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  • Best Christmas Sales Ever for Amazon and Its Own Devices Lead the Way

    Best Christmas Sales Ever for Amazon and Its Own Devices Lead the Way

    Amazon had a record Christmas and its own Alexa devices, Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick, Fire tablet and Amazon Echo, lead the way. Sales were up over last year’s holiday season an amazing 9 times.

    “Echo and Echo Dot were the best-selling products across Amazon this year, and we’re thrilled that millions of new customers will be introduced to Alexa as a result. Despite our best efforts and ramped-up production, we still had trouble keeping them in stock. From turning on Christmas lights and playing holiday music to shopping for gifts and asking for help with cookie recipes, Alexa continues to get smarter every day,” commented Jeff Wilke, CEO Worldwide Consumer, Amazon. “We couldn’t have made this holiday season possible for customers without the dedication and hard work of our customer service, transportation, and fulfillment associates along with our carrier partners – it’s amazing to see the teams come together to serve customers during the holidays. On behalf of Amazonians all around the world, we wish everyone happy holidays and the very best for the coming year.”

    Prime was huge for Amazon this season, with over 1 billion items shipped for free to Prime Members worldwide. Another interesting tidbit is that Amazon recorded its fastest shipped item on Christmas Eve at 13 minutes from order to delivery that was most likely a last minute gift for a loved one. The order included a Tile Slim Item Finder and a Tile Mate Key Finder.

    The last Prime Now order delivered in time for the holiday was delivered at 11:59 p.m. on December 24, 2016 to a Prime member in Irvine, California. The order included a Heated Mattress Pad, NyQuil and Afrin Nasal Spray.

    Here is Amazon’s full release of holiday shopping data points:

    Holidays with Alexa:

    • Alexa helped mix hundreds of thousands of cocktails this holiday season with Tom Collins and Manhattans being the most requested drinks from skills like The Bartender, Mixologist and DrinkBoy.
    • Chocolate chip and sugar cookies were the favorite recipes from Alexa skills like Food Network and Allrecipes.
    • Home Alone and Elf were the most requested holiday movies with Alexa.
    • Alexa helped play millions of holiday songs this year, and the top songs were Jingle Bells (1999 – Remaster) by Frank Sinatra, All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey and Feliz Navidad by José Feliciano.
    • What was Alexa asked to cook? The most popular cooking tips requested on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were turkey, prime rib and chocolate chip cookies.
    • Who played the most holiday music with Alexa? Customers in Seattle, New York and Chicago asked “Alexa, play holiday music” more than any other city in the U.S.
    • Who turned on Christmas Lights the most with Alexa? Customers in Seattle, San Diego and New York asked, “Alexa, turn on Christmas lights” more than any other city in the U.S.
    • What games were the most requested with Alexa this holiday? Alexa entertained families with popular games like Jeopardy!, Twenty Questions and The Magic Door.

    Amazon Prime:

    • More than one billion items shipped worldwide with Prime and Fulfillment by Amazon this holiday season.
    • More people around the world tried Prime this holiday season than any previous year.
    • The fastest Prime Now delivery on Christmas Eve took 13 minutes and was delivered at 9:05 p.m. to a Prime member in Redondo Beach, California. The order included a Tile Slim Item Finder and a Tile Mate Key Finder.
    • December 23, 2016 was the biggest day ever for Prime Now deliveries worldwide and members ordered 3x more items compared to last year with one and two hour delivery worldwide. Echo Dot, Amazon Echo, Fire TV Stick and Oreo Cookies were some of the most popular items ordered that day in the U.S.
    • The last Prime Now order delivered in time for the holiday was delivered at 11:59 p.m. on December 24, 2016 to a Prime member in Irvine, California. The order included a Heated Mattress Pad, NyQuil and Afrin Nasal Spray.
    • Prime members in Dallas, Texas ordered more items with Prime Now than any other city in the U.S. this holiday season.
    • The last Prime FREE Same-Day Delivery order from Amazon.com that was delivered in time for Christmas was ordered at 10:23 a.m. on December 24, 2016. The order included Venum Contender Boxing Gloves, and was delivered to a Prime member in Richmond, Virginia at 2:42 p.m. – the same day.

    Mobile Shopping:

    • More than 72 percent of Amazon customers worldwide shopped using a mobile device this holiday.
    • Shopping on the free Amazon mobile app grew by 56 percent this holiday, worldwide.
    • On Cyber Monday, Amazon customers worldwide purchased about 46 electronics per second on a mobile device.
    • On Cyber Monday, Amazon customers worldwide purchased about 36 toys per second on a mobile device.

