Years ago, I bought an Android TV box so I wouldn't have to replace the TV in my bedroom with a smart TV. At the time, it seemed like a cheap and simple solution. All I had to do was plug the box into the TV, connect it to Wi-Fi, and I had access to all the streaming apps I needed. What I didn't expect was that I'd still be using the same box years later, even while newer streaming devices have come and gone.

If you've got an old Fire Stick that you no longer need to watch TV with, it doesn't have to become e-waste. With its built-in Alexa functionality, you can disconnect it from your TV and use it as a smart speaker. It's not quite an Amazon Echo, but it can make surprisingly good use of the hardware that you already own.

Streaming sticks used to be a really good purchase that was pretty straightforward. You paid the cost, which changed over time, plugged it in, and watched your shows. The same devices now boot into ad-heavy home screens, autoplay sponsored trailers before you've touched a button, and push updates that make the interface worse on purpose. You technically own the hardware, but the experience is designed around someone else's revenue. Building your own box used to sound like overkill, but not anymore now that an option like Fire TV is bad for home labs.

Google raises the TV Streamer price to $149.99 as component costs rise, changing how it compares with Roku, Amazon and Walmart streaming alternatives.

The post Google TV Streamer Jumps to $150 as Component Costs Rise appeared first on TechRepublic.

Google raises the TV Streamer price to $149.99 as component costs rise, changing how it compares with Roku, Amazon and Walmart streaming alternatives.

The post Google TV Streamer Jumps to $150 as Component Costs Rise appeared first on TechRepublic.