Watchup, a Stanford-based startup that came out of the StartX incubator, said its video aggregator news app will be offered exclusively on TVs via the new Amazon Fire TV Stick when the product starts shipping on November 19.
Watchup, currently offered on Android and iOS mobile devices, lets users create personalized, curated video newscasts from sources such as The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Fox News, Fox Business, Sky News, Associated Press, PBS NewsHour and Univision.The version for the Fire TV Stick is modified to support a new “lean back mode” that features less text and larger buttons that can be navigated with the remote control.
Amazon introduced the $39 Fire TV Stick on Monday (October 27), bringing to market a streaming media adapter that will compete with the Google Chromecast and the Roku Streaming Stick. Amazon hasn’t announced sales figures on the new device, but it appears to be off to a good start. On Tuesday, Amazon was telling site visitors that pre-orders placed for the product that day would not be shipped until after Jan. 1, 2015, citing “popular demand.”
