AMAZON SET TOP BOX

April 2013 is key. Dongles don't have Android Operating systems, nor do they have applications......

FROM PC MAGAZINE

The rumored Amazon set-top box may finally be arriving next month, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Citing people familiar with the company's plans, theJournal suggested that Amazon's Android-based device will ship with apps like Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Pandora—all of which are already available in similar products from Apple, Roku, and Google.

It will also, of course, include the Amazon Instant Video streaming service, which provides a library of more than 40,000 movies and TV episodes to Prime members, who must now pay an increased $99 per year for free one-day shipping and access to acclaimed original programming like Alpha House.

The Journal's's sources did not provide an exact launch date, or pricing details, but it will have plenty of competition from the low-cost Google Chromecast, mid-range Roku, and pricier Apple TV.

Though little has been said about what the device will look like, the e-retailer reportedly distributed a pre-production version to a handful of app developers. And according to the Journal's sources, it carries the Amazon Fire name, and will ship with a simple remote control. More recent rumors, however, tip a more advanced controller to go on sale separately.Amazon did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.

Based on early reports, this streaming device has been in the works since April 2013, with Amazon initially planning a Christmastime launch. Unnamed industry sources told Re/code in February that it would hit shelves this month.

A set-top box isn't all Amazon is rumored to be working on, though. Early this year, theJournal reported that the e-tail giant met with three unnamed major media groups about distributing their television channels. Amazon later denied any plans to license TV channels or offer a pay-TV service.

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