Fire TV

Software updates have become a hot topic in the Android world, especially with manufacturers using different policies. Most used to only guarantee two years of updates, both major platform upgrades and security fixes, but things have gotten a lot better these days. Samsung, for example, just one-upped Google last year by extending its promise to four years, but Amazon may have just stolen everyone's thunder by promising to support its 2016 Fire TV Stick with updates until 2025.

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TikTok, a video app made for mobile devices, has added support for an unlikely platform: Amazon Fire TV. The new support, Amazon says, will allow "the whole family" to gather in front of the television to watch TikTok videos together, assuming that's something families are actually interested in doing.

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In the short time I've had the Amazon Fire TV Omni Series on the SlashGear review bench, I've found the hardware to be highly decent. The controller is light but solid, small but not too small to fit naturally in my hand. The TV set is large, bright, colorful, and viewable from effectively any angle.

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Amazon has greatly expanded the number of cities that have access to its free local news portal, bringing the number to 259 cities across the US. The Fire TV news portal makes it easy for anyone, particularly cord-cutters, to get local news broadcasts, providing regional weather information and other data relevant to their cities.

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Amazon is expanding its Fire TV range, with the new Fire TV Stick 4K Max going on sale today as the new flagship of the easily-installed streaming devices. Billed as the most powerful Fire TV Stick so far when Amazon revealed it last month, it supports WiFi 6 connectivity along with 4K HDR10+ streaming, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos, with easy wireless surround sound options for those with select Echo smart speakers.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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