Amazon announces unlimited Cloud Drive for $60 per year
Amazon today rolled out two new storage plans for customers to host their photos or media files online in its secure cloud. Available immediately, Amazon will offer a free three-month trial to both options. What are the options, you ask? How about unlimited storage of your photos for $12 per year? Need to host more than just pictures? Why not upgrade to the unlimited everything deal which includes pictures, videos, files, documents, music, and more.
Amazon Cloud Drive Options:
- Unlimited Photos Plan (free 3-month trial, then $11.99 per year—equivalent of less than $1 per month): Store an infinite number of photos in Cloud Drive without worrying about taking up space on phones, cameras, or other devices. Customers can upload existing collections and store all future photos taken. This plan also includes 5 GB of additional storage for videos or other documents and files.
- Unlimited Everything Plan (free 3-month trial, then $59.99 per year—equivalent of less than $5 per month): Store an infinite number of new and existing photos, videos, files, documents, movies, and music in Cloud Drive.
Amazon Prime customers and Fire device owners who already receive unlimited photo backup can upgrade immediately. Amazon Cloud lets customers access files from just about anywhere, including smartphones, tablets, PC, and, of course, Kindle Fire devices.
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Amazon Fire TV gets USB storage support, dorm Wi-Fi connectivity and more in new update
Amazon has just announced a new update for the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick that will add much more functionality to each device. Most notably, both devices are getting support for Wi-Fi hotspots that require web authentication. This means you’ll now get to connect your Fire TV or Fire TV Stick to hotel or dorm room Wi-Fi hotspots. Amazon notes that this new Wi-Fi support will only work with some universities, so you may want to check with your college’s IT professional before you go out and buy one of these devices.
The next feature is for the Fire TV only, and it brings support for expandable USB storage. This means you’ll be able to off-load any big games, movies or shows to your USB flash drive that you don’t want taking up precious on-board storage on your device.
There are a few other notable features coming to each device, so let’s take a look at the full changelog:
- Expandable USB storage on Amazon Fire TV—You can now use a connected USB mass storage device to expand your Fire TV storage for downloaded apps and games—this enables you to have more games downloaded for easy access.
- Connect to your hotel or dorm room Wi-Fi with captive portal support out of the box—Take your favorite movies, TV shows, games, and more with you away from home—Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick are the first streaming media devices to enable you to connect to Wi-Fi that requires web authentication—this includes Wi-Fi at most major hotels, as well as some universities.
- Private listening on Fire TV—Enjoy favorite movies and TV shows after the kids go to sleep, without worrying about waking them up. Support for wireless Bluetooth headphones to Fire TV lets you listen to your movie, TV show, or music without bothering others in your household.
- Browse and search Prime Playlists—Prime members can now take advantage of hand-crafted Prime Music playlists directly from Fire TV and Fire TV Stick—there are hundreds of expertly curated Prime Playlists to choose from based on your mood, activity or even artist or decade of choice.
- Hidden PIN entry—With the new PIN entry screen that hides the numbers selected, you can now make sure your kids (or freeloading friends) can’t see your device PIN as you enter it on-screen to confirm a purchase on Fire TV or Fire TV Stick.
- New shortcuts—Quickly put your Fire TV or Fire TV Stick to sleep or enable display mirroring by pressing and holding the Home button on your remote.
The update is scheduled to arrive to both devices “in the coming weeks”, though we don’t have any more information beyond that. This news follows the announcement from earlier today that the Amazon Fire TV Stick is making its way to Europe on April 15th for £35/€35.
