Logitech's Google TV box to have Android, iPhone apps
updated 06:10 pm EDT, Thu May 20, 2010
Logitech Google TV will work as Harmony device
Logitech in the wake of the Google TV launch at the I/O day 2 keynote has provided in-depth details of how its own companion box will work. The unnamed device is actually based on the Harmony 900 remote and simply bridges that out to other devices, including phones. Both Android and iPhone OS will get apps that control both Google TV and the other home theater devices in the room, whether they're Blu-ray players, DVRs or game consoles.
A hybrid trackpad and keyboard remote using RF will be available but hasn't been shown yet. Traditional home theater controls can use IR.
The internals of the box shed light on Google TV as a whole and make it one of the more advanced media hubs available. It will run on a 1.2GHz Intel CE4100 embedded chip based on the Atom architecture and will behave more like a computer in terms of some features. An unusually 4GB of RAM will co-exist along with 802.11n Wi-Fi and two USB ports. The expansion will mostly be used for RF adapters to connect direction-independent remotes and other peripherals.
Two HDMI ports will provide video links, with one of them supporting pass-through as long as every other device uses HDMI. Logitech's Vid video chat service will be an option and will support up to 1080p with the right webcam.
Logitech's hardware should be available in fall as part of the broader Google TV release, but it hasn't been given a ship date. [via Engadget]