    Amazon Operations:

    • December 19 was the peak worldwide shipping day this holiday season.
    • In the U.S., more than 200,000 full-time and seasonal associates made the record-breaking shipping season possible.
    • In the last two years, Amazon launched operations at over a dozen new facilities, many of which house robotic technology.
    • Amazon fulfillment centers in San Marcos, Texas and Kent, Washington, as well as two Polish fulfillment centers, in Poznan and Wroclaw, shipped more than one million items in a single day.
    • There are now 45,000 robotics units working alongside Amazon associates in more than 20 fulfillment centers.

    Amazon Digital Media:

    • The most streamed Amazon Original Series over the holidays was Goliath.
    • The most streamed Amazon Original Movie over the holidays was Love & Friendship.
    • The most watched TV series (non-Amazon Original) streaming on Prime Video this holiday was The Night Manager.
    • The most watched movie (non-Amazon Original) streaming on Prime Video this holiday was Eye in the Sky.
    • Customers listening to holiday music on Amazon Music more than tripled this year, compared to 2015.
    • The most streamed holiday song on Amazon Music was It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams.
    • Michael Bublé – Christmas was the most played holiday album on Amazon Music this season.
    • Amazon Music is the exclusive streaming home for all 16 studio albums by the best-selling solo artist in U.S. history, Garth Brooks – since his debut to streaming exclusively on Amazon, Brooks has become one of the top-streamed artists on Amazon Music.
    • The hours that kids spent interacting with educational content in Amazon FreeTime this holiday season was enough time to sail around the earth more than 6,000 times.
    • Popular FreeTime Unlimited holiday titles enjoyed by kids in the U.S. 2016 were Holiday Jokes (Hah-larious Joke Books), Elsa’s Ice Puzzles – FreeTime Unlimited Edition, and Caillou’s Winter Wonders.
    • The top foodie book Kindle customers are reading this holiday season is Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, currently available in Kindle Unlimited.
    • The #1 magazine downloaded in Prime Reading in 2016 by Kindle customers was People.
    • The top non-fiction book downloaded in Prime Reading in 2016 was The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman.
    • In 2016, more than 3 million readers took the Goodreads Challenge and read a collective 38.1 million books this year.
    • Authors answered more than 26,000 reader questions on Goodreads in 2016.
    • The highest rated audiobook of 2016 on Audible is Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show, and narrated by the author.
    • The bestselling audiobook of the year on Audible was The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, narrated by Claire Corbett, Louise Brealey, and India Fisher.

    Holiday Fun Facts:

    • Amazon.com customers purchased enough Hamilton: the Revolution collectible books and Hamilton albums to give every patron at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City a copy for 96 consecutive shows.
    • Amazon.com customers purchased enough 4K TVs to reach the peak of Mount Everest more than 9 times.
    • Amazon.com customers purchased enough KitchenAid Mixers this holiday to make nearly 7.5 million cookies at once.
    • On Cyber Monday 2016, Handmade at Amazon saw a 200 percent increase in sales versus Cyber Monday 2015.
    • If each Amazon.com customer who purchased Pokémon Sun and Moon this holiday spent at least an hour a day playing the game since its release, our customers would have spent the equivalent of more than 24 thousand lunar cycles capturing Pokémon.
    • Amazon.com customers purchased enough copies of the Harry Potter: Complete 8-Film Collection to play consecutively for more than 300 years.
    • Amazon.com customers purchased enough Hasbro Connect 4 Games this holiday season to give each resident of Dallas, Texas a single disc from the game.
    • Amazon.com customers purchased enough Sphero Star Wars BB-8 App-Controlled Robots to roll as a relay around the Earth more than two times before the batteries run out.
    • Amazon.com customers purchased enough Razor Jett Heel Wheels this holiday to roll a fully loaded space shuttle to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral.
    • Amazon.com customers purchased enough Wilson footballs this holiday to give every fan at a sold-out Seahawks game a chance to throw a pass like Russell Wilson.
    • Amazon.com customers purchased enough golf balls this holiday that, if lined up, would equal the length of Pebble Beach golf course four times over.
    • Amazon.com customers purchased more Marvin the Moose dog toys this holiday than the number of actual moose in New England.
    • Amazon.com customers purchased enough copies of The Secret Life of Pets that if each one were a tennis ball, they would fill Central Parkover two and a half feet deep.
    • Amazon.com delivered enough men’s jeans to fill one Olympic-size swimming pool.
    • Amazon.com customers purchased enough ugly Christmas sweaters for every seat at all three NCAA College Football Playoff games.
    • Amazon.com customers purchased enough running shoes to run 18,603 times around the globe.
    • Amazon.com customers purchased 2.5 million watches – that is a watch purchased every 1.5 seconds this holiday season.
    • Amazon.com customers purchased 10,451 carats of diamonds, which is equal to 6.5 Russian Kokoshnik Tiaras, one of the Queen of England’s most famous tiaras.
    • Amazon.com customers purchased the weight of a grizzly bear in gold and the weight of a rhinoceros in silver.
    • Amazon.com customers purchased enough Etekcity camp lanterns this holiday to replace the beacon lights on top of the Eiffel Tower nearly 11 times.
    • Amazon.com customers purchased enough luggage to fill 20 Boeing 747 airplanes.
    • Amazon.com customers purchased enough electric vehicle home charging kits to make 2,196 emissions-free trips around the globe in a year.
    • Amazon.com customers purchased enough Char-Broil’s The Big Easy Turkey Fryers to cook 225,000 pounds of turkey.

