logitech

Google TV: What you need to know (FAQ)

Google TV has been all over the news recently, because of recent press events by Logitech and Sony, with the search engine giant making its big play for the living room space. Even with all the hubbub, Google's new home entertainment platform can be tough to understand, so we've rounded up some of the basic questions you might have about Google TV.

What is Google TV? The basic pitch for Google TV is the capability to search all of your TV content through a search bar similar to Google.com's, which displays on your TV. The search bar overlays whatever screen you're on and combs through online video sources as well as live TV from your cable/satellite box to find content. (Currently, Google TV searches only DVR programs for Dish DVRs, although we've been told that support for other DVRs will roll out over time.) The idea is that you don't need to know whether the video originates from Netflix, your cable box, YouTube, or a random Web site--Google just finds it.

That's the main gist of what Google TV does, but what makes it hard to understand is that a Google TV-equipped device needs to do a lot to make that functionality seamless. It has standalone apps like Netflix and Pandora; a built-in Chrome browser capable of displaying (almost) any video you can watch on the Internet; the ability to control other devices like a Harmony universal remote; and support for the Android Marketplace coming in 2011. There's just a lot going on in any Google TV product.

Why do I want Google TV? If you find yourself watching content across several different platforms (Netflix, Amazon VOD, regular cable, ComedyCentral.com, etc.), Google TV should take away a lot of the hassle over finding exactly what you want to watch. If you want to watch a recent episode of "30 Rock," you can just search for "30 Rock" and Google TV will show you results in all the available services. Google TV leans strongly toward a "search" model of TV watching, rather than "browse." If you generally browse a program guide or flip channels looking for a show, however, you might not get as much use out of it. Similarly, if everything you want to watch is already available via your cable subscription, you probably won't benefit much from a Google TV product.… Read more

Redesigning the boom box: Bluetooth speakers compared

The days of blasting music out of a portable boombox are behind us, and while some companies still offer retro jambox wannabes for iPods, the best way to free your music from the aural confines of an MP3 player is through a portable Bluetooth speaker.

We've rounded up several Bluetooth speakers for your consideration. All of these wireless speakers benefit from limited loss in audio quality while still maintaining a small footprint and extended range. Functionality varies according to model, and they differ in regard to rechargeable versus alkaline batteries, size versus sound, and the capability to be used … Read more

Google TV or a Nettop?

The Logitech Revue unveiling earlier this week provided details about yet another device in the $99 to $399 price range competing to bring Web-based video content to your television. Alongside the Google TV-based Revue, we also have boxes from Apple, Roku, as well as the forthcoming D-Link Boxee Box. We would also add the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, and Web-enabled Blu-ray players to that mix and, in addition to those specialized devices, Nettop PCs.

If a Nettop represents the most open option for its configurability and its access to the unfettered Web, and a PlayStation 3 offers the most … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1324: Facebook gets intimate, candle-lit groups (podcast)

Social network giant launches new group feature designed just for you and your few close friends. We immediately get invited to 500-person groups. How romantic. Also, Verizon iPhone rumors heat up (again); Cisco tries to sell $600 product to compete with free video conferencing services; and Russian Space Porn!

Will Google TV elevate the couch potato?

Google TV products from Sony and Logitech pack a potent brew of software and hardware that could animate even the most inveterate couch potatoes. But will they sit up and take notice?

TVs are quickly on the way to becoming hybrids that can switch freely between passive TV and PC-like interactive modes, according to Intel. Will consumers finally begin to lean forward more and lean back less? After all, this has been tried before.

"The reason we feel very confident this time around is it's less of a leap now because consumers are used to consuming Internet content," Wilfred Martis, general manager of Intel's Retail Consumer Electronics business, said in a phone interview Tuesday.

Intel is a key player in the Sony Internet TV and Logitech Revue set-top box, which was introduced yesterday, because it supplies the Atom CE4100 processor that powers the interactive side of the Google TV platform. And this is no ordinary Atom. It squeezes a lot of processing into a tiny system-on-a-chip.

"The CE 4100 combines dual 1080p video decoders, dual audio DSPs (digital signal processors), 3D graphics, display processing, and security infrastructure," said Martis. "That allows you to consume broadcast or Blu-ray content as well as all the content and applications on the Internet."

All very convincing on paper but some consumers, at least, may have beaten Google TV to the punch.… Read more

Seats with beats: The Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N550

We're often sticklers about good speakers in laptops, but not many of them really offer anything to top what you'll get out of headphones. Logitech's new lap desk, the N550, could address the problem in a jiffy with its built-in array of stereo speakers.

