Hisense has unveiled a new Google TV this year at CES, the XT780.  While Hisense may not be a make you are familiar with, they are quickly trying to change that.  Hisense first got into the Google TV market back in 2012 at IFA in Berlin.  They unveiled the Pulse set top box, add-on hardware similar to the Roku series.

This year they stepped it up with a TV, with integrated Google TV and other standard pre-loaded apps like Netflix, Pandora, Google Play Store and Chrome browser.  This TV will be available in a 55 inch and 65 inch model.

The XT780 also has a smart search that will search live TV and paid and free services to find the content that you want.  It also allows for multitasking, being able to browse the net or social network while watching television.

Also a multiscreen play feature allows users to share content and control between iOS and Android based devices so that with a simple swipe of the device screen they can share music, movies and photos.  The remote control for the XT780 comes with some premium features as well, a double sided wedge shaped remote that even has a built-in touchpad and a QWERTY keyboard for easy web surfing.  The remote also has a built in mic for voice control of the device.

The Vice President of Consumer Electronics at Hisense USA said “The XT780 gives a whole new audience the opportunity to enjoy Google TV,” “Offering access to a vast array of content and services, the intuitive XT780 with Google TV brings the convenience of an all in one entertainment hub in a beautifully designed, upgradeable package.”

I would say Hisense is doing it right, and I look forward to picking up one of their sets.  Hopefully the price point will be one that makes them a common name in households across North America and beyond.

[ source ]

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[CES 2013] Remember the Diamond Multimedia AMP1000 Android media player? Well Diamond is back at CES with a sequel, the AMP 2000.

Like the AMP1000, you get an Android-based box that is powered by a unique remote, though it looks like a lot of changes have been made to the keyboard/virtual-mouse control with the newest AMP2000.

They also make mention that it will have Netflix, Google Play and other features found in the first AMP device.

Besides the new remote, what else is different? This time around Diamond says that the device will feature “Google TV” capabilities, though they are pretty vague on the details here. Honestly, Diamond was pretty scarce on details all around, and so we know little about when this is coming or how much it will cost.

What Diamond did reveal is that it will arrive in March or April of this year. As for the cost, the original AMP-1000 was around $100, so hopefully this newer model isn’t too much more.

What do you think, interested or not?

[ source ]

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Earlier this week it was thought that the Asus Qube could join the Nexus Orb and become a Nexus device, but just one look at the ‘cube’ inspired user-interface can tell us that this is far from a vanilla Google TV install.

As well as the funky rotating “Qube” UI, the Qube boasts 50GB of cloud storage and access to over 100,000 movies and TV shows though Youtube, Netflix and Amazon Instant video integration. No word on what the guts of the Qube are hiding, but we imagine it won’t be long before we get to see the first tear-downs hit the net.

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While there are still a few question marks over the Asus Qube’s price and availability, Netgear has announced that the NeoTV Prime is available now for $130, which is about middle ground for current TV boxes.

Some features which we like about the NeoTV PRIME are the inclusion of Google Chrome with flash support, Google Play store (so you can download great apps such as VLC) plus support for all your favorite video streaming service and sites.

Another killer feature is the pre-installed aVia app with DLNA support meaning you can stream content from almost any device connected to the same Wi-Fi connection. There is also an app available for Android and iOS to control the device just in case you don’t like the included dual sided remote which comes bundled with it.

[ Source ]

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[CES 2013] When you think of “cloud gaming”, OnLive probably is one of the first major services that come to mind. That said, there are many other options out there, including Ubitus, which is a popular Japanese cloud gaming company.

Now it seems that Ubitus and Google are teaming up with a new partnership to bring cloud gaming over to the Google TV platform. The idea is that this will allow “console and MMO games” to work with these devices.

Smart TVs and set-top boxes will both work with the Ubitus library of games which include Resident Evil 5, Super Street Fighter IV, and Lost Planet 2.

Expect Ubitus and Google to show off the new partnered technology at CES over the next few days. What we don’t know is where the service will launch. Will it eventually arrive in North America and Europe or will Ubitus stay in home turf of Japan?

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It seems that Apple TV and Google TV might be getting even more competition in the set-top box space. While this isn’t the first time that the web has gossiped about such a device from Microsoft, it now seems that more sources are coming out and saying that an Xbox Set-top box is in fact in the cards.

The idea is to create two different Xbox devices for announcement in 2013. The first will be a more traditional Xbox gaming system with multimedia functionality. The second will be a set-top box that plays a few casual Xbox Live type games and apps, but otherwise focuses entirely on multimedia.

If and when such a device arrives, don’t be surprised if it comes packed with the same core technology found in Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. It might even have limited support for apps and a store of its own. Would you consider buying a Xbox-branded Microsoft multimedia box for your living room or not?

