Amazon has begun to update the Fire TV Cube — that's its top-tier Fire TV device — to support webcams and video calling. And that's actually kind of cool because video calls are more important than ever, and the holidays are the perfect time for video calls.
There are, however, caveats.
First is that you'll need a supported webcam. And Amazon is happy to sell you one of those. The supported webcams include:
Next is that you'll need a USB A-to-microUSB adapter, to connect the webcam to the Fire TV Cube. Amazon is happy to sell you one of those, recommending:
Or, if you prefer, you can get a hub that'll also allow you to connect the whole thing to your network via ethernet, for faster and more stable connections. (Those are two things that definitely are important when it comes to video calls. And Amazon will happily sell you one of those, too, recommending:
The good news is that's it for the hardware. But now you're going to have to come to grips with the fact that we're not talking about making video calls over whatever service you and your family are used to using. That means no FaceTime. No Zoom. No Skype or Duo or whatever else. You're going to be making your video calls via the Alexa app. So you'll need to be sure everyone is set up on that.
And then you'll need to be comfortable with Amazon being the conduit for your communications, which is definitely another conversation for another time.
But after all that? Have at it. Video calls on the Fire TV Cube!
