Why You Can Trust CNET Amazon Fire TV Remote's New Feature Lets You Find Device With Voice Commands
The $35 clicker includes a motion-activated backlight and works with Alexa commands.
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The Alexa Voice Remote Pro offers a way to find the remote when it's lost.
Keep losing your Fire TV remote? Amazon now offers a remote that doesn't go missing so easily. At today's Echo and Ring Launch Event, Amazon announced the $35 Alexa Voice Remote Pro that comes with a remote-finder feature that will help you locate the device with a voice command.
The clicker also comes with a number of other features, including a motion-activated backlight for use in the dark and a set of programmable buttons that can be used for opening specific apps or executing Alexa commands.
More from Amazon's event
Unlike the Roku's $30 Voice Remote Pro, Amazon's Pro remote doesn't have an always-listening, mid-field mic and instead needs another Alexa device to find it. Say "Alexa, find my remote" into an Echo or the Alexa app on your phone, and the clicker will play a sound alerting you to its location. You can still control the TV with your voice using this remote, but like previous versions, you'll have to press the Alexa button first. If you don't want to use voice to locate the Pro, there's also a dedicated Remote Finder button in the Fire TV app.
Price: $35
Release Date: November 2022
The Alexa Voice Remote Pro's secret weapon is the ability locate the device with a voice command. It also has a motion-activated backlight and buttons you can program to open specific apps or execute Alexa commands.
Another noticeable difference between the Roku and Amazon remotes comes in the form of the battery. The Alexa Voice Remote Pro uses two AAA batteries to power the device, while the Roku Voice Remote Pro uses a USB-C charging cable to recharge.
The Alexa Voice Remote Pro is compatible with most Fire TV streaming media players, Amazon Fire TV smart TVs and Smart TVs with Fire TV built-in and is sold as separate add-on. Likewise, Roku's Voice Remote Pro initially launched as a separate device but has since been included as part of the Roku Ultra, as well as in the Roku Streaming Stick 4K Plus bundle.
The Alexa Voice Remote Pro will be available to purchase in November, but Amazon says it currently has no plans to add the remote to a Fire TV bundle.
The e-commerce giant's event included a slew of new products, including the Kindle Scribe, Halo Rise sleep tracker, three new Echo Dot smart speakers and much more.