Last in my series of posts about my adventures with smart TVs ~ sponsored by the fun folks at Intel’s smart TVs! As usual ~ content and pics and all that fun is all me and they are supporting me to do it!

So what ELSE can you do with a smart TV? Apparently be watched. Watch people. (and no, not the vid chat type we talked about before.) That sort of thing. Ok, so maybe it’s not THAT creepy, though i suppose it kind of is in the example i’ll show you! But really, what we’re talking about here are security cameras! Logitech’s in particular! Indoor, outdoor, night vision security cameras! I was amazed that visit to the Logitech Loft in LA ~ you could peek and see in to the kitchen and balcony of the Logitech Loft in SF! And vice versa! And all through the Google TV ~ with the Logitech Alert app. But ok realistically, this isn’t awesome just for co-loft-shenanigans… think about it as a home security system that you can check WHILE watching TV (or internetting, or whatever else you’re probably doing with your TV in the center of your home). There’s a beauty to not NEEDING the computer or external screens to check in on your security cameras ~ be it for the backyard, front door, or vacation home… why not just use the screens you have, including the TV? And while you’re watching TV you can even picture in picture it… so take a peek on the next page of the Logitech Alert system i saw in action on Google TV!

TO PAGE 2 of "Smart TVs are watching you"! ----->

Tags: camera - google - intel - Logitech - smart tv - Smart TV - technology - television

Second in my series of posts about my adventures with smart TVs ~ sponsored by the fun folks at Intel’s smart TVs! As usual ~ content and pics and all that fun is all me and they are supporting me to do it!

Since the Logitech Revue unbox post - the question i’ve been getting non stop since i’ve started playing with the Logitech Revue GoogleTV is ~ “Really? How are you using it?” ~ and then i have to tell some silly story as if walking someone through how i watch tv… and how surprised i am to have found the Google TV integrating itself so easily in my day to day life. Unlike the way my Wii and PS3 never did… or the way an Apple TV/Roku/Boxee never did… Even with the limited number of apps on the Google TV platform, i’m surprised how much i’ve used it since plugging it in. The key? Perhaps HOW it fits into my media center ecosystem. I have a tendency to leave the TV on in the background when home, leave the DVR doing its thing collecting shows up while i travel/etc… and Slinboxing shows when i have downtime abroad and have a homesick moment… The key difference seems to be… it sticks itself right in between my DirecTV box and my TV… sure, i can play with the internet on my Wii and PS3 and such as well, but i have to switch sources, and boot them up… this just stays on, and is already connected when watching TV… so the transition is seamless to multitask while doing what i was already doing. SO since i got sick of trying to explain it ~ i’ve tried to make sense of it for you on the next page all in pictures! It’ll make more sense when you head there!

TO PAGE 2 of "How do i watch a smart TV?"! ----->

Tags: google - intel - Logitech - smart tv - technology - television

First in my series of posts about my adventures with smart TVs ~ sponsored by the fun folks at Intel’s smart TVs! As usual ~ content and pics and all that fun is all me and they are supporting me to do it!

Google TV unboxing time! …with the Logitech Revue that literally disappears into my media center! As you saw earlier, amazon managed to get the Logitech TV Cam to me before the box itself, so you’ve already seen that unboxed. The Logitech Revue showed up the day after, so here’s the unbox/setup and first impressions… in usual Logitech fashion, the hardware is sleek, simple and feels great. So check out the unbox on the next page ~ as well as a peek at KidRobot’s new Simpson’s Mini Series 2…

TO PAGE 2 of "Logitech Revue Google TV"! ----->

Tags: gifts - intel - Logitech - shopping - smart tv - Smart TV - technology - television - unboxing

Wow. Possibly the coolest UI to play with at CES this year ~ with all of these spinning cubes of links, you can touch any of them and details will pop up. the Intel’s Inside Scoop blog gives us the specs: “Two - 7x7 - 1920x1920 resultion - double-HD, double-touch touch screen glass walls. Each wall is powered by a single all new 2010 Core i7 processor w/ Intel Hyper-Threading technology and Intel HD graphics. Its rendering 576 live links of information, pulling from 20,000 different content sources and over 20 live feeds from global news sources and networks like Flickr, Twitter, YouTube and intel.com.” It was quite a thrill to watch people walk up to this enormous touch screen cube ~ touch it ~ have a huge grin spread across their faces… and it all made perfect sense. It could even handle dozens of people browsing at once! Take a look at more pics and a video on the next page! (While the pics are mine ~ i had a bit too much fun playing with it ~ sorry i got too distracted to make a video at the time!)

TO PAGE 2 of "CES: Intel Infoscape HD Wall"! ----->

Tags: ces - intel - technology - UI - UX