Amazon Readies Next-Gen Fire TV Stick With Alexa Voice Remote

The Alexa world expanded again with Amazon’s announcement Wednesday it's taking preorders for a new Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote. Shipping is set for Oct. 20. The $39 streaming media stick is up to a third faster than the original Fire TV Stick and will include up to $65 in content for new subscribers who buy and activate their device by Oct. 31, Amazon said. Content offers include one month of Sling TV, two months of Hulu’s limited-commercial offering and a $10 credit for Amazon Video rentals or purchases. Consumers can use voice control to request a specific channel or a genre, Amazon said. Extra functionality is available for Amazon Video content: Users can ask Alexa to control playback by going back or jumping ahead, it said. Among the additional Alexa features: check local movie times, create shopping lists, play music, get the news and weather, order a pizza and request an Uber ride. A software update later this year will feature a new on-screen experience said to simplify the process of finding content to watch by showing video trailers and content screenshots without the need to open and close multiple apps. The upgrade also will allow customers to use Fire TV and compatible apps with Amazon’s VoiceView, which reads on-screen text out loud as users navigate menu options, Amazon said. The free, over-the-air update will start with the Alexa-enabled Fire TV Stick and latest-generation Fire TV later this year, it said.