Want to use Amazon’s Alexa software to search the web by voice, play music, or order products, but don’t want to spend $180 on an Amazon Echo device?
Soon you may be able to talk to your Amazon Fire TV the same way you can talk to an Echo.
Amazon has released tools that let developers tap into Alexa voice assistant features on computers, phones, TV boxes, or other products. Now AFTVnews found clues in the documentation for the Fire OS 5 developer preview that indicates Alexa is coming to Amazon’s TV boxes.
You’ll need a model with a Voice Remote or a Fire TV remote app for your phone or tablet, since the Fire TV itself doesn’t actually have a microphone… let alone the 7-mic array that’s included with the Echo.
It’s not entirely clear if Alexa will be available for existing Fire TV and Fire TV Stick users or if you’ll need next-gen hardware, but it seems likely that current hardware should be able to support the feature, since Alexa is a cloud-based service. You don’t need a super-speedy processor to use Alexa. You just need a decent internet connection.
You can already use a Voice Remote to search for movies and TV shows on a Fire TV using your voice. So what will Alexa bring to the table?
Among other things, it’ll be able to provide weather forecasts, news updates, sports scores, play audiobooks, add items to your shopping list, tell you about upcoming appointments, and provide traffic updates.
You can find more details at AFTVnews.
I want the Echo I already have to be able to control my Fire TV. No button pushing, I just want to talk and it listen. Seems like that should be possible right? Then again I have three Fire TV devices so it might confused but I’d be fine slaving it to just the living room device.
With the new Tablets coming possibly tomorrow I hope the new Fire TV devices are not far behind.
The current Firestick remote, of course, has no mic…
But you can use the Fire TV app on your phone or buy a $30 Voice Remote (they’re currently on sale for $20) and use either to search by voice on a Fire TV Stick.
Amazon doesn’t bundle the Voice Remote with the Stick, but if you buy one separately, it’ll work. It just seems silly to spend $30 on a remote for a $39 device. 🙂
Thanks, Brad… I never noticed the mic icon up top!