The newest streaming media device to hit the market was unveiled yesterday, and she’s a gem. Packed in a tiny black box no thicker than the height of a dime, the Amazon Fire TV looks to be one of those big things in a small package we all keep hearing about. Much as Apple has done over the last several years, Amazon is by no means trying to re-invent the wheel here; what they have done is taken an already existing idea and glossed and polished it until the end product easily outshined its competition. Set to compete in a market alongside gadgets like the Roku and Apple TV, Amazon seems to have taken the loudest complaints associated with these media boxes and created a media viewing device that now exceeds what its predecessors put forth.

 
Amazon approached the design and functionality of the Fire TV with the goal in mind to make “complexity disappear”. This is especially apparent in the design of its remote, which has only 7 buttons, a click wheel navigator and voice search that “actually works” stated Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos (no doubt a jab at similar products who struggle in general with spoken word recognition). The voice search can be used to locate a show by title, actor, topic or keyword and will span all sources of content. Additionally, the remote is Bluetooth powered, so no contorting yourself to try and get that little laser aimed and pointed just right.

 
Amazon took a brilliant approach in the creation of Fire TV – they simply studied the negative reviews of other streaming gadgets, and created Fire TV to overcome the three major issues that they ran into over and over again – inadequate search tools, sluggish performance and a closed ecosystems of apps. One amazing little feature they have included is called ASAP, which predicts what a user might watch next and “queues them up so that they start instantly” explained Amazon VP Peter Larsen. This sets the Fire TV miles apart from the competition, all of which require at least some buffering. As for content, apps, and gaming? They will offer plenty of that. Just some of the already confirmed services are Netflix, Hulu+, WatchESPN, Showtime, Pandora, and thousands of games from the FireOS ecosystem (Minecraft, Deer Hunter and The Walking Dead, to name a few). Amazon has even begun to introduce original shows like “Alpha House” and “Betas”, while also spending a tiny fortune to obtain exclusive rights to programs like past seasons of Fox’s “24”. Got kids? Never you worry, there’s an app for that! FreeTime is a children’s programming interface that limits content to only what is suitable for children, and opens up search option to broader topics like “dinosaurs” or “puppies”. FreeTime even has an option called “Free Time Unlimited”, which works like a TV buffet for kids – for a monthly fee, this service grants unlimited access to content from kids’ broadcasters like Nickelodeon.

 
Other specs for the Fire TV include 1080p HD streaming video, 8GB of storage for apps and games , Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8064 processor and connections galore (1 HDMI, 1 Ethernet, 1 USB 2.0, 1 Optical audio and 1 DC power port). She packs quite a punch for such a tiny thing, and at a sweet $99 price tag, should have no problem flying off the shelves. Even the optional gaming controller is set at a very affordable $40 – not bad for such an affordable all-in-one.