Pocket TV is a mini Android computer in an HDMI dongle
After meeting its Kickstarter goal of $100,000, three-year old startup Infinitec has made its Android-powered Pocket TV available for pre-order for just $99. The device utilizes the relatively new "HDMI Dongle" set top box form factor used by the Roku Smart Stick, and it brings Android Ice Cream Sandwich to the television screen.
The Pocket TV is powered by a 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor with 512MB of RAM, has 4 GB of internal storage and a microSD port supporting cards up to 32 GB in size. It's also equipped with a mini USB port for devices such as keyboards or webcams.
Once it is plugged into an HDMI jack, it can be controlled with a standard infrared remote, which it ships with. It can also be paired with an Android smartphone or iPhone and be controlled from there, or from Infinitec's upgraded "Air Remote" which has a full QWERTY chiclet keyboard and Wii-like motion mouse control.
This product dwells in a grey area between form factors. It's not exactly mobile, and it's not exactly a set-top-box. Furthermore, because it's an external piece of hardware, it's not a smart TV, even though it enables smart TVs.
Yet, with the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) just wrapping up, we can see how useful a product like this could be as a rudimentary Android-powered gaming computer against the other alternative gaming providers like Gaikai, or streaming game services like OnLive.
And at just $99, the price is right for those looking to experiment with new Android form factors.