV smart TV software. These televisions are all in the Toshiba C350 series, rolling with Dolby Vision HDR, HDR10, and DTS Virtual: X. This line of televisions will eventually be made available in five different sizes at Best Buy and from Amazon online.
Mozilla as an organization has been having trouble finding ways to generate revenue without betraying its principles and its community. One of the steps it has taken to keep operating despite that is to consolidate its resources to focus on efforts that have a bigger ROI. That involves restructuring, layoffs, and dropping projects it may no longer consider worthwhile. One of those, it seems, is the version of Firefox for Amazon devices which will no longer be supported after April.
Amazon Fire TV users should get ready to see a new interface when they turn on their media streamer, with Amazon pushing out its all-new Fire TV experience this week. The roll-out began earlier in the week, though owners of the Fire TV Stick 3 and Fire TV Stick Lite had been able to enjoy it before 2020 was through.
A quick glance at the image below and anyone who uses an Amazon Fire TV device will recognize some significant changes that have been made to the remote control. The new Alexa Voice Remote for Fire TV devices is officially available for pre-order as a standalone upgrade. It's also the remote that comes with the third-generation Fire TV stick in many regions, including the US, Canada, Germany, and others.