Amazon Announces New Features for Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick |
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Amazon Fire TV adds expandable USB storage and private, wireless listening with Bluetooth headphones Watch on the go—Fire TV and Fire TV Stick now support captive portal so you can connect to Wi-Fi at a hotel or dorm room that requires web authentication Fire TV Stick now available in the UK and Germany—Amazon Fire TV already the #1 streaming media box on Amazon in the UK and Germany SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Mar. 24, 2015– (NASDAQ:AMZN)—Amazon today announced new features are coming to the best-selling Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick. These features will be delivered as part of a free, over-the-air software update in the coming weeks. Amazon also announced today that Fire TV Stick is now available in the UKand Germany, joining the #1-selling streaming media box, Amazon Fire TV. “Customer response to Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick has been overwhelming—we’ve been working hard to build more of both as quickly as possible, and we’re excited to be adding new features we think customers will love,” said Peter Larsen, Vice President, Amazon Devices. “In the UK and Germany, Fire TV is already the best-selling streaming media box on Amazon, and we’re thrilled to be bringing our fastest-selling Amazon device ever—Fire TV Stick—to the UK and Germany. We think millions of customers in theUK and Germany are going to love this product.” New features coming as part of the free, over-the-air software update include:
Fire TV and Fire TV Stick are available for purchase at www.amazon.com/firetv and www.amazon.com/firetvstick. Fire TV Stick is available to order starting today in the UK and Germany—it will start shipping on April 15. Learn more at www.amazon.co.uk/firetvstick and www.amazon.de/firetvstick. About Amazon Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire phone, Fire tablets, and Fire TV are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. |
Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick updated with host of new features
Amazon on Tuesday announced that its Fire TV will gain USB storage as well as private, wireless listening via Bluetooth headphones. What’s more, as part of a free update rolling out over the coming days, both the Fire TV and the Fire TV Stick will be able to connect to WiFi at hotels, schools, and other places that require web authentication. As if that weren’t enough, Amazon is also expanding the availability of the Fire TV Stick, offering it up in UK and Germany.
New features coming as part of the free, over-the-air software update include:
- Expandable USB storage on Amazon Fire TV—You can now use a connected USB mass storage device to expand your Fire TV storage for downloaded apps and games—this enables you to have more games downloaded for easy access.
- Connect to your hotel or dorm room Wi-Fi with captive portal support out of the box—Take your favorite movies, TV shows, games, and more with you away from home—Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick are the first streaming media devices to enable you to connect to Wi-Fi that requires web authentication—this includes Wi-Fi at most major hotels, as well as some universities.
- Private listening on Fire TV—Enjoy favorite movies and TV shows after the kids go to sleep, without worrying about waking them up. Support for wireless Bluetooth headphones to Fire TV lets you listen to your movie, TV show, or music without bothering others in your household.
- Browse and search Prime Playlists—Prime members can now take advantage of hand-crafted Prime Music playlists directly from Fire TV and Fire TV Stick—there are hundreds of expertly curated Prime Playlists to choose from based on your mood, activity or even artist or decade of choice.
- Hidden PIN entry—With the new PIN entry screen that hides the numbers selected, you can now make sure your kids (or freeloading friends) can’t see your device PIN as you enter it on-screen to confirm a purchase on Fire TV or Fire TV Stick.
- New shortcuts—Quickly put your Fire TV or Fire TV Stick to sleep or enable display mirroring by pressing and holding the Home button on your remote.
The post Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick updated with host of new features appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Amazon Fire TV players will soon work in your hotel room
Amazon’s Fire TV and Fire TV Stick will soon be much more useful, especially if you’re outside of the US. Thanks to an impending update, both streaming media hubs will work in dorm rooms, hotels and other places where you have to sign in before you get online — you can pack your device on that big vacation. The two also get support for Prime Music playlists, shortcuts for screen mirroring and hidden PIN codes when you make a purchase. You’re in for the biggest treat if you have a full-fledged Fire TV box, since you’ll get support for USB storage (to hold all your extra apps and games) and Bluetooth headphones (for those late-night movies).
