Tag: Fire TV

Amazon’s Amazing Deal: a Free FireTV Stick?!

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FireTV discount on Amazon

Amazon’s FireTV boxes cost $99 — but the same functions are now available for just $39 in Amazon’s new FireTV Stick. But they’ll give you one for free if you sign up for the $20-a-month “SlingTV” service. Frankly, I’m amazed at how low its price has dropped.

Check out Amazon’s cheap FireTV prices at
tinyurl.com/FireTV39

When it was first released last year, Amazon was selling the “box” version of Fire TV for $99, so it already feels like Amazon is offering a massive 60% discount with their FireTV sticks. Maybe Amazon’s calculated how many digital videos you’ll rent from Amazon once you’ve purchased a FireTV stick. And the SlingTV service feels like getting a basic cable TV package at a much cheaper price. I just told my girlfriend — she loves the Food Network — and it’s part of the SlingTV package (along with the Disney Channel, ESPN, TNT, and Adult Swim.)

So why is the FireTV stick so cheap? And ultimately, what’s the difference between FireTV and and the FireTV stick? Fortunately there’s a helpful chart on Amazon, but it makes the two FireTV products look nearly identical. The stick version of FireTV is wireless only — you can’t use a cable to connect it, even if you want to. And the stick also only offers Dolby Digital Plus sound (and not the fancier “5.1 surround sound”).

Both devices can also run games and apps on your big-screen digital TV — though fewer of them will be comptaible with the stick version of FireTV. And there’s also a service for children called “Amazon FreeTime” which is only available on the larger FireTV box. FreeTime gives you a library of child-friendly videos for which you pay a small monthly subscription fee. It’s optional for the FireTV boxes — but the optional service isn’t available if you’re only using a FireTV stick.

I think we’re the winners in a price war between Amazon and the other digital media companies. They’re lowering their prices to attract customers to Amazon’s own streaming media service. “18 times more apps and games than Apple TV,” reads a new ad that just appeared on the front page of Amazon.

They’re anxious for you to try FireTV — and now they’re making it as cheap as they possibly can!

Check out Amazon’s cheap FireTV prices at
tinyurl.com/FireTV39

My Favorite Amazon Shopping Stories

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Amazon_front_page_December_holiday_Kindle_deals

Amazon’s got more holiday deals today. A Kindle is now just $59, and their voice-activated “Fire TV” set-top box is just $79. And they’re also offering a $114 Fire HD7 — and a Fire Phone for just $229.

For a shortcut to Amazon’s new holiday specials, go to
tinyurl.com/AmazonHolidaySpecials

But I have to admit that shopping on Amazon at times feels like a “guilty pleasure”. For example, on a rainy morning last week, I did what feels like a terrible thing. There was a wonderful book that was on sale at Barnes and Noble, and I’d wanted to buy it as a Christmas gift. But that morning I’d been planning to enjoy a warm, cozy morning in that bookstore’s Starbucks. So after I settled in with my hot tea, I’d fired up my laptop, went straight to Amazon’s web site, and found a copy of that book that was $5.00 cheaper.
And then I ordered it from Amazon — while I was sitting in Barnes and Noble.

Barnes and Noble did get some money from me — when I paid for that delicious (but over-priced) Starbucks tea! And in the end, even when I purchased the book, it was just giving money to one giant corporation instead of a different giant corporation. You could argue that it’s reasonable (and very “American”) to shop wherever the price is cheapest. And of course, sometimes this can work against Amazon, too…

For example, this morning Amazon announced that they’re discounting their “Fire TV” stick to just $79. That feels like a great price, and my girlfriend and I do enjoy watching Amazon’s shows with her “Apple TV” set-top box. But that’s been complicated to set up, since we first have to start Amazon’s app on her iPhone, and then get the phone to communicate with Apple’s box. I thought maybe my girlfriend would appreciate Amazon’s easier solution, since it’s already connected to all of Amazon’s Prime TV shows — and can also be activated using voice commands.

But then I found even cheaper FIre TV sticks that were turning up for sale on Craigslist. There were even some eBay auctions selling Fire TV sticks which were brand new — and still sealed up in their original packaging — for less than $50. And if I didn’t want to wait for Craigslist, I could drive across town to pick up one today from somebody who lives in my community. Plus, I’d get to see another human face, hold the merchandise in my hands, and have an actual conversation about why they were selling it, when they’d bought it — and how they were enjoying their holiday season!

That’s the one thing you can’t buy from Amazon…

Amazon Discounts For Father’s Day!

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Father's Day Kindle Fire HD and tie as a gift

Holidays are always fun — because Amazon starts offering big discounts on gifts! Father’s Day means big discounts on tablets from Amazon, and also on their new Amazon Fire TV. And there’s even a “bundle” where you can purchase both products and get a 25% discount.

For a shortcut to Amazon’s Father’s Day specials, point your browser to
tinyurl.com/FathersDayAmazon

The best deal is a $40 savings on a high-definition Kindle Fire tablet. Amazon’s lowered the price to just $129, but there’s also discounts on their other tablets. You can also get the same high-definition Kindle Fire for just $119 — a $20 savings — if you’ll settle for an 8-gigabyte hard drive instead of one with 16 gigabytes. It’s Amazon’s cheapest tablet, and with these discounts it’s just $50 more than one of Amazon’s black-and-white readers!

But Amazon’s also offering discounts on their fancier tablet, the Kindle Fire HDX. Its screen has an even higher definition — 323 pixels per inch — plus a camera and a built-in microphone, and a whole lot more storage. The Kindle Fire HDX starts with 16 gigabytes of storage, but there’s also versions with 32 gigabytes and even 64 gigabytes. And for Father’s Day, Amazon’s lowering the price of all of them by $30 — to just $199, $239, and $279!

There’s also an intriguing discount on their newest product, the Amazon Fire TV. If you purchase the $99 device for Father’s Day, Amazon will instantly “kick back” a $15 credit for their Instant Video service. It’s an easy way to connect Netflix to your TV — along with Hulu Plus, and Amazon’s own video-rental service. I would like to be able to search for shows just using my voice — and it’s also part of one of Amazon’s most interesting new discounts.

They’re selling a bundle which includes both the Fire TV device and a high-definition Kindle tablet. You get both products for just $249, which comes out to a savings of $79 (or 25%). And it’s Amazon’s high-end tablet which they’re including in the bundle — the 323 ppi Kindle Fire HDX.

So if you’re looking for gifts for Father’s Day, Amazon’s got some ideas — and some discounts!

Remember, for a shortcut to Amazon’s Father’s Day specials, point your browser to
tinyurl.com/FathersDayAmazon