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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
David Snelling & Gemma Sherlock

Amazon Fire TV Stick now on par with Sky thanks to £35 upgrade

Fire TV Stick users can improve their home viewing experience thanks to a new upgrade with Amazon that matches Sky features.

The new accessory called the Alexa Voice Remote Pro includes a number of features that Sky users have enjoyed for a while. The £35 add-on treats owners to upgrades including full backlit keys which makes it easy to see what's being pressed when the lights get low.

Rival Sky first introduced a backlit remote on its Glass TV last year, you can read our full review of the Glass viewing experience here. Sky's recently released Stream box now available for customers also gets the backlit remote upgrade too.

READ MORE: I tried the Sky Glass hands-free voice control and it understands my partner more than me

As well as the backlit remote which will allow users to see it in the dark, there's also an easier way to track things down should the remote go missing, probably down the back of the sofa. Users can ask Alexa where the remote is and a loud beep will sound so it can be found again.

The audio alert is another function that's been available on Sky for a number of years and as the name suggests, the Alexa Voice Remote Pro can also be used to find content, pause TV and launch apps using Amazon's chatty assistant, reports The Express.

Alexa Voice Remote Pro (Amazon)

All owners have to do is press the Alexa button which sits right in the middle of the device and bark their orders at the TV which makes finding things such as popular shows or movie stars a whole lot faster.

There are some other nice bonus extras on this accessory including two buttons that can be customised to launch favourite apps or channels with just one touch. That will save endless time scrolling through menus to find the things you watch the most.

A dedicated headphone button also offers a hassle-free way to pair your wireless headphones. At £35 it's more expensive than the Fire TV Stick Lite but considering how much the controller gets used each day it feels like pretty good value.

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