Vizio Co-Star review: how good a deal is this $99 Google TV box? And then there were two. We're talking about standalone Google TV boxes, folks, with the Vizio Co-Star recently joining Sony's NSZ-GS7. Both feature the same version of Google's software and come with a remote offering a full QWERTY keyboard and touchpad. But with Vizio's model selling for just $99, it's half the price of Sony's entry, so you might be wondering how extensive the differences are. Now that we've had a chance to test both, we're ready to weigh in. Read on to find out if that 50 percent price difference makes the Co-Star worth it.
Vizio Co-Star review: a $99 Google TV box See all photos 17 Photos Hardware There must be some unwritten rule that internet TV streamers are supposed to be little boxes. Under the hood, there's a Marvell ARM dual-core, 1.2GHz Armada 1500 processor, built-in WiFi, Bluetooth and 4GB of storage. Remote Software Like the Sony NSZ-GS7, the Co-Star runs Google TV 3.2, which features many of the same features we've detailed previously. Wrap-up Vizio Pros Cons. ASUS Qube with Google TV pops up at the FCC (update: one piece of the puzzle) Despite its crucial role in the Android ecosystem, ASUS hasn't taken the plunge on Google TV so far. An FCC approval for a new adapter, the Qube, suggests that reticence is coming to a quick halt -- and in an uncommon way. Rather than build a full media hub, ASUS appears to be crafting a possibly Roku-like dongle that would graft Google TV on to a host device through USB. The Qube's components aren't outlined in earnest, but it would pair up with an RF-based keyboard and touchpad for its main input.
Some details may have been given away through Google Play listings for O! Mobile Control Center and Remote apps linked to the Qube -- they hint that ASUS could use the same Marvell Armada processors that power modern Google TV boxes, as well as extend smartphone control beyond what Google's official remote app can offer (we tried it with an existing Google TV unit and it wouldn't connect.) Comments. Wi-Fi Media lets your Nexus 7 play movies on any screen via HTC's Media Link HD (hands-on video) We're rather big fans of the Nexus 7 here at Engadget HQ -- it's just hard not to like a $200 tablet with a Tegra 3 SoC and 7-inch glass-bonded IPS display running pure Jelly Bean. Of the few missing features, there's one we're bemoaning more than the lack of rear camera, and that's the absence of any kind of HDMI or MHL video output.
So far, watching movies with the Nexus 7's been relegated to using a Nexus Q and streaming content from Google Play or YouTube. Enter Wi-Fi Media, an app available for free on Google Play that lets most Android devices like the Nexus 7 play movies, music and stills on any screen via any Cavium PureVu-compatible streamer, such as HTC's $90 Media Link HD. We tested Wi-Fi Media with our Nexus 7 and Media Link HD and found it to work pretty much as advertised except for some caveats. First the app doesn't mirror your screen -- you're limited to playing content stored on the tablet or on the network via DLNA, which means no YouTube, Netflix or games. 27 Photos.
Google Nexus 7 teardown reveals more hits than misses | Crave. Asus and Google sacrificed a few features to keep the Nexus 7's price low. There's no rear camera, no HDMI output, no cellular support, and no external memory card slot. But after cracking the tablet open, I found a lot to like inside the Nexus 7. And, its hardware is definitely a step up from Amazon's Kindle Fire. Full TechRepublic teardown gallery: Cracking Open the Google Nexus 7 What I like I really like how easily the Nexus 7's case opens. The device's removable components are another positive.
ComplaintsMy only complaints about the Nexus 7's construction are minor. First, Asus used two large pieces of copper alloy shielding inside the device. Second, the Nexus 7's LCD and front glass panel are fused together. Edge over Amazon Kindle Fire (for now) So how does the Nexus 7 stack up against the other big $200 tablet -- Amazon's Kindle Fire? Google's tablet definitely has the edge in hardware. Analysts, however, expect Amazon to release an updated Kindle Fire later this year. Nexus 7: how a budget Asus tablet vanished — and reemerged as Google's Kindle Fire killer.
I'd be willing to bet that most people believe Google's Nexus 7 tablet is a wholly new design: that Google contracted Asus to produce a $199 Kindle Fire killer in just four months, like Andy Rubin and Asus chairman Jonney Shih told AllThingsD last night. The truth is far more complex. The truth is that the Nexus 7 is the Asus ME370T, an Android tablet whose destiny has repeatedly changed. At CES 2011, a year and a half ago, Asus announced the Eee Pad MeMO, a 7-inch tablet with Android 3.0, a dual-core Qualcomm processor and one feature ahead of its time: a capacitive stylus for drawing and painting, with a dedicated stylus slot where it could hide.
One year later, Samsung's Galaxy Note took the Android-tablet-with-a-stylus formula to the bank, but the Eee Pad MeMO languished in ignominy before its eventual Taiwan-only release. Why do I bring up the $499 MeMO? Because one year later, at CES 2012, we found it alongside a second slate: the Eee Pad MeMO ME370T. Previous Next View full Gallery. Google's Nexus 7 Android tablet: everything you need to know.
Asus Eee Pad MeMO ME370T hands-on (update) We just got our hands on Asus' Eee Pad MeMO ME370T — a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen tablet with a 1280 x 800 resolution, 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm 8260 processor, 1GB RAM, and Android 4.0. It's not the thinnest tablet out there, but it felt fairly small in the hands and it's definitely lightweight. Performance is also snappy, and we didn't notice any lag moving in and out of applications. Update: It turns out that just like with the Asus Padfone, the company's not quite done tweaking the design. Asus tells us that the MeMO ME370T may wind up getting a Nvidia Tegra SOC instead of the Qualcomm chip, and losing the stylus along with it.
You can already see there doesn't seem to be a stylus slot. Asus Eee Pad MeMO ME370T hands-on Previous Next View full Gallery Related Items qualcomm ces stylus android 4.0 tegra ces 2012 ces2012 Eee Pad MeMO ME370T Asus Tablets. Nexus 7 doesn't support MHL or full USB On-The-Go, but that's partly Google's call.