In addition, the N550 also acts as a comfortable heat-shielding surface for your laptop. An angled base elevates your laptop for better viewing, and air-mesh fabric should ventilate the whole product to make it less of a sweat-collector for your thighs. A single USB connection powers the speakers. The Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N550 … Read more

Logitech Revue brings Google to your TV for $300

At a press conference today, Logitech revealed the full details of its upcoming Logitech Revue with Google TV, a set-top box that aims to integrate all of your content--from your cable box to YouTube--to a single unified interface.

The Revue is set to come out at the end of October with a $300 list price, and preorders begin today. The Revue will be one of the first products, along with Sony's forthcoming TV, to integrate the new Google TV platform. Here's a preview of what it can do.

Google TV software

The highlight of the device is, of course, Google TV. The basic pitch for Google TV is the ability to search all of your TV content through a search bar similar to Google.com. The bar overlays whatever screen you're on and combs through online video sources as well as live TV from your cable/satellite box to find content (currently, Google TV searches only DVR programs for Dish DVRs, although a Logitech representative told us he expects compatibility with non-Dish DVRs to roll out over time). The idea is that you don't need to know whether the video originates from Netflix, your cable box, YouTube, or a random Web site--Google just finds it.

For launch, the Revue/Google TV software has support for several streaming-media services, including YouTube, Amazon VOD, Netflix, Pandora, and Napster. Google announced partnerships with TBS, TNT, CNN, and HBO, which take the form of customized Web sites and, in the case of HBO, access to HBO Go's service for subscribers.

Google TV also has built-in apps for Twitter, the NBA, and CNBC at launch, and we'd be shocked if Facebook didn't show up soon. Later in 2011, there will also be support for the Android Marketplace, so you'll be able to use Android apps on your HDTV. Phone apps will be scaled to fit bigger TV screens, and Google expects developers to start creating apps specifically for the Google TV platform.

One big difference between Google TV and competitors like Apple TV and Roku, as well as Internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray players, is its capability to access just about any source of Web-based video. Google TV has a built-in Chrome browser that supports Flash 10.1 and HTML5 video. The browser should allow virtually the entire world of video on the Web, including video from sites like comedycentral.com and PBS.org, to show up on your HDTV.… Read more

The 404 681: Where I Google-d all over my TV (podcast)

The convergence of TVs and computers has been promised for decades, but remains largely unknown for most people outside of the tech world. Fortunately, Google aims to change all that with its Internet-connected Google TV Platform.

Google TV promises to let viewers watch video from a variety of sources--so far YouTube, Vevo, HBO, TBS and even our own CNET TV will have apps available. The big broadcast networks like ABC, CBS and NBC are taking a wait-and-see approach. But Google TV promises you even more, with the ability to search and browse the Web, record your favorite TV programs, and even control the whole experience from your cell phone.

Logitech is holding a news conference today for its own Google TV product, the Logitech Revue, and CNET is at there covering all the news as it happens. Check back again next week when Sony launches its own Google-TV powered box on October 12.

Next up on today's show we're calling BS on an image of a public Twitter booth that recently popped up on Russian Livejournal, aka the premiere site for tech news coverage.

America has its own share of Internet kiosks, but we have a hard time imagining the kind of tweet that would require you to drop everything and pay money to send it out...from a park. We could be wrong, though, so send us a photo if you spot a Twitter kiosk in the wild.

This is the second-to-the-last reminder you're going to get about our official Fall 404 Meetup tomorrow, October 7 at the Frying Pan Bar in New York City.

Join us tomorrow from 7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., and an early thanks to the Pan for hooking it up with $15 wristbands good for open beer, well drinks, and wine for the duration of the Meetup!

We'd like to give them an idea of who's coming, so head over to The 404 Meetup page and RSVP for the event (Meetup.com registration required). We'll see you there!

Episode 681 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Logitech's Google TV launch (live blog)

Editor's note: We used Cover It Live for this event, so if you missed the live blog, you can still replay it in the embedded component below. Replaying the event will give you all the live updates along with commentary and questions from our readers. For those of you who just want the basic updates, we've included them in regular text here. To get the key points from today's announcement, you can check out our summary post here.

Transcript of live blog starts here:

2:48 p.m.: (Tom Krazit) Hi everybody! I'm out here in … Read more

Google tries for Android sequel with Google TV

Think of Google TV as the second season of Project Android: open-source software, backed by industry partners, created in hopes of unlocking a potentially huge new repository of Internet searches.

In 2005, when Google first acquired the team that would develop Android, smartphone users were browsing the Web, but the quality of the experience was pretty poor, until 2007, when Apple released the iPhone. Android, released a little more than a year later, aimed to provide the same level of quality as Apple's iOS software but to spread it across different hardware makers and wireless carriers in hopes of … Read more