SmartKey TV dongle adds Android 4.0, web access to TVs
updated 10:24 am EDT, Mon June 11, 2012
Italian product due in July, will bring Android 4.0 to TVs
Italy's LiquidTv has just introduced a new dongle that promises to bring not only web access but Android 4.0 to HDTVs equipped with an HDMI port. The product is called SmartKey TV and houses a 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 CPU, Mali 400MP GPU, and 512MB of RAM. The 4GB of onboard storage is supplemented by a microSDHC memory card slot.
It otherwise has a USB host port and a B/G/N Wi-Fi radio. The company will also release a cross-platform smartphone app for controlling the device and there is a number of accessories available as well, including a motion-sensing remote control and one with a hardware QWERTY keyboard built-in. The dongle has generous multimedia file support for playback as well, and can connect to the web, Skype, and YouTube.
The company also promises to launch a video-on-demand service in July with over 1,000 premium movies on offer. It will be accessible through the SmartKey TV, with synopses of the movies available through a custom interface.
Read more internet tv news: SmartKey Dongle Converts Dumb TVs Into Smart TVs http://www.worldtvpc.com/blog/smartkey-dongle-converts-dumb-tvs-into-smart-tvs/#ixzz1xUj511sI
The gadget should arrive in July and it will cost €99 (about $124) for the basic model, or €119 (nearly $150) for one with the remote control bundled with it.
There are many similar products like this on the market, with new ones upcoming as well, which can be found on Kickstarter.
