Japan's KDDI intros Android 4.0-powered smart TV box
updated 04:30 pm EDT, Fri July 20, 2012
Japan shows off Panasonic-built Smart TV Box with Android 4.0 onboard
Japanese telecommunications provider KDDI has shown off a Panasonic-built smart box that connects to users' TVs and enables them to connect to the web. The device isn't a Google TV box, but does have some similarities to those devices. The box will be sold to cable providers in Japan, with testing due to start in August.
The Smart TV Box has an HDMI output, three USB ports, Wi-Fi, an Ethernet port, and a microSD memory card slot. An external hard drive can be connected to record content onto the device as well. At the core is a dual-core CPU from an unnamed manufacturer.
Apps can be purchased from one of three markets, including Smart Pass, Google Play, and Cable Market.
The device is supposed to reach customers sometime this fall in Japan only, though prices haven't been revealed.
