The Amazon Fire stick is a cheap and handy device which you can plug into the HDMI port of your TV and stream media from.
The underlying operating system is Android, meaning you can install Android apps onto it. You won’t find the normal Google Play app store (although it can be added) but instead they can be installed directly from an APK (installation file) and ‘side-loaded’ onto your fire stick.
Controlling certain apps that are designed with a touch screen device in mind can become a challenge on the firestick because you cannot plug any USB devices in such as keyboard and mouse tracker, instead you’re left with the standard remote control. Luckily you can attached Bluetooth devices such as a keyboard and mouse tracker which will make usage of these apps a lot easier – see our guide on how to do this here. There are also apps that can help you out by providing a mouse pointer.
The fire stick doesn’t have the greatest hardware, although the new 4k model stands up pretty well and is a popular option due to its price point, with the fact that you can get lighter Kodi builds designed specifically with the fire stick hardware in mind.
Check out our guide on installing Kodi onto your Fire Stick.
Check out our Fire Stick guides on installing other apps to your Fire Stick.