Litl working on a settop box with smartphone-like remote, not scared of Google

You've got to hand it to Litl -- even after the Webbook failed to impress, the startup is still trudging though the gadget trenches. And there's no doubt that the new settop box it's tinkering with sounds interesting: like the Webbook, it will run Litl's very own Linux OS, and will be based on a browser and web apps -- in fact, the company is launching an SDK for the Flash-based HTPC tomorrow at the Flash and the City conference. The most interesting thing to us is the cute little touchscreen remote, which will apparently let you control the UI from the couch with multitouch gestures. Sounds pretty snazzy to us, but you'll have to wait until early 2011 to get one of these in your living room. Litl's CEO John Chuang wouldn't share much on the hardware front, but we know it's powered by some sort of x86 processor, and will have HDMI and composite-out to connect to your HDTV, as well as Ethernet / WiFi connection options. We're hoping by then that there will be some Android-based settop boxes on the market, but that doesn't worry Litl -- Chuang claims it'll be a dead-simple consumer product. No word on the name of this thing, but there's obviously time to decide on that. Hit the break for the press release, and the gallery below for some early designs of the device.

Litl settop box press images

Show full PR text

Litl to Launch Flash-Based Web-Connected TV Product
Releases Software Development Kit (SDK) to Flash Community

Boston – May 11, 2010 – At the upcoming Flash and the City (flashandthecity.com) developers conference, litl (litl.com) will reveal plans for a new web-connected TV product slated for launch in early 2011 and extend the reach of its intuitive software platform by releasing an Adobe® Flash® 10.1-based software development kit (SDK).

"We are taking the simple, intuitive experience that we developed for the webbook and bringing it to the family room TV," said Chuck Freedman, litl's chief channel evangelist. "Until now, applications for TVs and set-top boxes have consisted of little more than widgets. Our platform changes everything by enabling feature-rich, Flash-based apps without the complexity of a desktop environment."

Launched in November, the litl webbook is an Internet computer for the home. It runs litl OS, an operating system with a revolutionary user interface designed to make computing simple and enjoyable. The company's planned web-connected TV device will also run litl OS.

"We believe that our platform's use of Flash will be the best and easiest way for developers to deliver great content and applications to the TV," said Freedman. "And with the launch of our SDK, we are enabling over one million developers in the Flash community to monetize their work by building new apps or porting their existing apps to our store."

Supporting Adobe Flash Player 10.1, the litl SDK includes a code library, simulator, code samples, and documentation. The SDK will continue to advance in coming months with new APIs, including accelerometer movement, video chat, trackpad gestures, and microphone input that will allow open development of gaming, communication, entertainment and other experiences.

With the litl webbook, users can access web content through custom Flash applications that transform web content to make it more useful and entertaining. Applications custom-designed by litl and currently available to users include Facebook, The Weather Channel, Flickr, Shutterfly, and BakeSpace. With the release of the litl SDK, users will benefit from a much larger selection of applications created by independent developers and partners.

To learn more and get started, developers can visit developer.litl.com to apply for the SDK's private beta package. At the Flash and the City conference in New York from May 14-16, representatives from litl will be on hand to introduce the SDK, share rollout plans, and help developers get started.

About litl
Based in Boston, litl was founded to make technology easy to use. The company's devices run litl OS, an operating system that allows quick connectivity to the web with a user interface that is simple and intuitive. We invite you to learn more at litl.com.

[browserspot Posted May 13th 2010 3:01PM]

"very own Linux OS" doesn't work...I think we have seen this before. Re-inventing a wheel is usually not a good idea...should have used Android instead.

[max1001 Posted May 13th 2010 3:27PM]

@browserspot
Lol. With that attitude, linux would never had been born.

[stoffer Posted May 13th 2010 3:39PM]

@browserspot Or just use any existing Liinux distro like e.g. Debian or Ubuntu. I totally do not understand why every single manufacturer has to make "their own Linux" instead of going mainstream. Mainstream Linux flavor means large users community and good support. Ease of getting software comes together with that. You go Debian (Ubuntu, Debian, Meego etc.) you get the .deb packages, you gor RedHat (Fedora, CentOS, SuSE etc.) you got the .rpm packages. It is actually not so much about choosing the Linux distro, but about choosing package manager.

Cooking up a new Linux flavor with details known only to manufacturer is against spirit. Community is vital aspect of Linux. It is not only community of users, but community of developers. If you go with something that has wide industry support like Debian or RedHat, you are safe. If you invent things on your won without support of the community, you are asking for a commercial failure.

[Kenneth Posted May 13th 2010 4:41PM]

@browserspot I agree that android would make more sense but I have to also agree with max1001 about the spirit of linux

@stoffer Meego uses RPM

[Flix C Posted May 13th 2010 4:43PM]

@stoffer
Think before writing..
It's Engadget, not a techblog, this "own Linux OS" is probably derived from Debian or Ubuntu or Fedora or something.
Anyway I highly doubt they built it from Scratch.

[The Madman Posted May 13th 2010 4:49PM]

@browserspot I don't see why they didn't use one of the already-existing media centre-based linux distros. Ubuntu Server + XBMC would have sufficed.

[MasterRothschild Posted May 13th 2010 7:58PM]

@browserspot

Can they just sell me the remote keyboard/mousepad thing? That is the thing I've been looking for my whole life.

[ComeShot Posted May 13th 2010 3:01PM]

Thats what I always wanted, a gameboy flip running android.

[Warzone Posted May 13th 2010 3:02PM]

A likeable design but I have my doubts about the size and keyboard.

[engadgetcomexcludeengadget Posted May 13th 2010 3:04PM]

Can I buy just the remote and use it with my laptop when it's hooked up to the tv?

[Plexus Posted May 13th 2010 3:53PM]

@engadgetcomexcludeengadget
Can I buy your TV and hook you up to the remote?

[uck Posted May 13th 2010 3:05PM]

They're like the only ones not scared of google.

[larryinternship Posted May 13th 2010 3:07PM]

I'm board with this.

[cameronsipod Posted May 13th 2010 5:18PM]

@larryinternship

onboard? board game?

[litljordan Posted May 13th 2010 3:20PM]

Glad to see the interest in litl's latest product!

Our platform allows for amazing new experience on a big-screen TV. With the release of our SDK at the Flash and the City conference, we're excited to let developers get started building feature-rich apps for the living room. Big things on the horizon for litl.

[Znuff Posted May 14th 2010 2:58AM]

@litljordan

Hi. We, the world, would like to point you at "probably the best media-center software in the world". It's called XBMC (And it's sister, Boxee).

You got anything to compete with that?

[nefnet13 Posted May 13th 2010 3:48PM]

... But surely there's no place for Flash in the devices of tomorrow, right?

/s

[ECH Posted May 13th 2010 4:06PM]

Android on HDTV's + Killer New UI Interface Method = WIFI Ipad Killer

Don't Know if this is the "Killer New UI Interface Method", but it sounds like they're on the right track.

[ECH Posted May 13th 2010 4:16PM]

@ECH

I take it back, this thing wants to compete with Android on HDTV's....

Good luck with that.

[Flix C Posted May 13th 2010 4:46PM]

One question though..
Why flash & Linux & x86.
Either you go x86 + proprietary expensive bloatware and you go win7+flash, or you just don't, use Linux but then Flash makes very little sense to me..

[dragonfli Posted May 13th 2010 6:08PM]

Five bucks says this is vapourware in 2011, or that other products will have beaten what it can do.

[blland Posted May 14th 2010 12:01AM]

I buy your idea, brave Litl.

Should be cheaper than buying Apple's ideas.