    Holiday Best Sellers (Amazon.com only):

    • All Categories: Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick, Fire tablet, Amazon Echo
    • Amazon Launchpad: Watch Ya’ Mouth Family Edition – The Authentic, Hilarious, Mouthguard Party Game, Tile Mate – Key Finder. Phone Finder. Anything Finder., Anki Overdrive Starter Kit
    • Audio & Accessories: Panasonic ErgoFit In-Ear Earbud Headphones, AmazonBasics 6-Outlet Surge Protector Power Strip, Sonos PLAY:1 Compact Wireless Smart Speaker for Streaming Music
    • Automotive: Hopkins Mallory 26″ Snow Brush with Foam Grip, Battery Tender Junior 12-Volt Battery Charger, Zwipes Microfiber Cleaning Cloths (36 pack)
    • Baby: Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy, Nuby Octopus Hoopla Bathtime Fun Toys (Purple), Baby Banana Infant Training Toothbrush and Teether (Yellow)
    • Beauty & Grooming: Philips Sonicare Essence Sonic Electric Rechargeable Toothbrush (White), Philips Norelco Multigroom Series 3100 with 5 attachments, Oral-B Pro 1000 Power Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush Powered by Braun
    • Books: Diary of a Wimpy Kid # 11: Double Down, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay, First 100 Words
    • Camera: Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Instant Film Camera, AmazonBasics 60-Inch Lightweight Tripod with Bag, GoPro HERO5
    • Fashion: Levi’s Men’s 501 Original Fit Jean, Fossil Emma Large Zip RFID Wallet, kate spade new york Cedar Street Cami Convertible Cross-Body Bag
    • Grocery: The Original Donut Shop, Regular, Medium Extra Bold, Keurig K-Cups (72 Count), San Francisco Bay OneCup, Fog Chaser (80 Single Serve Coffees), KIND Nuts & Spices, Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt
    • Handmade: First Christmas in New Home Wood Ornament, Personalized Nameplate Gold Bar Necklace, World Travel Map Pin Board
    • Home: BLACK + DECKER 16V Cordless Lithium Hand Vac, Lasko Ceramic Heater with Adjustable Thermostat, Poo-Pourri Before-You-Go Toilet Spray 2-Ounce Bottle (Original Scent)
    • Home Improvement: WBM Himalayan Salt Lamp, 3M Indoor Window Insulator Kit, Woods Outdoor 24-Hour Photoelectric Timer
    • Home & Personal Care: AmazonBasics AA Performance Alkaline Batteries (48-pack), Bounty Select-a-Size Paper Towels, Huge Roll (12 Count), Cottonelle Ultra ComfortCare Big Roll Toilet Paper (12 Count)
    • Kitchen: RTIC 30 oz. Tumbler, Instant Pot 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cooker (6 quart), Keurig K55 Single Serve Coffer Maker
    • Luxury Beauty: stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner, L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream, BaBylissPRO Ceramix Xtreme Dryer
    • Movies: The Secret Life of Pets, Finding Dory, Harry Potter: Complete 8-Film Collection
    • Music (CDs & vinyl): A Pentatonix Christmas, Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording), Blue & Lonesome
    • Musical Instruments: Blue Yeti USB Microphone, Kala Learn To Play Ukulele Starter Kit (Amazon Exclusive), Singing Machine Top Loading CDG Karaoke System with Sound and Disco Light Show
    • Outdoors: LifeStraw Personal Water Filter, Etekcity 2-pack Portable Outdoor LED Camping Lantern with 6 AA Batteries (Black, Collapsible), Yeti Coolers Rambler
    • Patio, Lawn & Garden: iDevices iGrill Mini, Bounty Hunter BHJS Junior Metal Detector, Snow Joe Telescoping Snow Broom with Ice Scraper
    • PC: SanDisk Ultra 32GB microSDHC UHS-I Card with Adapter, Seagate Expansion 1TB Portable External Hard Drive USB 3.0, AmazonBasics Mini DisplayPort (Thunderbolt) to HDMI Adapter
    • Pets: KONG Cozie Marvin the Moose Dog Toy Medium Dog Toy (Brown), GREENIES PILL POCKETS Soft Dog Treats, Chicken (Capsule, 15.8 oz), Fancy Feast Wet Cat Food – Gravy Lovers – Poultry & Beef Variety Pack, 3-Ounce Can (Pack of 24)
    • Smart Home: TP-Link Smart Plug, Philips Hue White A19 Starter Kit, Samsung SmartThings Hub
    • Sports: Spalding NBA Street Basketball, Bushnell Falcon 7×35 Binoculars w/ Case, Simply Fit Board
    • Tools: TEKTON 5941 Digital Tire Gauge, MagnoGrip 311-090 Magnetic Wristband, DEWALT DW2166 45-Piece Screwdriving Set with Tough Case
    • Toys & Games: Hasbro Pie Face Game & Pie Face Showdown Game, Scientific Explorer Mind Blowing Science Kit, Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Electronics Discovery Kit
    • TV: Samsung 32-Inch 1080p Smart LED TV, Avera 32-Inch 720p LED TV, Samsung 40-Inch 1080p Smart LED TV
    • Video Games: Pokémon Sun – Nintendo 3DS, Pokémon Moon – Nintendo 3DS, Final Fantasy XV – PlayStation 4
    • Wearable Technology: Garmin vivofit Fitness Band, Garmin vívoactive HR GPS Smart Watch, Samsung Gear VR – Virtual Reality Headset
    • Wireless: AmazonBasics Apple Certified Lightning to USB Cable (6 Feet), WeMo Light Switch, Samsung Wireless Charging Pad
  • Amazon Fire TV Gets Major Software Update

