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Kodi takes the fight to sellers of pirate TV boxes
Pirate TV boxes have existed since about five minutes after TV boxes were first introduced. Whether it was rewired cable boxes or satellite TV setups with hacked cards, it's been a reality of the business for decades. The latest iteration on this idea involves a number of Android-powered boxes that are preconfigured to find and stream pirated content from the internet. I noticed right away that the Fire TV is a perfect vessel for Kodi (back then it was still called XBMC), and I wasn't the only one -- which is causing a ton of problems for the developers who actually make Kodi.
You can finally watch Twitch streams on Android TV
Twitch has been on Google's Chromecast for over a year, so it's hard to believe it wasn't on Android TV before. But the streaming company has just revealed an official app for the Google's big-screen service, letting you watch live or pre-recorded games, personalities and e-sports tournaments on supported TVs or devices like NVIDIA's Shield. As usual, you'll be able to chat with fellow players, follow channels and games, and view broadcaster profiles and streaming schedules, all at up to 1080p/60fps quality.
Garmin's working on an Android streaming stick for your TV
Although Garmin is mostly known for its GPS navigation systems, the company recently started expanding its scope to other things including wearables. Now, according to FCC documents, Garmin looks to be ready to introduce an Android-powered media stick. As Liliputing reports, Garmin's Vivohub 2 (pictured below) is described as a device that can turn your dumb TV into a smart one -- similar to products such as the Google Chromecast or Roku Streaming Stick. Strangely enough, the leaked user's manual suggests the Vivohub 2 runs 4.2 Jelly Bean, which is far from being the freshest version of Android. In addition to that, the stick is said to come with a 1GHz Amlogic AML826 dual-core processor, ARM Mali-400 graphics, 1GB of RAM and support for both Bluetooth and WiFi.
Sony's X900C 4K television isn't perfect, but it makes a good case for Android TV
We're already living in the future. Virtually every appliance in the modern home has become smarter thanks to ubiquitous internet connectivity, and the same goes for televisions as well. What used to simply be a monitor has quickly morphed into an all-in-one entertainment system. Heck, even having direct access to your entire online content collection and streaming services without so much as a set-top box is becoming standard fare. But does a TV that's as smart as my cellphone really make for a better viewing experience? To find out, I spent a month consuming my content on the Sony X900C, a ridiculously thin $2,400 (MSRP) flat panel 4K LCD TV, and one of the first powered by the Android TV operating system.
Razer says it's 'doubling-down' on Android and Forge TV
Razer's Android TV-powered Forge TV is no longer on sale through Google, but tonight the company tells Engadget it's not giving up. According to a Razer representative, it's "doubling-down on Android gaming in the living room and looking forward to producing the world's largest library of Android TV games." The company thinks Forge TV can be a "spiritual successor" to the Ouya platform it purchased earlier this year, and is ramping up production to address current demand. The note (included in full after the break) promises more information soon, so we wouldn't be surprised to see the gaming hardware maker bring something fresh to CES in January.
Razer's Android TV box quietly leaves Google's store
You may have thought that Razer's Forge TV was hot stuff back at CES, but it's not clear that the buying public felt the same way. Google has quietly stopped selling the Android TV set-top on its official store -- swing by its product page and you'll find that it's "no longer available for purchase." It's not certain that Razer has discontinued the media hub altogether, but things don't look good when its own store only lets you sign-up for in-stock alerts. We've reached out to Razer to get the full scoop on this disappearance.
NVIDIA's Shield TV goes on sale in the UK and Europe tomorrow
In the six months since NVIDIA launched Shield TV, we've put it through its paces and called it best Android TV box money can buy. Consumers in the US have been able to get their hands on it since May, but now it's time for Europe to get in on the act. That's right, from tomorrow (October 1st), consumers in the UK, France, Germany and Scandinavia can buy the base 16GB model for £150/€200 or the 500GB Shield Pro for £230/€300.
