Google TV - Preorder at $299

[spacepower7]

Google / Logitech may build whatever they want - will never be good enough for some people (here)...

When there is a remote that is useless for browsing - it's apple remote. you may be able to install apps n stuff in the future - but you will never get "the ultimate browsing experience" with apple tv.

Browse the web on my TV....

Been there done that and it was horrible.

I have a MacBook and iPad to browse the web while I actually watch something on TV.

 

[Microsaft]

Been there done that and it was horrible.

Why? Whats's wrong with sitting on the couch and browsing the web on a big screen?

 

[Mr Kram]

Why? Whats's wrong with sitting on the couch and browsing the web on a big screen?

nothing. different strokes for different folks. i personally, don't get the appeal of browsing on the TV, but i guess others find it practical.

 

[JAWWC]

Does goole tv handle local content well? If at all that is. I've been looking at all of these boxes (Apple TV, Google, Roku, Popcorn Hour), and none of them seem to do content scraping for local content other than Boxee. But I really dislike boxee! Think I'm going to be going for a Revo eventually.

 

[newagemac]

Why? Whats's wrong with sitting on the couch and browsing the web on a big screen?

Because to put it simply, browsing the web on your iPad looks and works so much better.

Plus you aren't taking over the tv with text that others read at different speeds than you. How fast are you going to scroll down the screen? Are you going to stop and wait for others? It's not like video where everyone's eyes are able to view and process at basically the same speed. There are all sorts of practical reasons why this doesn't work better than keeping the browsing to a personal device like an iPad. You might think that email, twitter, or facebook on your tv is a good idea but no one wants to see your twitter account on the tv screen while they're trying to watch tv.

The reality is the only thing that's worth putting up on the tv screen and better than any other device at that is video and an iPad + Airplay is perfect for that. The solution is to have your iPad on the couch while browsing the web, searching for content, checking your facebook, twitter, etc. If you want some video to show on your big screen, just click a button. A keyboard style remote browsing and clicking to a tv screen 10 feet away will never beat that kind of ease of use, UI, and interaction.

 

[Madmic23]

I like the idea of IR blasters without the logitech google tv box. It means you can download their iphone app (look it up on the logitech webpage) and control all of my home theatre set up from my iPhone. My audio equipment doesn't have HDMI, and my TV doesn't allow control over HDMI, so the IR blaster is the only way to send these commands.

I think it's a great idea.

But yes, that price seems pretty steep.

 

[bobr1952]

I'll be interested to see what Sony does with Goggle TV in their Blu Ray box.

 

[eq2675]

Did you see the line that requires that you have "Cable or Satellite Set Top Box with HDMI out" at the bottom of the page?

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/smartTV/revue

This is NOT the product for me. I just dumped cable 4 months ago after 25 years of paying out the nose and will never look back. OTA digital and Apple TV 2.0 for me. Take that Comcast.

 

[chapindad]

$299 is too expensive to put on every TV in the house, $99 is not. Now if Apple would just open up Apps for the ATV2, then I would be in for 2 of them....

 

[Mike Oxard]

For $29 more you can get an TV and an iPod touch. Assuming the TV App store appears and AirPlay lives up to its expectations I think it'll be a much more appealing choice than this. Not having to have a computer keyboard lying around the living room is a major bonus for normal people, keyboards just scream "Geekboy" and other members of the family are afraid to use the system.

 

[hcho3]

I am actually Dish Network Customer and I could get one for 179 dollars. But, I still don't think I would want this for 179 dollars...

I am not trying to be cheap, but every box sets have netflix integration these days. Apple TV can handle music, photo and Video from my computer.

I can careless about DVR function. I don't store things anymore. I stream them.

Honestly, I am looking for a box set that I can ditch my network TV. Apple TV will handle pretty much everything google TV can do thru Air play. So, I don't understand why someone would pay 3 times more price for this.

APPS? WTF.... Google TV is not getting apps until 2011. Honestly, I don't think it will be too long before apple will release firmware update to support Apps on apple TV. Apple TV has 8GB storage and it can carry apps with built in A4 chip.

 

[hcho3]

$299 is too expensive to put on every TV in the house, $99 is not. Now if Apple would just open up Apps for the ATV2, then I would be in for 2 of them....

It's only a matter of time. Air play is just the beginning.