    Amazon Fire TV Gets Major Software Update

    Starting today and over the coming weeks, Amazon will be rolling out a free over-the-air software update to Fire TV customers. It includes Alexa support for first-generation Fire TV and Fire TV Stick devices.

    It also includes improvements to Amazon’s Video add-on subscription service, including an easier way for users to sign-up, discover, and access your Amazon Video add-on subscriptions.

    There’s also new Bluetooth headphone support for Fire TV Stick devices for private listening.

    “Since the launch of the new Fire TV in September, we’ve added dozens of Alexa skills to Fire TV devices including local search (i.e. the ability to find restaurants in your neighborhood), Amazon Choice and Re-Ordering from Amazon.com (i.e. quickly purchasing items off Amazon.com), home automation (i.e. turning on the living room lights via Alexa), traffic (i.e. find out how your commute to work is looking), Audible, games like Jeopardy!, Bingo, and more,” an Amazon spokesperson tells us in an email.

    “Amazon Fire TV remains #1 best-selling streaming media player in the U.S. across all retailers, and is a great way to watch your favorite TV shows and movies on the big-screen from apps like Amazon Video, Showtime, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, HBO Now and more,” the spokesperson adds.

    It’s worth noting that Amazon recently stopped selling competing devices like Apple TV and Google’s Chromecast. In fact they even put their own devices right at the top of search results for these competitors.

    Image via Amazon

  • Amazon Banishes Apple TV and Chromecast

    Amazon Banishes Apple TV and Chromecast

    In that’s sure one way to middle finger the competition news, Amazon is about to stop selling the Apple TV and Google’s Chromecast.

    Apparently, all traces of said devices will be gone from Amazon.com by October 29th.

    Bloomberg got its hands on a recent letter to third-party sellers:

    No new listings for the products will be allowed and posting of existing inventory will be removed Oct. 29, Amazon said. Amazon’s streaming video service, called Prime Video, doesn’t run easily on rival’s devices.

    “Over the last three years, Prime Video has become an important part of Prime,” Amazon said in the e-mail. “It’s important that the streaming media players we sell interact well with Prime Video in order to avoid customer confusion.”

