Hasta La Gadget!

After announcing the 97 Titanium HD tablet with a huge 2048×1536 resolution that rivals Apple’s iPad, the folks at Archos are back at it, officially announcing TV Connect, which effectively turns any HDTV into a full-fledged Android-powered smart TV using a “specially designed” TV Touch remote.

The device is essentially a sensor that sits atop your HDTV — almost like a Microsoft Kinect unit — and it supports several types of input, like multitouch gesture control and includes a keyboard with Android shortcuts. You’ll also have full access to the Google Play store and its 700,000 apps and games to choose from.

The remote not only includes a full QWERTY keyboard, but it also has thumbsticks and a D-Pad, complete with all sorts of buttons for any kind of gaming situation. While all these buttons and layouts look convenient, we have to say that the remote itself looks pretty cumbersome to hold, but we’ll let you be the judge of that.

The Archos TV Connect runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and will be available starting next month for $129.99. That’s definitely a small price to pay for turning your TV into an all-out smart TV, so we’ll have to wait until it officially launches before making any snap judgements. In the meantime, the company will be demonstrating the new toy at CES 2013.

[via Android Community]

Archos announces TV Connect, turns any HDTV into an Android smart TV is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The platonic ideal of television’s future is a la carte consumption: the ability to pay only for the channels you want. It’s a dream that everyone from Apple to Intel has reportedly pursued, and one that every half-sentient cable customer desires. But maybe the question isn’t can—or will—this happen some day. What we should really be asking is: when it does happen, what will it cost us? More »

Samsung will fully detail its Evolution Kit for Smart TVs at CES 2013, the company has confirmed, blessing 2012 sets with features set to debut next week as part of the 2013 range. The box – which slots into a nook on the back of models like the ES9000 we reviewed recently – contains a new processor, memory, and GPU, for faster internet browsing, better multitasking performance, and more responsive apps. The upgrade will also tweak the voice and motion control.

Exactly how the voice and motion systems will change is unclear. Currently, they allow you to control a Samsung TV by using the remote as a wireless microphone, asking it to load channels and apps, as well as dictating web URLs, while the integrated camera allows for navigation of the menus and of games via hand gestures.

Those features are likely to be refined even further for Samsung’s 2013 range of Smart TVs, and those who already bought a set last year won’t have to miss out. Samsung suggests this won’t be a one-time upgrade, either; “every year,” the company says, “consumers will now be able to enjoy the latest services.”

A new UI is on the cards for this year, with an updated Smart Hub featuring five panels for Live TV, video on demand, apps, internet, and other content. No word on pricing or availability of the Evolution Kit, but it’s likely to be cheaper than a brand new TV.

Meanwhile, Samsung is also teasing a “revolutionary” new TV for unveil next week.

Samsung Evolution Kit for Smart TVs to get big reveal at CES 2013 is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

LG has announced that it will start taking pre-orders in Korea for its 55-inch WRGB OLED television. The dates that pre-orders for the TV will begin in other countries will be announced over the next couple months, along with the pricing in each location. For Korean customers, the TV will start shipping in February.

The WRGB OLED TV has a lot going for it, aside from its massive OLED display. The unit measures in at 4 millimeters wide, and weighs in at less than 22lbs. The device offers “infinite contrast ratio” so that the contrast stays consistent regardless of what angle the screen is being viewed at or the lighting in the room where it is located. There’s also the inclusion of a white sub-pixel via LG’s Four-Color Pixel for excellent colors.

The previous version of the 55-inch wonder was awarded Best of Show at CES, and has been eagerly anticipated. LG operates in excess of 1400 retail locations throughout Korea, all of which will begin taking pre-orders on January 3. Of course, the limiting factor here is going to be cost, with the unit priced at 11 million Korean Won, or about $10,000 USD.

LG’s President and CEO Havis Kwon offered this statement: “We are extremely pleased to be able to make this announcement at the start of the new year because we believe that OLED will usher in a whole new era of home entertainment … When high definition TV was first introduced 15 years ago, the public’s reaction was ‘wow!’ but when customers see our razor-thin OLED TV for the first time, they’re left speechless.”

[via LG]

LG accepting $10,000 pre-orders for 55-inch WRGB OLED TV in Korea is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Bad news for anyone who was excited for Intel to finally reveal its long-rumored set top box and TV service plans at CES next week. According to Janko Roettgers over at Gigaom, knowledgeable sources claim that Intel won’t be officially announcing its challenger to the Apple and Google TV at the show, but more tantalizing details have emerged. More »