The update is only expected to arrive in the “coming weeks.” However, you won’t have to live in the US to enjoy it. Amazon has also announced that the Fire TV Stick is coming to both Germany and the UK on April 15th. If you’ve been jonesing for the tiny media adapter, you can pre-order it now for £35 or €39.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Amazon
Source: Amazon
Amazon Fire TV Stick heading to Europe on April 15th for £35/€35
Amazon’s Fire TV Stick, the company’s own take on the popular Chromecast formula, will be landing in the UK and Germany on April 15th with a very reasonable £35/€35 price tag.
The little dongle is already available to pre-order if you’re an Amazon Prime member. New members can grab the Fire TV Stick for just £7/€7, after a refund, if they purchase before March 26th and existing Prime members can pre-order one for £19/€19, which is still a good deal. For comparison, the Google Chromecast costs £30 from the Play Store.
As for why you might want to choose an Amazon Fire TV Stick over a Chromecast? For a start, there’s superior hardware specifications, with 4 times in the internal memory (8GB vs 2GB), twice the RAM (1GB vs 512MB) and a dual-core processor. Amazon has also made a fuss about its Dolby Digital Plus surround sound for superior audio and a dual-band dual-antenna WiFi configuration for a more consistent, smoother streaming experience. The TV Stick also comes with its own remote control, giving you control over the system without the need for your smartphone.
Amazon’s dongle also has access to the company’s extensive media library, Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, Youtube and region specific services, such as BBC iPlayer and News, Demand 5, and Sky News for the UK, or Tagesschau and ARD in Germany. The only major downside is the lack of access to your existing Google Play media library, if you have one.
This launch could pave the way for a roll-out in other European countries too.
Deal: Microsoft Bluetooth mice, keyboards, and other accessories up to 60% off on Amazon
Amazon is running a promotion on Microsoft mobile and PC accessories, including several Bluetooth keyboards and mice.
A nice mouse-keyboard pair can really help you make the most out of any tablet or even larger phones, especially if your mobile device is your primary way to get online. Whether you’re looking for a mouse or a keyboard to amp up your mobile productivity or an accessory for your computer, today’s Amazon Gold Box Deal may bring some bargain opportunities. The promo sees select Microsoft keyboards and mice (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth), webcams and game controllers discounted by up to 60 percent.
Of particular interest to mobile users are the following accessories, all well rated by Amazon users:
- Microsoft Sculpt Touch Bluetooth Mouse for $23.00 (54%)
- Microsoft Universal Mobile Keyboard for $49.95 (38%)
- Microsoft Wedge Mobile Keyboard for $35.00 (56%)
- Microsoft Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse for $39.95 (43%)
- Microsoft Sculpt Comfort Bluetooth Mouse for $15.95 (60%)
If you’re interested in the PC accessories, check out the full list here.
The deal is valid through midnight Pacific. Happy shopping!
Deal: Microsoft Bluetooth mice, keyboards, and other accessories up to 60% off on Amazon
Amazon is running a promotion on Microsoft mobile and PC accessories, including several Bluetooth keyboards and mice.
A nice mouse-keyboard pair can really help you make the most out of any tablet or even larger phones, especially if your mobile device is your primary way to get online. Whether you’re looking for a mouse or a keyboard to amp up your mobile productivity or an accessory for your computer, today’s Amazon Gold Box Deal may bring some bargain opportunities. The promo sees select Microsoft keyboards and mice (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth), webcams and game controllers discounted by up to 60 percent.
Of particular interest to mobile users are the following accessories, all well rated by Amazon users:
- Microsoft Sculpt Touch Bluetooth Mouse for $23.00 (54%)
- Microsoft Universal Mobile Keyboard for $49.95 (38%)
- Microsoft Wedge Mobile Keyboard for $35.00 (56%)
- Microsoft Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse for $39.95 (43%)
- Microsoft Sculpt Comfort Bluetooth Mouse for $15.95 (60%)
If you’re interested in the PC accessories, check out the full list here.
The deal is valid through midnight Pacific. Happy shopping!
