RevueWithGoogleTv
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Logitech Revue with Google TV review
The Logitech Revue is in many ways the flagship Google TV launch device. While Sony integrated Google's new media platform into its line of Internet TVs and the Internet TV Blu-ray player, the Revue is a dedicated Google TV device, albeit with a few additional features like optional an optional video calling camera. It's also the cheapest, at $299, and possibly the easiest to add into an existing A/V system, since it has Logitech's Harmony universal remote technology built-in. We've already covered Google TV as a platform, so let's take a closer look at the Revue to see if Logitech's riff on the connected TV is worthy of its lead-dog status. Read on for the full... Revue review! %Gallery-107004% This review is primarily of the Logitech Revue hardware -- make sure you read our full Google TV review to get a feel for the platform itself!
Logitech Revue with Google TV torn down, netbook specs found within
There's a lot we already know about Logitech's Revue with Google TV, and after our walkthrough on Saturday's Engadget Show, we also know just how NSFW the search results can be. All jesting aside, we did notice some amount of stuttering during our testing, and now we know why: for all intents and purposes, it's a netbook. The knife wielding gurus over at iFixit tore into the Revue in order to see what kind of internals were powering it, and sure enough, a 1.2GHz Atom CPU was at the core. That's marginally faster than the 1GHz A4 housed in the newest Apple TV, but there's a lot more to process here than on Cupertino's darling. There's also 1GB of DDR3 memory as well as a grand total of 5GB NAND Flash (split between a Samsung and Hynix chip). Essentially, the hardware here is on par with netbooks from fall 2008 (the Dell Mini 9 is accurately mentioned), with "tons of open space" allowing the box to stay cool under pressure. So, you down with paying $300 for hardware you could've scored two years ago, or are you just now realizing that a basic HTPC isn't that hard to setup.
Logitech Revue with Google TV details: $299; free iOS, Android apps, accessories are extra
Logitech's big Google TV reveal is still ongoing, but the product page is live and allowing for preorders of the $299 package ($179 if you're on Dish Network) set to ship by the end of this month. For all of that dough you'll get the Revue with Google TV box, keyboard with integrated touch and directional pad, an HDMI cable, one IR blaster and a couple of AA batteries just for good measure. Also up for your browsing pleasure are a few screens of the free Logitech Harmony App for iPhone and Android. Other accessories have been announced and are available for preorder as well, a $149 webcam, and the Revue-specific version of the diNovo Mini controller for $129.99 the larger keyboard is available if you need a spare or buy a different brand of Google TV appliance for $99. The Logitech TV Cam, with Carl Zeiss autofocus lens and dual microphones, ties into a Logitech Vid HD app that communicates with other similarly equipped units plus PCs or Macs running the desktop version of the software. Beyond just the mobile apps, Logitech also showed off its own Media Player app that pulls in video from connected hard drives or DLNA sources. Check the gallery for a few pictures of the hardware and after the break for a couple quick video breaking down all the features of the Revue, and demonstrating video calling. A press release full of details is now also available after the break. %Gallery-104437%
Logitech's 'Lonely TV Part 3' Google TV ad pulled, Part 4 steps up to the plate
After Part 3 of Logitech's Lonely TV ad campaign (pictured above) didn't get quite the reception the company probably intended, GTVHub points out the video has disappeared from YouTube and quickly been replaced by Part 4 in the series. Both are embedded after the break so you can judge for yourself, but Part 4 (along with Parts 1 & 2) seems to do a better job of representing an Aaahh!!! Real Monsters mischievous entity than the Grape You In The Mouth! feel of Part 3. Of course, we'd just like to get out of the ad critic business and get some more Revue with Google TV hands-on time -- anyone who remembers Nilay's tale of woe from podcast 197 knows that IR blasters are an even scarier prospect than anthropomorphized HDTVs suddenly appearing in our bed.
Logitech's 'Lonely TV' Revue with Google TV ad may be sending the wrong message
Logitech's promoting its Revue with Google TV box in a new "Lonely TV" series of advertisements, but while they're suggesting the relationship between internet, TV and you should be closer this latest spot only makes us want to search for a restraining order. In light of concerns some have about online privacy and exactly how much information Google is revealing about our habits, maybe a giant screen with an eyeball on it sending a teenaged girl into a panic (and not the Bieber fever) is the wrong mascot. Check out the full ad after the break and see if we're wrong -- remember, being weird worked out great for Palm.
Dish Network survey hints at Google TV pricing options
So just how much would you pay for a set-top box or Blu-ray player with Google TV built in? That appears to be what Dish Network is trying to find out with this online survey sent to potential customers, laying out some of the features offered and presenting several different pricing options from a one time up-front purchase of up to $300 at retail or cheaper possibilities with a monthly fee (pictured above). It also helpfully points out that Dish will be the only one with "advanced integration," meaning search across internet sources, TV listings, VOD and programming stored on the DVR at launch to probe the potential of enticing switchers. Check out the gallery for all the questions and imagine what fits your budget before Google TV gets real this fall.%Gallery-99905% [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
