Hasta La Gadget!

Logitech’s big Google TV reveal is still ongoing, but the product page is live and allowing for preorders of the $299 package ($179 if you’re on Dish Network) set to ship by the end of this month. For all of that dough you’ll get the Revue with Google TV box, keyboard with integrated touch and directional pad, an HDMI cable, one IR blaster and a couple of AA batteries just for good measure. Also up for your browsing pleasure are a few screens of the free Logitech Harmony App for iPhone and Android. Other accessories have been announced and are available for preorder as well, a $149 webcam, and the Revue-specific version of the diNovo Mini controller for $129.99 the larger keyboard is available if you need a spare or buy a different brand of Google TV appliance for $99. The Logitech TV Cam, with Carl Zeiss autofocus lens and dual microphones, ties into a Logitech Vid HD app that communicates with other similarly equipped units plus PCs or Macs running the desktop version of the software. Beyond just the mobile apps, Logitech also showed off its own Media Player app that pulls in video from connected hard drives or DLNA sources. Check the gallery for a few pictures of the hardware and after the break for a couple quick video breaking down all the features of the Revue, and demonstrating video calling. A press release full of details is now also available after the break.

Continue reading Logitech Revue with Google TV details: $299; free iOS, Android apps, accessories are extra

Logitech Revue with Google TV details: $299; free iOS, Android apps, accessories are extra originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 15:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Logitech’s Google TV event is just getting started, but Dish Network’s page is live and among extolling the virtues of an internet/satellite mashup, it points out Revue will be offered to its subscribers for (the previously rumored and presumably customer survey approved $179. Click over a for a few more pics of the box and its keyboard controller, or just keep an eye on our live blog for more info and what the retail price will be for the Dish-less Android TV fans.

[Thanks, Jason]

Dish Network prices Logitech’s Revue Google TV box at $179 for subscribers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 14:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This monstrosity from Sony might be the best reason yet to go out and buy an Android handset or an iPhone. Seen in an ad shown on ABC’s Nightline, the giant keyboard above is actually the remote control for Sony’s own Google TV hardware, due to be revealed on October 12th.

Sony seems to have dipped back into the 1980s for the remote’s design, an age when more of anything was better. The device seems to be big enough to be awkward in the hand, and yet still small enough to slip down the back of the couch, and features a full QWERTY keyboard, a couple of directional controls, plus dedicated switches for volume, channel selection and everything else. Hell, there’s probably a self-destruct button in there somewhere.

By contrast, you’ll also be able to control your Google TV from a smartphone app. Google doesn’t always make the prettiest interfaces, but they are nice and simple, and they work. Compare this multi-buttoned behemoth to the simple voice-control seen in the Nightline video and wonder just what Sony is thinking.

In reality, Sony’s control is no worse than the keyboard/mouse combos we use for our media-center PCs. The difference is that Google TV is supposed to be easy and simple, and not a media-center PC.

Smart TV: Google TV? [ABC via Engadget]

See Also:

• Google TV Revealed: One Screen to Rule Them All
• Google TV Announces Network and App Partners, New Website
• Logitech Google TV Box Embarrasses Apple TV
• Google TV: Google, Sony, Intel Team-Up to Make Television
• Report: Google Working With Intel, Sony on TV Project

Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.

The last time the web smashed into television, over a decade ago, it exploded like poorly made breast implants. So why are we so excited about Google TV? More »

Considering the level of hype that has surrounded Google TV, freakishly little is actually known about how it’ll work. Of course, a lot of that is expected to be cleared up on Wednesday when Logitech unveils its Google TV lineup, but the Big G itself is giving us all a sneak peek beforehand. The company has just launched a new ‘quick tour’ portal that showcases the most prominent Google TV features, including Search, Web, Apps, Remote (complete with an Eastbound & Down plug), Personal, Dual View and DVR. Frankly, we’re pretty jazzed by the look of the user interface, and we can hardly wait to see what kind of punches Logitech and Sony throw in the coming weeks. Hit that source link to draw your own conclusion.

Update: Google has elaborated some on its plans, and it’s all shaping up quite nicely. We’re told that Turner Broadcasting has been working to optimize the websites of TBS, TNT, CNN, Cartoon Network and more for viewing on Google TV, and NBC Universal has collaborated with Google TV to bring CNBC Real-Time, an application that allows you to track your favorite stocks and access news feeds while enjoying the best financial news from CNBC directly on the TV screen. HBO GO will also be supported and the NBA has built NBA Game Time, an application that lets you follow game scores in real-time and catch up on the latest highlights from your favorite team in HD. Need more? Amazon Video on Demand will be present, and it sounds like Goog has hordes of other companies just moments away from offering compatible content portals. Hop on past the break for a quick video overview of the Apps segment.

Update 2: Whoa, Netflix just confirmed that ‘Watch Instantly’ will be fully supported on Google TV devices launching later this month. Huzzah!

Continue reading Google TV quick tour shows off the service’s inner workings, Kenny Powers’ dreams (update: Netflix support!)

Google TV quick tour shows off the service’s inner workings, Kenny Powers’ dreams (update: Netflix support!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 12:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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