Amazon Fire TV Limited Time Deal Review

If you're an avid Amazon shopper, then you may have noticed a recent update to the homepage promoting their latest in-house gadget, the Amazon Fire TV. Following in the footsteps of the Fire phone, the Kindle Fire tablet serious, the Kindle Paperwhite, and Amazon Prime memberships, Jeff Bezos and company like to depend on people coming to their website to learn about and purchase their best offerings.

If you haven't heard about the Fire TV, then let's start there:

Amazon Fire TV is a streaming media box like Roku or Apple TV. You're able to watch Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and many other media channels and effectively make a "dumb" TV into a smart one. There's also games being designed for the system so the Amazon Fire TV can become a makeshift gaming console (for light gaming)

So basically, if you're like me and you have a "dumb" TV, then you may have been tempted to get a dongle or adapter that allows you to watch Netflix or surf the internet on your TV. The Amazon Fire TV focuses on the content consumption side of things and the best parts are being able to watch Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, and oodles of other online channels like WatchESPN and HBO.

It debuted at the price of $99 and got a mild reception because it had a hybrid approach compared to its competitors. Whereas the Roku and the Google Chromecast were all about watching videos, Amazon Fire TV brought in additional features like voice-operated search and real gaming capabilities.

So now that you're able to get a brand new unit for the discounted price of $84, should you?

Most definitely.

Now, anytime a device drops in price, then you should start by asking yourself "Why?" In this case, the item is in new condition, so you're not dealing with a used or refurbished unit, which is excellent. Per the website, Amazon has temporarily dropped the price to $84 to celebrate their Amazon Originals pilots which launch this Thursday. So while they haven't indicated how long the sale is good for, you have a maximum of 2-3 days to take advantage of the opportunity.

I've spent a lot of time as an Amazon Prime member, and I can vouch for the value of the service and the amount of media available to stream. Whether it's an episode of Alpha House or the movie Hunger Games, there's a good variety of free content that you would be able to stream directly onto your TV with the Amazon Fire TV. There's also a lot of cheap content if you're into purchasing TV shows (which I am not) or Fire TV games.

If you're into streaming music then you'll also like the Amazon audio streaming feature, or you can link into your Pandora playlists too.

The Amazon Fire TV has 3 big competitors: Roku 3, Apple TV, and Google Chromecast.

Here's how it fares head to head:

• It beats the Roku 3. With the new discounted price, you basically get a faster Roku 3 with voice search and more gaming capabilities. The one miss right now is HBO but Amazon has struck a deal for the content, so it's only a matter of time.
• It whips the Apple TV. Obviously if you're locked into the Apple ecosystem, then you may feel differently, but again, with the new lower price, it's a no-brainer. You get more content channels including Amazon Instant Video, better sound capabilities, faster search, voice search, and gaming abilities. Apple TV has zero gaming capabilities.
• It does more but costs more than Google Chromecast. I've had a Google Chromecast, and I returned it. It is a very basic content streamer that gets very hot, runs somewhat slow, and basically does what it should for a price of $35. But I need my devices to do more: I want voice search, I want casual gaming at a moment's whim, and I want the Ethernet connection in case my Wifi signal isn't fantastic in the other bedroom.

At $84, I'm seriously considering getting my hands on the Amazon Fire TV, and that's saying a lot, because I rarely jump in on gadgets these days. But no matter how I fight it, I see a really good deal that will allow me to enjoy more content on my TV than ever before. If you're like me and you just want to be able to watch Netflix and Amazon Instant Video on your TV then it's going to do the job without a hiccup. And when you want to get around to the other capabilities with voice search and gaming, it's not going anywhere either. Let's get one together and compare notes. Let me know what you think if you get one!

I believe that being frugal and making smart money choices is like any other exercise. As we continue to practice good habits in saving money where possible, finding deals for what we want, and having a good time at it, then we become better at dealing for a living.

I'm committed to sharing my experiences with getting the most out of using credit cards, saving and spending tips, and I might even add a slice of perspective without trying to be a psychoanalyst like some other personal finance folks out there.

Please let me know what you think and if you'd like to hear my take on a specific topic.

Most Sincerely,

DealForALiving

DealForALiving