My Digital Word: First Look at Amazon Fire TV

Just a few days after Amazon unveiled the Fire TV, Google will reportedly launch its own set-top box.

The Mountain View, Calif. company is close to debuting Android TV, an Android-powered platform that will compete directly with the Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku. Google will still sell its Chromecast device, a $35 dongle that plugs into any HDTV to let you watch online videos from your tablet, smartphone or computer, according to The Verge.

Video app providers are currently working hard to build for Android TV. The device will also be compatible with gaming, and come with an optional gaming controller, much like the Fire TV.

Documents obtained by The Verge outline a simpler approach than Google TV, which launched in 2010, and aimed to turn TV sets into larger versions of smartphones.

"Android TV is an entertainment interface, not a computing platform," the document said. "It’s all about finding and enjoying content with the least amount of friction." It will be "cinematic, fun, fluid, and fast."

Android TV will support voice commands (like the Fire TV), and focus on finding content quickly. The document describes how it shouldn't take more than three clicks to go from the home screen to watching content."Access to content should be simple and magical," it said.

The interface will include "cards" for each movie, show, app and games — all sitting on a virtual shelf — and users will be able to access a remote control to navigate through the content. Screenshots of Android TV show Google apps such as YouTube and Hangouts included on the platform, as well as outside services such as Hulu, Netflix and Pandora.

The news follows reports that the company is in talks to launch its own wireless service in regions where it already offers Google Fiber Internet and TV service. Considering that Google already dominates with its search engine and Android mobile operating system, it's a natural (yet ambitious) step for the company to try to keep all mobile communications within its ecosystem.

Amazon Fire TV

Amazon launched into the video-hardware business with a set-top device called Amazon Fire TV for $99, a small flat box with a remote control.

Interface

The Fire TV allows you to stream from various services such as Netflix, Hulu Plus and YouTube. However, users are unable to access HBO Go.

Features

Among its features is a predictive engine called "ASAP," which pre-loads content it thinks you are going to watch, so it can start without any buffering or load time. This feature learns over time, and gets better at suggesting content you like.

Hardware

It comes with a quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and a dedicated GPU for gaming purposes.

Voice Activation

The Internet-connected set-top box uses voice search when you speak into the remote. It aims to take away the frustrations of scrolling and clicking for letters on an alphabet grid to find content.

Gaming

In a big move, the Fire TV also serves as a gaming console and offers titles such as Minecraft, The Walking Dead and Monsters University; many are free or as low as $1.85 to play.