$39 Amazon Fire TV Stick Offers Specs and Features Boost Over Chromecast

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So we know Google must be flattered by all of the Chromecast clones that have been coming out of the woodwork to offer comparable devices. With all the competition it is clear that HDMI dongle that is capable of streaming online content and games from sites like YouTube, Hulu and others has become a hit. Today however, we have a new entry into the market that may have just upped the ante by upping the specs and features.

The new Amazon Fire TV Stick offers much of the same video and content streaming capabilities as that of the Google Chromecast. However, it does so in a more robust package. It will feature a dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of storage, dual-band and dual-antenna Wi-Fi and an included remote control. There will also be an optional voice remote similar to the one found with the Fire TV. There is also an optional gamepad, since the Fire TV Stick will be able to play many of the games that are found on the Fire TV.

As for content there will also be a slight boost over the current Chromecast (and other competing offerings). You'll not only get instant access to the most popular services like Netflix, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, Spotify, Pandora, and YouTube.com, you'll also get access to Amazon's own Prime Instant Video and Prime Music service. For gamers Amazon says you'll have access to more than 200 games.

In addition to instant streaming of content you'll be able to utilize the Amazon Fire TV Stick to 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. Turning your TV into the primary screen and freeing up your phone or tablet to provide playback controls.

Additional features will include Amazon's X-Ray for movies, TV shows and music and Amazon's Whispersync to synchronizes your video and music library across all of your devices.

X-Ray allows your device to become a second screen to view video 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.

Fire TV Stick is available starting today for just $39—order at www.amazon.com/fire-tv-stick. Current Amazon Prime members have the option of buying the Fire TV Stick at the discounted price of  $19 for the next two days. Customers who are new to Prime can sign up for a free trial and also receive this special price.