    Roku Inc.’s hardware, Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox, and Sony Corp.’s PlayStation, which work with Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service, aren’t affected, Amazon said.

    From that, it’s pretty clear that Amazon is blaming the move on the fact that Apple TV and Chromecast lack of Amazon Prime Video support.

    And that could be part of it, I guess. But Amazon also sells these things called the Fire TV and the Fire TV stick, which just happen to be direct competitors of the Apple TV and Chromecast.

    Oh well. There are plenty of places to buy Apples TVs and Chromecasts.

    This has been the latest installment of When Corporate Giants Can’t Get Along.

  • HBO GO Finally Hits Amazon’s Fire TV

    Back in April, Amazon launched Fire TV, its streaming device for the connected living room. It was missing one key service however. It didn’t support HBO GO. While Amazon has since added HBO content to Prime Instant Video, those don’t include the latest episodes of all the shows.

    Today, Amazon announced that the device finally has the service.

    “Since launch we’ve increased the number of services available on Amazon Fire TV by more than 4x,” said Peter Larsen, Vice President of Amazon Devices. “We’re thrilled to add HBO GO, the most requested service, to Fire TV in time for the holidays. HBO has produced some of the most groundbreaking and award-winning TV shows and movies, and we are excited to bring this amazing content to our customers, all of which is accessible via voice search on your Fire TV remote.”

    “Given our longstanding relationship with Amazon, we’re delighted to bring HBO GO to Amazon’s Fire TV—offering our vast collection of award-winning TV series and movies to Fire TV users,” added Jeff Dallesandro, Vice President, Digital Domestic Network Distribution at HBO. “We’re thrilled to add this platform to the suite of HBO GO viewing options, offering our subscribers compelling new experiences like Amazon’s unified voice search.”

    Amazon is selling Fire TV for $79 through December 28. HBO GO will be available for the less expensive Amazon Fire TV Stick in the spring.

    Last month, HBO GO finally became available for Xbox One.

    Image via YouTube

  • Cable TV Cutters Have Plenty Of Options This Christmas

    Cable TV is one of the worst investments a family can make today. There’s only so much to watch, and lot of it is never on when you want it to be. That’s why cable cutters are on the rise, and it’s easier than ever to say goodbye to your cable TV provider over the holidays.

    Cable cutters have a multitude of options when it comes to streaming video solutions with Google, Amazon, Roku and Apple all offering compelling hardware. The question during the holidays is which company offers the best value. For the purposes of this article, we can ignore any potential sales and focus solely on base value.

    First off is the Google Chromecast – the $35 streaming stick that connects to your TV via HDMI. It’s small and unobtrusive, but it requires that you either own an iOS or Android device. If you have a mobile device, you can “cast” video from Netflix, YouTube, Hulu and many others onto the Chromecast. It also interacts with Google Play so you can watch all the movies and listen to all the music that you’ve bought via the service. What’s that? You haven’t bought anything on Google Play? Well, Google is offering Chromecast buyers $20 in Google Play Movies credit and free trials to Google Play Music and Hulu Plus during the holidays.

    Starting out, Amazon couldn’t really compete with Google on price as its Fire TV was a full-fledged set top box that went for $99. That all changed this year, however, when Amazon introduced the Fire TV Stick – a $40 streaming stick that directly competes with the Chromecast. Amazon promises a device with 4x the storage and 2x the memory of the Chromecast hence the $5 markup. It also has access to Amazon Instant Video so Prime members will be right at home with this one. Another benefit is that the device ships with a dedicated remote so users don’t have to own a mobile device to use it.

    Roku, the first company to really nail the set-top box concept, also has a streaming stick in stores this holiday. The Roku Streaming Stick, which retails for $50, is kind of a best of both worlds between the Chromecast and Fire TV Stick. It offers all the same services as the previous two while allowing users to control either via included remote or their smartphone. Roku is also offering a special deal where first time buyers get over $40 of movies, TV and music from Hulu Plus and Rdio Unlimited.

    Finally, Apple is offering its premium Apple TV to buyers looking for something that keeps them in the comfy, conformist Apple ecosystem. Staring at $99, the Apple TV is the only set-top box you’ll see on this list as the company has not released a streaming stick. It’s also likely that Apple will never do so. The set-top box format allows the Apple TV to do a lot more than a streaming stick, like play games. The only problem is that it’s a set top box so those looking for something that won’t stick out won’t find it on the Apple TV.