Amazon and Microsoft's stores connect to Disney Movies Anywhere
When Disney launched its Movies Anywhere app early last year it could only plug digital copies into your iTunes account, but today it linked up with Amazon Instant Video and Microsoft Video. Besides new Disney apps for Xbox 360 and Amazon's Fire TV platform, next week on the 15th it's launching on Roku and Android TV. That means any movie you've unlocked with Disney (like Big Hero 6, Guardians of the Galaxy or Avengers: Age of Ultron) is viewable through any of those services, as well as Google Play and Vudu. Once you connect them to your account, buying a copy on one service unlocks the movie on others, as powered by Disney's KeyChest setup. More importantly, Amazon and Microsoft don't support Ultraviolet digital copies, which may swing the balance of power just as Ultra HD Blu-ray arrives on the scene. Wherever you stream your movies, linking your accounts may be worthwhile since Disney will toss a free copy of Monsters Inc. into your account for doing so.
Sony's wafer-thin, Android-powered 4K TVs will start at $2,499
Spring has come and gone without any sign of Sony's promised X900C and X910C TVs, but those super-thin 4K sets are finally on their way... well, almost. The slimmest of the bunch, the 0.19-inch thick X900C series, is now slated to arrive in July at hefty prices of $2,499 for a 55-inch model, and $3,999 for its 65-inch counterpart. Determined to go bigger? You'll have to wait longer, and pay a pretty penny. The lone X910C model, a 75-incher, is poised to launch sometime this summer for $5,499. Thankfully, screen size is the only major difference here. All of these units pack Android TV, Triluminos displays and an X1 processor that should make the most of your 4K video. The real question is whether or not you need this eye-catching design in the first place -- it's great if you're aiming for a near-invisible wall mount, but you might otherwise be fine 'settling' for a thicker TV.
NVIDIA Shield TV review: the best Android set-top box you can buy
Never let it be said that Google gives up on ideas that don't pan out the first time. Remember when it tried invading our living rooms with clunky, disappointing set-top boxes? And then when that very same software went on to find a life right on smart TVs? Think of all that as a prelude to where we are today -- Google TV has given way to Android TV, and now NVIDIA's cooked up an interesting spin on a formula that's nearly a year old. The Shield TV's gaming cred and sleek design make it far and away the most interesting Android TV setup we've seen to date, but does that mean it's worth your hard-earned cash? The short answer is "yes," but the Shield only shines brightest if you've got the right sort of hardware already in place.
Google revamps Android TV with over 600 new apps
Google is hoping to give Android TV a boost after updating the platform to make app discovery much easier, letting you find more than 600 'new' apps that have previously been difficult to find. Our chums over at TechCrunch spotted the improvement, which will now organize the features into 20 collections that run from movies and sports through to multiplayer gaming. The software requires a 29MB update and if it's not already on your device, it shouldn't be long before it arrives. When we reviewed the Nexus Player last year, our biggest concern was the lack of app selection. This update, combined with the addition of things like broadcast TV support and Sling TV should hopefully push Android TV a lot closer to competing with the Rokus of this world.
Android TV will display video apps as traditional channels
For Android TV, 2015 could turn out to be a breakout year -- at least that's what Google hopes. But how does the search giant plan to reach those heights? One way is by expanding its home entertainment platform's support for live TV programming, with a new feature called Android Channels. What this lets users to do is view video-streaming apps on the same program guide as traditional channels, including those from ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and other broadcast networks. If you're familiar with the Xbox One, you'd know that Microsoft's console offers similar functionality.
NVIDIA starts selling its Android TV-powered Shield media hub
Been jonesing for a very high-powered, Android TV-based media hub? You now have a chance to do something about that craving, as NVIDIA has started selling its Shield set-top box in North America. Pay $199 and you'll get the regular Shield, whose tiny 16GB of storage makes it clear that you'll be streaming a lot of 4K Netflix videos and playing games in the cloud through NVIDIA's GRID service. You'll need to pony up for the $299 Shield Pro to get loads of built-in storage (500GB) for local content, although you'll also get a copy of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel in the bargain. And don't worry about buying content to get started -- both Shields come with a $30 Google Play gift card and three months of Google Play Music, so you'll have something to do as soon as you've pulled off the shrink wrap.
