Amazon is expanding its lineup of streaming devices with a new Fire TV Stick HD, a slimmer stick that you can power via a TV's USB port and included cable.
The new device is about 30% narrower than the previous-gen HD stick, according to Amazon. The device's Direct Power feature lets you use it without a wall adapter.
Those new features may make it easier to tuck the device away on the back or side of your TV without wires or devices sticking out, Aidan Marcuss, vice president for Fire TV at Amazon, told CNET in an interview.
"It's a pretty capable thing to upgrade any TV in your house," Marcuss said. "And so, if you've got the kitchen TV that's perfectly placed for where it is, like, here's a way to upgrade it."
The device comes with Alexa Plus (for customers in the US, Canada, and the UK), and Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 support. Amazon says it turns on and opens apps more quickly than the previous-gen HD stick. If the stick isn't getting enough power, it will alert you on screen and give you options to fix it.
The device is available for preorder now for $35 and scheduled to ship by the end of April to Canada, Mexico, the US, the UK, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. If you're in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain or Switzerland, you can sign up on your local Amazon website to get more details.
Amazon said it will add a new accessibility feature to the Fire TV Stick HD in the coming weeks that makes it easier to see content on screen. The Adaptive Display setting allows you to enlarge small text and menus while proportionally scaling artwork and will allow multiple size options.Â
The company on Wednesday also announced that its Amazon Ember Artline TV, revealed at CES, is now available for preorder in 55-inch and 65-inch models starting at $900. The TVs will begin shipping on April 22 in the US and Canada and in May in the UK and Germany.