Google TV a big hit? Logitech doesn’t think so.

BY THE APPLE GIRL Google TV was announced last year with much hype, but seems like the hype is sizzling out. Logitech was one of the new entrants with a Google TV box called Revue priced at $299 at the release. Recently, Logitech announced a price slash to $99, taking a loss since returns exceeded sales. Google recently announced an update to the Google TV software promising a more streamlined interface and improved searching capabilities.  The Verge reports that Logitech CEO Guerrino De Luca indicated that the 2010 Christmas launch of Logitech Revue was a “mistake of implementation of a gigantic nature”. He mentioned that the company “had brought closure to the Logitech Google TV saga” and decided to let inventory run out this quarter and that Logitech has no plans to replace the Google TV box. This mistake plus operational miscues in EMEA has resulted the company with $100 M in operating profits. Google has to admit that it doesn’t have a winner in the TV arena, at least not yet. I like that it allows me to surf the web on the TV, but I need a better incentive than that. Similar to Google TV, cable TV content is lacking on Apple TV. Other features such as NetFlix, Hulu, purchasing movies and TV shows are similar on both Apple TV and Google TV. But Apple TV’s trump card is Airplay which lets you seamlessly stream content from any of the iDevices to your TV. Without an Apple TV, you could use DLNA to stream, but good luck trying to get it to work like AirPlay.   To Google’s credit, they have the right idea of simplifying and enriching the TV experience by merging TV and cable content. But Google falls short on the implementation and its disability to get premium TV content providers on board is not helping either. Still, there are new entrants, such as LG, expected to integrate Google TV into television sets, not to mention that Sony already has a Google smart TV out there that is not selling like hot buns.

Google TV (Revue) – $99

BY THE GOOGLE CHIC Have you been holding out on purchasing a Google TV because of the price? Well, Logitech dropped the price of the Revue (Google TV) from $249 to $99 effective 7/31. At this price it’s a steal! Not to mention, that it’s soon going to be upgraded to Honeycomb. I tried to go buy one today but they’re sold out at the local stores. Good news is that it’s available online via Logitech.

BY THE APPLE GIRL  Sorry to break the bubble, but there is a reason for such a big price slash. After a disappointing Q1 when the returns exceeded sales,  CEO Gerald P. Quindlen is leaving the company and Revue can officially be declared as a flop! While you can have the most popular Apple TV for $99 – Apple didn’t have to cut prices for it 😀 – why would you buy Google Revue (with that ugly keyboard remote et al). Check out our Logitech Revue blog and Google TV vs. Apple TV blog.

Logitech Revue – Google TV vs Apple TV

BY THE GOOGLE CHIC   Logitech Revue is finally here!  The Revue is a set top box for Google TV which brings your TV to a whole new level including web browsing and video conferencing. The Revue packs in more power in terms of hardware as compare to the Apple TV. It sports two usb  ports (as compared to one micro usb on the Apple TV), and a faster processor, specially the intel Atom 1.2 GHZ processor as compared to the A4. The Revue comes with a lightweight keyboard  with a multi touch track pad. If you want to opt for something smaller you can download the Logitech Harmony remote app for your Android phone and yes iPhones as well 🙂 Also, there is a Logitech TV cam that you can purchase to turn your Google TV into a conferencing system. I’m sure AppleGirl is shaking her head by now. The Revue after all is $299 as compared to the Apple TV at $99. However, does Apple TV pack this much into its system?  Remember, Google TV manages your media content as an ecosystem, it nicely integrates your cable box or DVR with the web and not to mention it can connect to your DLNA devices. My take is that Google TV has much more potential as compared to the Apple TV and it’s worth the extra  dinero. Check it our for yourselves! P.S The Revue is available for 179 for Dish Network customers.