[ source ]

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Google is introducing a new feature that allows you to push YouTube videos from your Android phone to your Google TV. Sound familiar? That’s because this is basically like what we’ve already seen with the PS3/Youtube and a smartphone, or even what happens with Apple’s Airplay.

Unlike the Apple Airplay method, the Google method doesn’t really push the video to your Google TV box at all. Instead, it acts as a remote. When you “push” the video forward, it simply tells Google TV to go to the right YouTube link to start playing. You will also be able to control videos from the Android phone and even allow your friends to create a YouTube playlist to be pushed to the device.

For now, only Google TV 2.1.2 and Android 2.2 (or higher) work with this feature, but Google alludes to the possibility of other platforms getting similar abilities through Google in the future. What do you think of the feature?

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It’s like the Apple TV, sort of, except it’s Google. Set to ship July 22, the $199 Sony NSZ-GS7 is being marketed as an “Internet Player,” since you can use it stream such services as Hulu Plus and Netflix. You can also use it for browsing the web and using certain Android apps. The remote control is Bluetooth and, interestingly enough, it has a touchpad on one side and a QWERTY keyboard on the other.

There’s even a three-axis motion sensor in there, which will let you interact with certain Android apps and games like how you would on a smartphone or tablet. If you don’t like the provided remote, you can download the free iPhone or Android app to control the set top box instead.

Realistically, though, I’m not sure anyone would really want to spend $199 for this when there are similar “media players” available in the $99 range. I can’t imagine this will do wonders in improving the adoption rate of Google TV.

[Source]

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Google already dominates a significant part of my life, but it hasn’t really infiltrated my living room just yet. The search engine giant wants to do that and that’s why it has just launched the all-new Google TV 2.0. This follows in the footsteps of the original Google TV launched last year, but it comes with some new hotness in the form of apps, Honeycomb, Discovery, and more.

Google TV is still meant to function as a supplement to your usual cable subscription, but they’ve expanded the scope to include more goods. For instance, you will notice that Google TV runs on the tablet-friendly Honeycomb Android operating system. This cleans up the UI and makes it a little more familiar. This also lets it run a whole whack of applications.

To be fair, most of the apps aren’t going to play friendly on your TV, but they have about 20 or so right now that have the proper resolution and formatting. This makes it easier for content providers like Pandora and Netflix to get to you through the Google TV framework. Google plans on creating a sub-section in Android Market for Google TV apps.

One thing that I think is pretty cool is that when you look up a TV show, it won’t just show you when it’ll be airing next on regular TV; it also gives you the other options to watch that show, including YouTube rentals and Amazon purchases. That’s flexibility. It’s also cool how YouTube automatically plays a related video when your chosen video ends, instead of just sitting there blankly waiting for you to choose the next clip.

The Google TV 2.0 update is set to hit compatible Sony devices on Sunday with the Logitech Revue update following “shortly after.”

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Nearly a year after Google entered talks with ARM Holdings, Google TV is speculated to be made available on the cheap, efficient ARM chipsets later this year. Charbax of ARMdevices.net published an article last week stating he has it on ”very high authority from someone at Google (to remain anonymous) that an ARM-powered Google TV platform is coming soon.”

The first version of Google TV was designed for Intel’s x86 chips, but a statement from ARM president Tudor Brown last year made it clear that they’re seeking a more flexible alternative. “If Google TV is to be mainstream, it must be built on a lower power system,” said Brown, and “on lower cost technology” than Intel’s Atom processors.

Google TV’s second version was supposed to be on display at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, but Google allegedly asked their partners to delay their launches. Is that why the Android-based Cydle M7′s TV tuner was out of order during the show? And what other companies were planning to incorporate Google’s TV into the multitude of Android-powered devices released at CES?

Is that why so many Android phones and tablets have release dates slated near the end of the quarter?

It may be nothing more than my own little conspiracy theory. Either way, if Google TV is coming to ARM processors, that might indeed be its ticket to the mainstream. ARM’s technology is currently found in 95 percent of the world’s mobile handsets and more than 25 percent of all electronic devices. So, they’re obviously versatile.

What I would really like to see is for Google to combine Android, Chrome OS and Google TV into a single platform, giving users the ability to use a single device as their TV, computer, smartphone and/or tablet by way of different docks (like the Motorola Atrix 4G, perhaps?). There would be no need to sync your devices to each other as they would all run on the same brain. Upgrading your phone would simultaneously upgrade your TV and laptop.

But whether a collaboration with ARM is the first step towards this ideal future I just thought of or simply a way to watch TV on your Nexus S, we’ll have to wait and see.

[AndroidAndMe]

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