The first round of smart TVs from Amazon Fire TV Edition hit stores last year and received a lukewarm response. It's not that people hated the coupling of their video player and their traditional "dumb" television, I'm sure, but critics and buyers alike did not particularly love the panels. Amazon's intelligent operating system made its way into.
That being said, Amazon will give it another try in 2018. This time, use Best Buy as a conduit for consumers.
The two announced an association on Wednesday that will bring 10 new smart TVs from Amazon Fire TV Edition to Best Buy in 2018 from manufacturers such as Toshiba and Insignia. The televisions will include 4K and HD models and will be available as of this summer.
"These Insignia and Toshiba Fire Edition smart TVs offer beautiful visual effects and all the movies and TV shows you like, with an experience that improves with Alexa every day," adds Jeff Bezos in a press release. "We could not have a better partner in this endeavor."
& # 39; Could not you just buy an Amazon Fire TV? & # 39;
Could. Like you could buy a Roku Streaming Stick + instead of one of the many excellent Roku TVs. But doing so is an additional cost, and operating systems, both in the case of Roku and Amazon, are generally as good or even better on television.
The strong game of Amazon Fire TV is, of course, the addition of Alexa that allows the functionality of intelligent home control and all the intelligence that Amazon has built into its intelligent assistant. There is a dedicated section of the home screen of Amazon Prime's television and movie programs, plus an ingenious remote control that can activate Alexa on demand.
If you are confused to hear that Amazon and Best Buy are working together on something, it is because the agreement with Best Buy is one that benefits both parties.
Best Buy will have the exclusive rights to sell selected TVs that attract their price conscious consumers and, in return, Amazon will give Best Buy a dedicated section in its online store. In addition, Amazon now has a physical space to test their televisions. It looks like a win-win here.
Now all we need is an OLED Fire TV and we'll be ready.