Amazon’s Fire TV Stick arrives in the UK next month for £35
Google’s Chromecast streaming dongle has proven to be quite the hit, but it does come with some drawbacks. There’s no physical remote, for instance, and the lack of menus or any overarching UI can be alienating for some. Amazon took a swing at the idea last October with the Fire TV Stick, and after launching in the US it’s ready to tackle the UK too. It’ll begin shipping on April 15th, although eager streamers can pre-order the gizmo today for £19. That’s a sizeable discount on the regular £35 asking price, which is just a smidge higher (£30) than Google’s offering in the Play store. If you’ve been weighing up a Prime subscription too, this might be the time to take the plunge; Amazon will knock the Fire TV Stick down to £7 for anyone that’s willing to sign up for a new membership.
As we mentioned in our original review, there’s a lot going for Amazon’s affordable streaming dongle. The hardware is a cut above its closest competition and the remote, alongside a slowly improving Fire OS, should appeal to homeowners looking for a more traditional set-top box experience. However, the deciding factor will probably be your preferred ecosystem and video streaming services. If you’ve accrued a hefty film collection in Google Play, you’re better off sticking with the Chromecast, but if Prime Instant Video is your jam, the Fire TV Stick could be the one to go for. For those who want to stay as platform-agnostic as possible, Roku’s Streaming Stick is a top-notch option too.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Amazon
Source: Amazon
Amazon ‘Unlocked’ could be like a “Prime for paid Android apps”
Amazon may soon offer customers unlimited access to paid apps and games as part of a new “Unlocked” service. That is, of course, provided a recent TechCrunch report proves accurate. According to their sources, it would be not unlike an “Amazon Prime for Apps”.
Introducing Amazon Unlocked for Apps & Games,” the company notes in one promotional spot. “Paid apps and in-app purchasing now completely FREE from Amazon.
Allegedly, the Amazon Unlocked would essentially provide for a way for highlighting content that typically comes with a price tag or includes in-app purchases. From the sounds of it, Amazon will shave the prices down on content for limited time periods and developers may be able to opt in/out.
It is not clear as to how soon Amazon Unlocked might roll out or whether it will be offered separately from any other services. Presumably, Unlocked is just one more “wow” factor in the Amazon experience and comes free of charge. On the other hand, we’d not be surprised if there were a standalone fee that gets you in the door. Would you be willing to pay a few bucks each month for an all-access pass to Unlocked content?
The post Amazon ‘Unlocked’ could be like a “Prime for paid Android apps” appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google’s Nexus Player is finally available to pre-order in the UK
While Google’s Nexus Player has been available in the states for a while now, those of us across the pond have waited patiently to get our grubby little hands on one. Finally, it appears that our wait is about to end thanks to Amazon(UK).
Amazon (UK) have put up a pre-order page for the Asus built Nexus Player, with a price tag of £79 ($119) that includes free shipping. According to the listing, Amazon will ship the Nexus Player after the device is released on March 26th. The £79 ($119) price tag gets you the remote and the player, with the added bonus that the Nexus Player is in the process of being updated to Android 5.1. If you aren’t sure what the Nexus Player is all about, we have a brief refresher on its capabilities below:
- Googlecast ready – Cast your favourite entertainment apps such as Plex, Netflix or YouTube, etc. from your Android or iOS device, Mac, Windows computer or Chromebook straight to your TV
- Content is synchronised between devices, meaning that you can start watching your favourite program on your TV and finish watching on your tablet without missing a beat.
- You can search for content by pressing the microphone button and saying the name of the content you want to watch, the Nexus Player will do the searching for you.
The £79 price tag matches the pricing of Amazon’s Fire TV offering while carrying the usual price increase UK dwellers see when compared to the US price. This is the pre-order price though, and it might not be the last price on march 26th when it is released for shipping. What do you think? Is £79 too much? Did you lose patience and buy the Fire TV or have you been waiting patiently for the Nexus Player to arrive in the UK? Let us know in the comments below or at our forums.
Source: Amazon (UK)
Come comment on this article: Google’s Nexus Player is finally available to pre-order in the UK
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