Amazon.com is planning to release a device that will stream video over the Internet. The device is due later this year. The move is part of Amazon’s growing video services.
The move would put Amazon in the mix with Apple, Roku and Boxee – all of whom make streaming devices. It broadens Amazon’s array of hardware devices, which includes tablets, e-readers and perhaps a smartphone in the near future.
No word on pricing for the device, but expect it to be less the $100 (the cost of other similar devices, such as the Apple TV). In the past, Amazon has shown a willingness to lose money on such ventures in order to gain market share, so something as lower than $100 wouldn’t be a shock.
Amazon has been aggressively expanding its video content. They recently bought exclusive rights to the hit show ‘Downton Abbey’. A streaming device makes too much sense for it now to happen.