Hyderabad Blues: [HM:254204] Device may put smart TV makers out of business

Sunday, 22 July 2012

[HM:254204] Device may put smart TV makers out of business

Called 'Pocket TV', it claims to convert your current television into a 'Smart' one

Joseph George

Published Tuesday, July 03, 2012

A Dubai-based company is threatening to give major television manufacturers like Samsung, Sony and LG a run for their money as they attempt to change the evolving future of Smart TVs.

While leading electronics companies are spending millions of dollars in developing technologies that can convert their existing ranges of LCDs and LEDs into Smart TVs, a Jumeirah Lake Towers-based company is doing so with a simple pocket-sized dongle.

Called the Pocket TV, it costs $110 (Dh404), though that is being cited as the promotional price.

The smart TV prices range between Dh1,500 for a 32 inch model upto more than Dh10,000 for a top of the range model.

Emax in Dubai said it is selling a Samsung 32 inch Smart TV for Dh1,699 and similar size in Sony with slightly different features for Dh2499.

A top of the range 55" Samsung ES8000 smart TV is priced at Dh12,999.

The Pocket TV claims to be a fully functioning micro-computer and the size of your thumb will enable the user to even turn his old TV (provided it has a HDMI input) into a "smart one".

The device connects to the TV through the HDMI input and runs Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and can simply turn your 32-inch (55) TV into an android tablet, with high definition display.

Users can surf the internet, download apps, stream videos and play games. Simply attach a video camera and now use Skype and its video conferencing facility.

Developers of the device have also introduced a supplementary remote control that offers a full QWERTY keyboard as well as a gyroscopic sensor that allows it to operate like a Wii, moving the cursor in sync with your hand movements in space.

Those already in possession of an Android-based smartphone can even use the phone as a remote control using the Google Remote TV app.

You can carry the device in your pocket and convert any TV, even a TV in a hotel room while travelling, into an Android device.

"You'll have all the benefits that you get from carrying your smartphone but with the ability to display it on a much bigger screen.

"Imagine walking into a meeting and doing a presentation without a laptop. All you need to do is plug the Pocket TV into the projector and your presentation can be played from the cloud (like a Dropbox account) or locally from the SD Card," the company says in a presentation made on Kickstarter, which they are using to generate funds before they go into production.

With an initial aim of raising $100,000 the project has already earned three times more investment from about 2,300 plus backers.

The deal is on for seven more days on Kickstarter where you can pledge $110, instead of the actual price of $160 for one Pocket TV with a choice of Black, white or red