BY THE APPLE GIRL   GoogleChic, you guessed right 🙂 I am squirming at the sound of a $299 set top box which does not replace my cable. Do you really want to pay so much just to search for shows on your DVR? And do you really have so many recorded that you can’t just flip through the list. Google TV lets you surf the internet on your TV. It’s a cool feature, but for that price, no thanks! I would rather do it on my laptop. I can hear GoogleChic, saying that you can watch free TV shows on Flash embedded websites on GoogleTV. But aren’t you already paying for those shows on your cable connection? Jeez, Androids like to over complicate things! (Is it me or do I see a new Microsoft here?) GoogleChic, you have two USB ports?  Are you going to use that when your DLNA connection takes a hike? 😉 Apple likes it simple, especially with the seamless Airplay. Connect any of your iDevices without a USB connection. If you want to buy the Revue, you should check out the “lightweight” keyboard that GoogleChic is referring to. Did Logitech just pick up a computer keyboard and add a track pad to it? Do you want that sticking out like a sore thumb on your coffee table? Not just that Logitech decided to go all out on remotes. They also have a palm sized remote for $129, which is not too far away in complexity. Apple’s flair for simplicity is vivid in the Apple TV remote. A slim remote with just three buttons with navigation as simple as it is on your iPod, iPad or iPhone. You can use your Android apps to watch video content such as NBC, MSNBC and HBO. But wait don’t you pay for all that TV content on your cable bill? The Google TV box lets you play content on You Tube, NetFlix and Flickr. All of which Apple TV supports effortlessly along  with iTunes store to rent TV shows  and movies and Mobile Me, which is Apple’s integrated solution for email, calendar, files photos and much more. Logitech gives you a TV camera for $149.99 (Boy do those costs keep piling up! I’m already at $577 and still counting!) Apple doesn’t have video conferencing features yet. But, it’s only a matter of time when Apple upgrades the Apple TV software to support Facetime, which is integrated with all your iDevices. It’s a known fact that Apple TV can support iOS Apps. I am pretty sure that’s the next big thing on Apple’s agenda. If Apple lets you run Apps on your Apple TV, for $99 you would have got yourself a new gaming device. GoogleTV sure has potential, but all it seems to be doing is complicating our lives with unnecessary software and sucking all that dinero out of our pockets. Vodpod videos no longer available.

New Apple TV is here!

BY THE APPLE GIRL  Apple has started shipping its revamped $99 Apple TVs and the first reviews have just started trickling in. You get to watch a huge collection of first run movies starting at $3.99 or rent TV shows in HD for $0.99 per episode. Tune into internet video content with the new super cool Apple-istic  NetFlix, You Tube, and browse your photo galleries on  Flickr and Mobile Me. Check out this comprehensive Apple TV review video by PCMag below. Apple TV comes with a simple remote as well as Remote App  for your iDevices.  This sweet App lets you rent shows, navigate or scroll through with the flick of your finger. Isn’t that cool? It’s like a scrolling with a mouse except  that your monitor is your enormous HDTV. When you want to type out something you can use the keyboard on your iDevice. The new Apple TV runs on iOS 4.1 and users have been poking around for clues on its prospective functionality. Check out MacTalk, who found hints of Facetime, external storage as well as DVD player support in the firmware. These features might never see the light of day but nonetheless gives us a view to what Apple might have in store for the future. The much awaited AirPlay that will let you stream media from any of your iDevices to the Apple TV or some third party audio makers is yet to be released in November as part of iOS 4.2 release. This is just the start of Apple revolutionizing TV! Mark my words, you will soon find a plethora of companies following in Apple’s footsteps! With all our music, movies, pictures, contacts and mail seamlessly integrated between all our iDevices, I think Apple has built us a beautiful garden. As all Android purists, GoogleChic, I presume you will say that the beautiful garden is a “walled garden” ;), but who cares? I am not fighting to decentralize the consumer industry. All I want is an excellent user experience and Apple is giving that to me!

BY THE GOOGLE CHIC  Apple TV manages your media content as a “beautiful garden”, Google TV manages it as an ecosystem. Apple wants you to throw your money down the drain and rent TV shows for $0.99. Google integrates your cable box and the web nicely onto your TV. You can watch the latest episode online or the show you just DVRed all for free 🙂 Apple doesn’t offer apps on the Apple TV, don’t you want to play angry birds on your big screen? Well, you’ll be able to do that on Google TV. Apple’s HD videos caps out at 720p, Google can bring you 1080p thanks to the Intel Atom processor as compared to the A4. I’m sounding like a Droid Does commercial. Enough said? Google TV will release sometime in October. You can buy it pre-built into a Sony TV or you can purchase the Google TV box made by Logitech. Speaking of which check out the first glimpse of Sony’s Google TV. More pics at engadget Source: DigitalTrends