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Logitech to unveil its Google TV lineup October 6th
Sorry, Sony. Logitech's looking to beat you to the Google TV punch by hosting is own event on October 6th, just six days before yours. (Then again, Sony's contribution also made a cameo earlier this week at a Best Buy event, but we digress.) The event's invite is vague on the "line of products" (note: plural) it'll be showing, but we'd venture a guess that Revue has already RSVPd and been promised some stage time. With any luck, the Lonely TV will MC the proceedings -- hey, we can dream.
Logitech Revue with Google TV coming 9/29 for $299, Dish Network offering discounts?
Google TV is coming, and Logitech's Revue is gonna bring it to ya first. But, if you're a Dish Network subscriber, it looks like you might be able to get yours for cheaper -- a lot cheaper. According to our industrious tipster, the Revue is slated to launch on September 29, just two weeks from now, with an MSRP of $299. But, if you happen to be a Dish subscriber, you can get one (and only one) for the heavily discounted price of $179. Our noble tipster also got some pictures of the keyboard, which match perfectly those captured earlier this month by good 'ol Mr. Blurrycam and, while we can't be 100% sure about these details, this deal certainly would go a long way toward explaining why attendees to Google's Zeitgeist event recently walked away with six free months of Dish service. %Gallery-102427% [Thanks, Anonymous]
Logitech Revue and Google TV get very early blurrycam impressions
Well, what do we have here? Looks like a Logitech beta user was kind enough to (potentially break his NDA and) show off his early grab: the Google TV-infused Revue. What follows is a series of blurred photos that'd make the FCC weep, but all the same, who are we to critique news? The little unassuming box has HDMI in and out ports, a couple of USB inputs, ethernet, and SPDIF. According to the handler, installation was a "12-step process includes asking the details of your Google account, your physical location, TV, cable box, amp, and more." It works with any Harmony remote, an Android device (in this case, a Droid Incredible), or the packaged keyboard. That latter input we last heard was still in development, but it seems to be working fine right here: full QWERTY, a trackpad, all the necessary keys for GTV navigation. One more pic of the keyboard after the break, as well a video walkthrough. [Thanks, Craig]
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]
Google TV gets an icon, launch still on schedule for fall according to Dish
If you're following the Google TV Team twitter account, (and of course you are right? They're on the list) you may have noticed a new icon popping up yesterday, which apparently will be the signifier for its new offering going forward. The TV with colored boxes doesn't quite have the charm of Android's (often skateboarding) robot, but whatever, we're more concerned about its potential integration with conventional video sources and what apps we'll see at launch. Speaking of, GTVHub points out Logitech has continued to hype its Revue box with a "Host with the Most" competition offering to move product advocates to NY or LA, while Dish Network mentioned on its recent earnings call that things are on track, with launch "a couple of months away." Good to know.
Logitech Revue Google TV box hits the FCC
It may not be reaching consumers until sometime this Fall, but Logitech's Google TV companion box, the Revue, has recently landed in a few important hands: the FCC's. Not much in the way of surprises with this one, but we do at least get a glimpse of the device's internals (check out a shot after the break), and the mystery of the FCC label has been solved at last. Of course, if it's information and excitement you're after, you can always check out our hands-on from Google IO.
Switched On: Token gestures
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. In early 2005, even after the launch of the Nintendo DS, Switched On critiqued pen computing, noting that it was too cumbersome and unnatural to become a mainstream input method. That column was validated by the launch of the iPhone, which banished the stylus to "blown it" status and popularized "finger-friendly" handset designs from all major smartphone OS developers. Many have described the user interfaces of products such as the iPhone and Surface as ushering in the post-WIMP (windows-icon-mouse-pointer) era. Former Windows Magazine editor Mike Elgan has referred to the new paradigm as "MPG" (multitouch, physics, gestures) However, while these user interfaces feature streamlined designs and more direct manipulation, they still form a bridge with the graphical user interface. The main shift has been to more direct manipulation as the device processes more natural inputs. The same can be said for Kinect. For a tidy sum and some untidiness, Kinect enables the kind of motion-sensing gameplay that has become the Wii's hallmark without having to strap the controller to various limbs (as with EA Active for Wii). In fact it eliminates the need to hold a controller entirely, just like the iPhone and iPad free users of mice and styluses. Beyond Soviet Russia, the input device uses you.
Two days at E3 with a Vicon Revue life-blogging camera (video)
Each year the video gaming Mecca that is the Electronics Entertainment Expo seems to get a little more... stale. I've been attending since 1997, back when PC games dominated the show floor, scantily-clad mascots were everywhere, and press releases were handed out in three-ring binders. Despite the increasing sameness of it all it's still a huge privilege to go, an invitation I receive every summer and wish I could share with all my gamer friends -- which is, at this point, just about all of them. This year, thanks to Vicon, who kindly let me borrow one of its wearable Revue cameras, I can finally take you all along for the ride. %Gallery-96315%
Logitech Revue gets official: Google TV companion box coming this Fall
Well, lookie here -- Logitech's Revue is official, and it's coming this Fall to make your HDTV even smarter. We knew from day one that Logi had been tapped to produce one of the first Google TV set-top boxes ever, and details on the little guy have been trickling out ever since. Described as a "Google TV companion box," the device is expected to "combine everything on the web, cable and satellite [with] apps, video calling and more." We're told to be patient for specs and further deets, so we suppose we'll do just that. While pouting. [Thanks, Tom]
Logitech's 'companion box' gets a name: Revue with Google TV
Sure we've already had our eyes all over Logitech's CE4100-powered Google TV box and given its WiFi controls on iPhone and Nexus One a try, but we didn't know exactly what to look for (or, according to Steve, what we'd probably be avoiding) when it hit stores. That's been put to rest, as the above picture we received reveals we can expect the Logitech Revue with Google TV. Obviously reminiscent of the "with Google" Android branding on handset, the name also ties into its ability to bring together multiple forms of entertainment, we'll see this this fall if slick branding is enough to get buyers and developers behind the return of Web TV.
Microsoft's life-blogging SenseCam becomes the ViconRevue, coming to a lanyard near you in 2010
The months of 2004 were halcyon days for those hoping to capture their entire existences digitally. Nokia was talking up Lifeblog as a way to chronicle every action of every day, while Microsoft had a few SenseCams floating around, snapping random images twice a minute to create a sort of slideshow of your daily tedium. Neither went mainstream, but Microsoft's option still has some legs, getting licensed by a company called Vicon and re-dubbed the ViconRevue. It now has 1GB of internal storage backing what seems to be a VGA camera sensor that can snap a picture every 30 seconds. At £500 ($820) they're currently intended for those studying Alzheimers and dementia, but a consumer model is due next year, and hopefully it will be affordable enough for those with memories but no government grants.
