Roku announced the latest generation model of its popular Streaming Stick today, promising eight times as much power as the last generation model.
Streaming sticks - or dongles - have become increasingly popular over the last few years with offerings from the likes of Roku, Amazon, and Google. The firm is promising that the new device will outperform its two biggest competitors - the Fire TV Stick and the Chromecast.
Here"s what Roku is promising that you"ll love about the new device:
Only pocket-sized streamer with a quad-core processor; more processing power than Amazon Fire TV stick and Google Chromecast™
Private listening via a mobile phone or tablet using the Roku Mobile App for iOS and Android™ devices (learn more below)
Dual-band MIMO wireless for great connectivity
Included remote for easy navigation and control
Small, sleek design makes it simple to move between TVs in the home or use while traveling
Cast video from Netflix and YouTube mobile apps directly to the TV
Control with Roku Mobile App for iOS and Android – play personal video, photos and music on TV using the Play On Roku feature
Hotel and Dorm Connect for easy connection to wireless networks away from home
Access to more than 3,000 streaming channels, including 300,000 available movies and TV episodes
Roku’s comprehensive and unbiased universal search feature helps you find availability and pricing for movies and TV shows across more than 30 top streaming channels.
The Roku Feed feature lets you know when your favorite entertainment, such as movies and TV shows, become available for streaming – and at what price
The statement about an unbiased universal search is to show that Roku has no allegiances. For example, an Amazon Fire TV is central to Amazon"s Instant Video services and Apple TV is loyal to iTunes. Roku doesn"t have its own video streaming service, so it treats all apps in the same way.
The firm also announced Roku OS 7.1, which will ship with the new device. It will be made available for current generation Roku player and Roku TV devices via a software update.
The new Roku Streaming Stick runs Roku OS 7.1, the latest version our operating system, which we also announced today. Roku OS 7.1 enhances the search and discovery experience by adding new categories within Roku Feed that enable you to view popular TV Shows and Movies in one place. Similar to the existing Movies Coming Soon feature, you can now easily view these new categories to discover popular movies and TV shows across a variety of streaming channels on our Roku platform. You can then choose to watch a popular movie or TV show immediately, or ‘Follow’ it in the Roku Feed to receive automatic updates when the price changes or the movie or TV show becomes available to watch for free.
You can pre-order the new Roku Streaming Stick from Roku.com or BestBuy.com for $49.99. It will be made available later this month.
Source: Roku Blog