Hasta La Gadget!

We knew vaguely that Google was looking toward the living room, but the NYTimes has the details on Google TV, an ambitious platform to deliver web content to Android-based set-top boxes and TVs through partnerships with Sony, Intel, and Logitech.

Google hopes that the new platform will succeed where dozens of lesser efforts have failed—to truly and seamlessly integrate web content onto TVs, bringing services like Twitter and sites like YouTube, in addition to games, webapps, and, of course, Google’s search, to the big screen. The Google TV software reportedly includes a version of Google’s Chrome browser for doing some light surfing, as well.

The Times says Google TV will be delivered on set-top boxes that use Intel Atom chips and run an Android-based platform, though the technology will also reportedly be built directly into Blu-ray players and TVs from Sony. Additionally, Google is working with Logitech to built a keyboard-equipped remote control for the platform.

Though spokespeople from the companies wouldn’t comment on the project, the Times notes that Intel and Logitech have recently put out job listings for programmers with Android experience.

Television is a relatively unexplored frontier for Google. It’s one of the few spaces left in which the company it is yet to extend its services (as well as its advertising.) But Google TV is far from a sure thing. Many companies have struggled to figure out the right user interface to finally make web on TV make sense. Google’s interfaces tend toward the functional, rather than the beautiful, but on a big screen, the sexiness factor cannot be ignored.

Bringing web content to TVs is a role that’s still very much up for grabs. If Google TV, which has reportedly been in works for months, is the right solution for the problem—Gmail was for web mail, Buzz was not for social networking—then it could very well could be the platform that finally brings the power of the internet to the realm of the couch-potato. [NY Times]

Logitech has been slowly but surely revamping its Harmony universal remote-control lineup to look and operate more like its popular Harmony One remote. Today, Logitech announced it was introducing two more sub-$100 remotes, the Harmony 600 and the Harmony 650; both aimed at people who would like to control all of their home-theater devices with a single remote control but don’t want to break the bank to do it.

It ain’t the first company to do it, but Logitech‘s new iPhone app is certainly one of the easiest to get into. Oh, and did we mention that it’s completely free to download? Available now in the App Store, Touch Mouse transforms your handset into a wireless trackpad or keyboard, and thanks to its reliance on vanilla WiFi signals, you won’t need any proprietary equipment to get it up and running. It’s fully compatible with both Mac and PC platforms, and it’s obviously a pretty fantastic way to control your HTPC without dragging a full-fledged keyboard / mouse into the living room. Hit the source link for more details, and be sure to let us know how it goes in comments once you give it a roll.

[Thanks, Wulf]

Logitech app turns your iPhone into wireless trackpad or keyboard originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This is where we’ve come as a society. No longer are external speakers, pillows or even laptop cooling apparatuses enough to satisfy us. Instead it takes a conglomeration of all three to prop up our hapless “portable” computers as we wallow in our Snuggies and fat free comfort foods. The new Logitech Speaker Lapdesk is one such $80 conglomeration, with two-inch stereo speakers, a built-in fan and a nice bit of padding to keep the whole assembly from frying your lap. It all plugs in over USB, both for audio and for fan power, and there are hardware buttons for switching the fan on and off and changing volume.

We gave it a quick trial run, and can certainly vouch for its comfort and protective qualities, though at the same time we’re not quite sure why it’s so enormous. The speakers are decently loud and clear, and the fan noise wasn’t loud enough to be heard over the general din of the tradeshow, so there’s really not much to complain about if you can stomach the price. But for anything smaller than a 17-inch laptop this is probably overly large for no apparent reason. There’s a quick demo video after the break.

Continue reading Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N700 comfily enters the burgeoning speaker-lapdesk market

Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N700 comfily enters the burgeoning speaker-lapdesk market originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Despite being proudly introduced to the world in early September, it seems as if Logitech’s Squeezebox Touch is still fighting the good fight on its way to mass production. Originally, the device was slated to go on sale this month in order to get wrapped and tucked beneath a-many Christmas tree, but now we’ve heard directly from the company that it won’t be shipping out until February 2010. We took a brief tour around the web, and sure enough, most respected e-tailers aren’t showing any stock (or any sign of stock); what’s odd is that we know at least a few of these things leaked out onto the market, though the whole “Logitech denying its existence” scenario that we saw play out back in August certainly makes a lot more sense now. Either way, it looks as if you’ll be waiting if you’re believing the official word, which just so happens to be quoted in full after the break.

Continue reading Squeezebox Touch delayed until February: Bah, Humbug!

Squeezebox Touch delayed until February: Bah, Humbug! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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