Rumors have been swirling around Amazon’s launch of a set-top box, and now the Wall Street Journal reports that its video-streaming device will ship in early April via its website, as well as major retailers including Best Buy.
The device is said to run on a version of Android, just like Amazon’s FireOS that power its tablets, and have apps that are already available on Apple and Roku set-top boxes — which could include Netflix and Hulu Plus. Pricing, however, isn’t clear yet. TechCrunch earlier reported that Amazon’s set-top box will be a dongle just like Google’s Chromecast.
A set-top box would be a natural progression for Amazon, given that the company already has video-streaming services — Amazon Instant Video, Prime Instant Video and LOVEFiLM, the company’s on-demand streaming service for the UK and Germany. Amazon Studios has also been working to bring its own content to market, and last month Amazon announced that it would start shooting all of its original TV shows in 4K.
There have also been rumors of Amazon developing an Android-based game console, especially after it acquired video gaming studio Double Helix Games — and the set-top box may very well support gaming too.
➤ Amazon to Ship Video-Streaming Device in April [Wall Street Journal]
Image via David McNew/Getty Images
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