Review: Fire TV device great, but not fully ready

But for now, this works only with a handful of services. Netflix isn't one of them. Apple requires all apps to support that so you don't have to pull out your credit card each time.

Fire TV also lacks the interface consistency that Apple insists on. That means on-screen keyboards, layouts and search tools vary from app to app. With Apple TV, all apps share a common look and feel so you don't waste time figuring out what's where.

Amazon's device trumps Roku in keeping audio and video in sync most of the time. I've found that to be a problem with most streaming devices, with Apple TV being the notable exception.

What sets Fire TV furthest apart from competing devices is its voice search. Just speak the title, actor, director or genre into your remote, and Fire TV shows matching content on the TV. There were a few laughable errors. The device searched for “How I Met Your Brother” and “Holly Met Your Mother” when I asked to see the popular sitcom “How I Met Your Mother.” But mostly, voice recognition worked well.

Unfortunately, voice search works only with a handful of apps. I was able to get content from Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus and Vevo, but it missed Netflix and others. Searching “House of Cards” got me season 1 episodes available for purchase through Amazon, even though Netflix had those for free, plus season 2.