    So, which one of these fine products should you get for the aspiring cable cutter this Christmas? It really depends on their needs, but there’s a simple question that can easily decide which to get. Do you or the person in question own a mobile device, and are they comfortable using it? If so, the Chromecast is a great choice thanks to its low price and compatibility with dozens of mobile apps. If they don’t own a mobile device, the Fire TV is the next best bet.

    Image via Google Chrome, Twitter

  • Amazon Announces Fire TV Stick To Rival Chromecast

    Amazon just announced its own competitor to Google’s Chromecast, which is more expensive and includes a separate remote. It’s called the Fire TV Stick, maintaining the brand of its previously released streaming device.

    The Fire TV Stick connects to the HDMI port on an HDTV just like the Chromecast. While it’s only $19 for Prime members for two days only, its regular price is $39. Chromecast is typically $35, but can be found for less from some retailers. Walmart is selling it for $28.32 with 2 months of Hulu Plus for free at the moment. In fact, you can even get it for the same price on Amazon itself.

    Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says, “Fire TV Stick is the most powerful streaming media stick available—a dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of storage, dual-band and dual-antenna Wi-Fi, included remote control, voice search with our free mobile app, easy set-up, an open ecosystem, and exclusive features like ASAP for instant streaming. The team has packed an unbelievable amount of power and selection into an incredible price point—Fire TV Stick is just $39.”

    While it comes with a remote control (unlike the Chromecast which you can simply use with your phone, tablet, or computer), you can still download the Fire TV Remote app to use your phone as a remote. Some additional features include:

    Instant streaming with ASAP—No more waiting for your movies and TV shows to buffer—ASAP (Advanced Streaming and Prediction) predicts which movies and TV episodes you’ll want to watch and buffers them for playback before you even hit play so videos start instantly.

    Fling movies and TV shows from your phone or tablet—Fling movies and TV shows from your Fire tablet or Fire phone to Fire TV Stick, turning your TV into the primary screen and freeing up your phone or tablet to provide playback controls, a customized display for X-Ray, or simply a place to email, browse the web, and more, while you watch a movie. Fire TV Stick supports standards like DIAL so you can also fling services like YouTube, Spotify, and coming soon, Netflix, from your Android phone or iPhone.

    Mirror your phone or tablet display—Wirelessly mirror your tablet display to your Fire TV Stick from Fire tablets, Fire phone, and Miracast-enabled phones or tablets including devices from Motorola, Samsung, LG, and Google without any additional apps or software.

    X-Ray for movies and TV shows—Using Second Screen on your Fire tablet or Fire phone, you can see X-Ray information as your movie or TV show plays on your TV via Fire TV Stick. See information about cast and crew, the names of songs as they play, as well as a list of music in the movie or TV show, trivia items in context with the action on the screen, and character backstories so you can easily remind yourself of the character’s history. X-Ray is exclusive to Amazon and is powered by IMDb.

    X-Ray for music—Lyrics display and scroll line-by-line automatically as the song plays, so you can follow along with songs.

    Great for casual gaming—Play your favorite casual games like Monsters University, Ski Safari, and Flappy Birds Family.

    Personal photos and videos—Play slide shows and choose your favorite album for the screen-saver on Fire TV Stick. Photos or videos you take on your phone or tablet can be automatically uploaded to Amazon Cloud Drive, so they appear on your Fire TV Stick.

    There’s also an Amazon Fire TV Voice Remote, which you can get for an additional $30.

    Amazon boasts about all the services and content you can access with the Fire TV Stick, including Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, NBA Game Time, Twitch, SHOWTIME ANYTIME, Prime Music, Spotify, Pandora, Vevo, Plex, A&E, PBS, PBS KIDS, WATCH Disney Channel, and YouTube.com.

    One of the services people care about the most, however, is missing in action, just as it was at the launch of Fire TV itself. While Amazon touts the fact that you can watch shows like Game of Thrones and The Wire, there’s no mention of HBO GO. Amazon struck a deal with HBO earlier this year to license old HBO content, but that doesn’t include current seasons of its shows, which you need HBO Go to stream. There were reports earlier this year that the service would be coming to Fire TV, but we’re still waiting on that one.

    It’s going to be even more important for devices to get HBO Go if they want to stay competitive in the future, as HBO is talking about turning it into a standalone service for those who don’t subscribe to any cable television packages.

    Amazon launched Fire TV in April. Last week, the company gave an update on it, saying that it has tripled the amount of available apps. There are over 600 available now.

    As you might expect, Amazon is giving away a free 30-day Amazon Prime trial with Fire TV Stick purchases.

    Image via Amazon