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Samsung's HomeSync media hub will play nice with non-Samsung Android devices
If ever a product needed to work harder to justify its price tag, it'd be Samsung's new $299 HomeSync box. Fortunately, the manufacturer seems to be self-aware enough to make some changes: the Android-powered storage, streaming and mirroring hub will soon offer full support for Jelly Bean phones and tablets even if they're outside of the Galaxy stable. This should allow an average household with numerous, diversely-branded devices to store and share their photos, music and videos using the HomeSync's 1TB "personal cloud," while also using their handsets as remote controls and as sources for mirroring via the box's HDMI input. As things stand, however, only a handful of non-Samsung phones, like the Sony Xperia Z and HTC One, are listed as compatible over at the Google Play store, and it could be a while before the HomeSync becomes truly brand-agnostic. In the meantime, there are plenty of other mobile-friendly NAS solutions around that are worth a look.
Samsung 's HomeSync Android TV box hits stores October 6th for $299
Samsung gave us a look at HomeSync at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, but the Android TV box is just making its way to market now. Starting October 6th, the HomeSync will be available for $299 at Best Buy, Amazon and several other retailers. The Jelly Bean-powered box lets you use Galaxy phones or tablets as a remote control, and it offers 1TB of storage for up to eight user accounts. Naturally, you'll be able to sync and share content from your mobile devices to your big screen, as well as surf the web and stream your content wirelessly. To get connected, your TV needs an HDMI connection -- and that's about it. Check out our hands-on for a closer look.
Samsung HomeSync Android TV box hands-on (video)
Yesterday, Samsung announced the HomeSync Android TV box, and as expected that device is making an appearance here on the MWC 2013 show floor. Boxy media hubs can only be so attractive, but the HomeSync's grey-and-black aesthetic is sleek, and the brushed-metal finish will look familiar to anyone who's used a Sammy handset or laptop. There's a pair of USB 3.0 inputs, an HDMI port, optical audio and Ethernet connections on the rear, and buttons for power and settings on the front, but you can easily hide the console deep inside your home theater rig -- it can be controlled exclusively with a Android 4.2-equipped smartphone or tablet. The Jelly Bean-powered HomeSync runs a 1.7GHz dual-core processor with 1TB of storage, and it supports up to eight accounts for uploading, downloading and sharing content between devices. Those with a Galaxy device will be able to wirelessly stream content to their TVs in full 1080p, and Play Store access is on board for downloading additional media. It worked well during our hands-on, but as with any WiFi-equipped streaming device, there was noticeable lag when mirroring the smartphone display on the connected HDTV. Still, assuming the price is right, we can see this being a solid component within any home theater setup. Take a closer look in our hands-on video after the break.
Samsung HomeSync Android TV box packs 1TB HDD, dual-core CPU
A mobile-focused show like MWC 2013 seems like an odd place to show off a TV-connected box, but that's how Samsung has chosen to introduce its new HomeSync device. Powered by a 1.7GHz dual-core CPU and running Android Jelly Bean, it's a media hub that the press release claims will let you view all your videos, photos and apps at full 1080p resolution, with streaming from local Galaxy devices. Additional specs include 1GB of RAM, 8GB Flash memory, a 1TB HDD, Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11n 2.4 & 5GHz, Gigabit Ethernet, plus optical audio and HDMI 1.4 outputs. It even supports up to eight individual password-protected and encrypted user accounts, with each able to individually sync content from other devices and share it with the other accounts. There's no mention of Google TV, but it has access to the Play store to get apps on its own, while also allowing remote control from a phone. Also unspecified is pricing or any support for specific streaming protocols like Miracast or WiDi, although it's supposed to launch in "select countries" starting in April.