Sling TV brings its cord-cutter app to Android TV devices
So far, Dish has done an exceptional job of launching its internet television service, Sling TV, on most major mobile and stationary platforms. And now Android TV is the latest to offer support for the cord-cutter app, joining others like iOS, Roku, Xbox One and, of course, Android in doing so. At the moment, Sling TV on Android TV really just means being available for the Nexus Player, although there are many devices launching soon with Google's newly minted ecosystem on board. Sling TV also announced ESPN Deportes (the Spanish version of ESPN) has been added to its channel lineup, which it will be including as part of the Latino-tailored, $5-per-month Deportes Extra pack.
Using NVIDIA's streaming, Android TV set-top box: the Shield
You already know what NVIDIA's latest Shield hardware is: an Android TV-powered set-top box that uses the latest chip from NVIDIA. It streams games over the company's "Netflix for gaming" platform known as GRID; it streams games from your local PC; it powers Twitch streaming at the same time of said streamed content; heck, it powers games like Crysis 3 locally, running on Android. But is it any good? The only answer I've got is maybe.
Your phone now doubles as an Android TV game controller
So you want to play games on your Android TV set, but you'd rather not shell out for a gamepad? You might not have to in the near future. Google has revealed that an upcoming update to Google Play Services will let you use your Android mobile devices as controllers for Android TV games. If you want to start a four-way race or shooting match, you'll only have to ask friends to pull their phones out of their pockets. You'll have to wait for developers to use the technology before you can start playing, but that patience could pay off if it spares you from buying controllers that will likely spend most of their life gathering dust. Don't miss out on all the latest from GDC 2015! Follow along at our events page right here.
Google holds its next I/O developer conference on May 28th and 29th
Attention, Google fans: the company's big developer conference is kicking off early this year. The internet giant has announced that I/O 2015 will take place on May 28th and 29th, about a month ahead of where it was in 2014. Sign-ups start at noon Eastern on March 17th, although the company is once again running on a lottery system that picks guests at random. As for what's going to show? Google isn't saying anything yet, but there's bound to be talk of Android's rapidly growing ecosystem, Chrome developments and internet services aplenty. What do you hope Google will show? Let us know what you think! [Image credit: Stephen Lam/Getty Images]
Android TV's rise is bad news for (most of) Google TV
The writing has been on the wall since Android TV appeared last summer, but now it's official -- Google TV (and all the hardware that used it) is yesterday's news. Google gave developers confirmation that "most Google TV devices won't support the new platform," although a small subset of devices will be upgraded to the new Android 5.0 software. There's no word on exactly which ones are covered, but the team at Google will be focusing their efforts on Android TV and the Cast ecosystem. Old Google TV boxes will still work of course, but you can pretty much cancel any hope of further updates or continued support from future apps.
Razer's Android TV box targets gamers with PC streaming
Razer has joined other recent comers in the Android TV arena with Forge TV, but unlike the others, its box is aimed squarely at gamers, not cord-cutters. As such, it's suitably powerful with a quad-core Snapdragon 805 CPU, Adreno 420 GPU, 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1, 2GB RAM and 16GB of storage. Yes, that'll let it handle garden-variety Google Play games for up to four players and beam them onto a big-screen TV. But the Forge TV's main powers have little to do with weak-sauce Android gaming, and more to do with Razer Bluetooth peripherals and the piece de resistance called "Cortex: Stream." That tech uses WiFi to give you low-latency streaming from a source far more suitable to gaming than a dinky Android box -- namely, your PC.
Android TV sets from Philips, Sharp and Sony are coming this spring
Google's years-long effort to get a foothold in the living room is finally paying off. The search pioneer has announced that TVs from Sharp, Sony and TP Vision (aka Philips) will all run Android TV when they arrive this spring. Both Sharp and Sony will have multiple 4K models using the internet-savvy software, and every single Philips set will ship with Google's technology on board. You can also expect to see the operating system on Razer's Forge TV game console this February, and Huawei is building an Android TV media player that arrives later this year.
