From the monthly archives: August 2011
It’s official: Google isn’t ready to give up on Google TV. In fact, additional footwork is presently being laid to more widely implement and distribute Google TV—in Europe. Google chairman Eric Schmidt has very recently been in Scotland, where Google TV may be released next year, at the Edinburgh International Television Festival where he is giving attendees there a limited peek at what the next generation may hold for Google TV. Schmidt said that Google TV has yet to find the widespread success they had hoped for because it is integrated with a limited selection of TV’s, an appliance which we don’t tend to update more than once or twice a decade, and he suggested that more hardware and content partners will be coming soon, including the possibility of Google TV showing up on Motorola cable boxes as a result of the recent Google-Motorola buy-out. However with major networks like ABC, NBC, and CBS still unwilling to allow Google TV access to web- based content, a great deal of doubt still exists as to Google TV’s potential. We will keep you updated as to whether Google TV makes waves when crossing the Atlantic.
[via engadget]
In a large scale challenge to developers on Monday, Google has released a preview of the Google TV add-on for the Android Software Development Kit. With the formal release of the Honeycomb update growing ever closer, Google invites developers to build new Android Apps for TV, optimize existing apps for TV and distribute it all through the Android Market: give them the tools and they will develop!
The add-on doesn’t contain all of Google TV’s features, but it is enough to enable developers to emulate Google TV and build apps using standard Android Software Development Kit tools. Using the add-on, developers can test their apps to determine if they would be a good fit for TV or whether they will require fixes to establish compatibility. Google is also publishing user interface guidelines to help with tough topics such as designing apps that work well across multiple devices and how Google TV UI elements differ from other Android devices.
Google is releasing this add on early in the hopes of inspiring developers interested in adding to the limited Google TV listings of compatible apps. The move is unsurprising to those who switched to the leaked beta version of Honeycomb and found little app compatibility to speak of: the fact is that Honeycomb on Google TV will be a huge disappointment if more offerings aren’t added soon. We will keep our fingers crossed that some worthy parties will rise to the challenge!
[via googletv.blogspot.com]
Reports are coming in that the much anticipated Google TV Honeycomb update will begin an OTA update on Monday, August 29th. The update, which promises both speed and aesthetic improvements, has received mixed early reviews for being pretty to look at but not bringing much to the table in terms of added functionality. The update will also usher in the era of apps on Google TV, but both the quality and quantity of apps that will be available has yet to be determined.
I must repeat the fact that these are anonymous reports, and that we have yet to confirm the release date with our sources at Google and Logitech. We’re checking in with the motherships, so be sure to check back for updates.
Update: Logitech is saying end of September, so treat this rumor for what it is: a rumor.
Here’s some potentially good news for Google TV fans: Google just bought Motorola-Mobile for $12.5 billion. Why is this good news for your beloved Google TV? Well, its because there’s a good chance that this could mean ever bigger, better upgrades, larger distribution, and eventually the attention and success the Google TV deserves.
Motorola is one of the largest vendors of set-top cable boxes, DVR’s and IPTV’s, and a major distributor to cable companies that lease their products to customers: owning Motorola means that Google suddenly has a potential distribution strategy. The potential for better hardware, better software integration, and more hardware options all presented to a larger market has huge implications. Granted, just because the Google TV might finally get its chance to shine doesn’t mean it will. Keep checking in to see if the Google-Motorola buy-out is just the thing the Google TV needs.
[via Mashable]
With the Logitech Revue’s recent price drop to $99, we are now seeing a price drop with the Logitech Revue with TV Cam Bundle. You can now buy the Logitech Revue and the TV Cam for $199.98, down $50.00 from $249.98. There is no indication as to whether or not this is a limited time offer, but given the recent price drop it’s safe to say we’ll be seeing this price for a while.
If you’d like to take advantage of this great deal, head on over to the Logitech website.
In an attempt to capture more consumers, Sony has taken a handsome chunk out of their Google TV integrated HD TV’s. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Google TV products go on sale, and it’s unsurprising that sudden, dramatic savings continue to be a part of the rhetoric around the expensive Google TV hardware: the fact that Sony isn’t instituting price drops because newer, better models are coming out soon suggests that they were simply too expensive to begin with. Well, we could have told them that. See below for a breakdown of the epic savings by screen size (according to Amazon):
24″: $600 $295
32″: $800 $498
40″: $1000 $723
46″: $1400 $961
[via TC]
It’s an old and far too familiar tale: parent’s struggling to peel their kids away from the TV to read. Well, thanks to Google TV and a application called MeeGenius!, they might not have to anymore. MeeGenius! turns your Google TV into a book, with pictures, narration, and highlighted text. By bringing both classic and modern stories to life on the television, it promotes early reading skills such as word recognition, all while combining entertainment and education. Word is that it has its issues, but the educational possibilities that it drives at are undeniably exciting. If you’ve got early readers or even very young toddlers, you’re going to want to keep your eye on this one.
[via googletv.blogspot.com]
Now that the leaked beta version of Android 3.1 is available, the question becomes what does it look like and what can it do? Pictures and videos popping up all over the web suggest that it looks great, with widgets and box-style menu options entirely replacing the old interface, but at a steep cost: Netflix has been removed entirely and few of the newly included Android Market Apps are compatible. It appears that the beta version of Honeycomb really isn’t ready for use, but at least it’s nice to look at. Continue reading after the break to check out a video of Honeycomb in action.
Honeycomb is here, no power tools required! The first Logitech Revue user-accessible instance of Android 3.1 beta has leaked care of our comrades at GTVHacker, where its proliferators urge caution: the premature beta version isn’t intended for widespread use, and may not be reversible. Updaters should approach with caution, but at least they’ll only need to come armed with a USB. Check out the forum post over at GTVHacker for all the details.
[via Engadget]
We’ve seen the Logitech Revue on sale before, but not like this. Logitech has announced a substantial price drop for the Revue, which is now available for $99 down from $250. This places the Revue in the same price range as the Apple TV and the Roku 2 XS. The move comes during increased speculation about the success of Google TV, and anticipation over when the Honeycomb update will actually be released. Logitech made the following brief statement:
As you know, the Logitech Revue gives people a streamlined experience with their HDTV and the Web, video calling, apps and more. And stay tuned: with the expected release of Version 2 of Google TV later this summer, the Logitech Revue connected-TV experience will get even richer. When V2 goes live, all new and existing Logitech Revue users will automatically receive the updated version, built on Android 3.1. Among other benefits, V2 will offer a simplified user experience and access to the Android Market.
There is no word at this time as to whether or not the price will go up again once Honeycomb finally lands on the Revue, but given all the setbacks Google TV has faced since it was first announced last year, this is unlikely. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.
[via CNET]
Social
Professional WordPress Themes
AppleXnews- CyberChimps Professional WordPress Themes to Launch iFeature Pro 3 on November 28th, Cyber Monday November 22, 2011
- CyberChimps.com Launches iFeature A Free Apple-like Premium WordPress Theme April 6, 2011
- Verizon confirms iPhone 4 will get $30 unlimited data January 25, 2011
- Multicore A5 Processor to Power iPad 2, iPhone 5, and Future Apple TV? January 15, 2011
Loading ...