Streaming to Productivity: Amazon’s Fire TV Cube Powers WorkSpaces Thin Client
Amazon’s Fire TV Cube, while primarily a television streaming device, evidently possesses the capability to perform functions beyond just playing 4K videos. According to official blogs from Amazon Web Services, along with reports from GeekWire and Liliputing, Amazon Web Services recently introduced a thin client based on the Fire TV Cube, named the Amazon WorkSpaces Thin Client.
Although it’s a device specifically designed for Amazon WorkSpaces virtual desktop services, the WorkSpaces Thin Client does not undergo significant alterations in appearance or hardware specifications. Features inherent to the original Fire TV Cube, like the infrared receiver interface and HDMI 2.1 input, are retained. The primary modification made by Amazon Web Services lies within its internal Fire OS, adapting it more aptly for use as a thin client.
Amazon Web Services chose to modify the original Fire TV Cube for direct device implementation, understanding that corporate clients desired an affordable device.
Muneer Mirza, General Manager of End User Computing at Amazon Web Services, elaborated to GeekWire: “We said, ‘Hey, we would love to not have to manufacture a new device. We wanted to take all the savings that we could get from manufacturing and turn that into lower prices for customers overall.” Additionally, he mentioned that during the testing phase, the WorkSpaces Thin Client received positive feedback, with some clients noting its swift operation, taking less than five minutes to become fully operational.
Regarding pricing, the Amazon WorkSpaces Thin Client is slightly more expensive than the original Fire TV Cube, priced at $195. Considering the device’s limited expansion capabilities, with only one HDMI 2.1 output and a USB-A port, Amazon also offers a $280 bundle that includes the device itself and an expansion dock featuring USB-A and HDMI ports.
