The word has been out about the Logitech Revue for some time. Google TV hasn’t exactly been a secret and it was shouted from the rooftops that Logitech was going to be a launch partner, along with Sony. As the holiday season gets closer it’s about time for Logitech to get official with a price and release date. As such, today, in NYC, they held the original launch event.
Prior to the event the Revue had already been handled, and judged to be a compelling product with serious potential. Of course this is more of a statement about Google TV than it is Logitech’s hardware, but unless Google pulls a Nexus One, the hardware partners are going to remain a crucial part of the Google TV ecosystem. Prior to today we have some rumored details on pricing/availability as well: $299 on 9/29. The date didn’t work out, but we’ll see about the pricing.
Keep in mind, we already got a glimpse of Sony’s clunky controller and that their launch event is on the 12th.
Notes from the event:
Why is Logitech working on Google TV?
They are PC hardware experts for 30 years of experience. The company knows about wireless and controlling software. They’ve also lead the universal remote market with their Harmony remotes, which means they understand the living room/home theater experience.
What is unique to Revue?
The Harmony remotes, complete with touchpad and d-pad. They are RF universal remotes that work through the Revue. It talks to other boxes with IR. This system is called Harmony Link.
The Logitech controllers (these use RF)
1) Keyboard controller – A thin, wireless keyboard, about the size of the Apple Wireless Keyboard (so it’s small).
2) Mini Controller – A tiny wireless keyboard. It looks exactly like the Logitech DiNovo Mini.
3) An Android or iOS device with a free app. So your phone can control your TV.
Dual View
This is a Google TV feature that allows for dual mode picture-in-picture, so you can watch video while surfing the web. For example, watch a movie while checking IMDB.com about an actor.
You can share content links by pushing content from remote to Revue.
Revue can also view content on a laptop or hard drive. You can do it using a laptop with Win 7 (thanks to DLNA) or Twonky etc. You can also plug in a hard drive and play content. All the major codecs/file types are supported.
Video calling
Logitech TV cam and Logitech Vid HD software make this possible. This brings HD video calling to living room. Vid HD comes as a preloaded app. Missed calls show on camera hardware and in software. Can call from any PC or Mac, the computers just need Logitech Vid HD.
The cam is $149. It’s a wide angle cam that can digitally zoom and pan. Has autofocus and a Zeiss lens. Designed to work with low light.
Other cams will not work at this time, but might in the future. This one has hardware compression.
Google TV works with voice commands, so you can yell at your TV and make it play your content.
The event was packed so hands-on time was limited but things felt good so far. Google TV feels fluid and Android seems well-suited to the environment. The universal search was the most interesting feature, though most people don’t use their television for discovery, so this will take some retraining.
The Logitech peripherals are standard stuff, in keeping with what you’d expect from the company. The surprises for me were that the DiNovo Mini’s flip design was reused and that the devices had trackpads, which isn’t immediately obvious from the pictures.
The premier STB partner is Dish Network, which seemed to integrate nicely into Google TV. The Revue acts as a pass-through, so the set top box’s functions (like guide) still work. This does get confusing though, as IR blaster is used and the Revue basically takes charge of parts of your home theater.
Logitech’s Revue is available for preorder now, for $300. It will be in consumers’ hands by the end of the month.
Coppied by http://www.geek.com/articles/gadgets/hands-on-logitech-revue-2010106/
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