Samsung Smart Control updates TV remote with motion & mic

Samsung may be saving its big TV news for CES 2014, but it can't help but squeak out a little about its new Smart Control, a peanut-shaped remote that wants you to shake it. Launching alongside the 2014 range of Samsung TVs, the new remote control wraps a circular touchpad, minimal buttons, and a microphone for voice control into a curvaceous shell, as well as dedicated buttons for browsing through smart features.

In addition to arrow keys for regular navigation, there's touchpad gestures for flipping through menus, and dedicated buttons for accessing things like the on-screen keyboard. Meanwhile, features like Multi-Link Screen - which shows several different sources on-screen at once - and "Soccer Mode" - which apparently "optimizes" the display for watching soccer - get their own dedicated keys.

As for the Voice Interaction, that promises natural language control of web and video content, rather than having to remember a list of special phrases. The Smart Control acts as a remote microphone terminal.

Meanwhile, if 26 buttons and a touchpad aren't enough, the remote can be moved around in mid-air for motion-navigation. Samsung says it makes browsing through a program guide far more straightforward.

It's not the first time we've seen Samsung push the envelope with its remotes. The controller for the 2013 range, for instance, also had a built-in microphone, though the new Smart Control is smaller and more ergonomic, Samsung claims, while the touchpad is 80-percent reduced and supposedly better suited to the thumb as a result.

We'll have to wait until next week to find out exactly what new TV features the Smart Control will be in charge of.




SOURCE : Slashgear

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LG Smart TV to WebOS: You're coming to Vegas

LG has made good on its promise to resurrect WebOS in the living room.

An LG researcher, Hong Sung-pyo, said at an event in Korea on Thursday that the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next month will play host to the company's first WebOS-based Smart TV. The television will include a 2.2GHz dual-core processor and 1.5GB of RAM, according to Hong.

WebOS has had a long and disappointing experience in the electronics business. The operating system was initially hailed as the Palm's savior, but quickly proved incapable of resurrecting the mobile firm. After HP acquired Palm, WebOS was again pushed as an option for the company, but again the carpet was pulled out from under the operating system.

Earlier this year, much to the surprise of many industry pundits, LG announced that it had acquired WebOS from HP. But unlike its predecessors, LG said it had no plans to bundle it with mobile, deciding instead that it might be a suitable option for HDTVs. We'll find out for sure if it actually is a suitable option early next month in Las Vegas when the industry's massive conference kicks off. And as always, CNET will be there to catch every last minute.


VIA CNET

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iTunes Radio September launch tipped with full-screen takeover adverts

Apple’s iTunes Radio streaming service will launch in September with at least four high-profile brands including McDonald’s and Pepsi, sources claim, and listeners should expect to hear an audio advert every fifteen minutes and a video ad every hour. Announced at WWDC 2013 back in June, iTunes Radio takes on Pandora, Spotify and other streaming music services and will presumably be launched alongside iOS 7; according to Advertising Age, McDonald’s, Nissan, Pepsi, Procter & Gamble, and potentially up to two more brands will be first out of the gate with multi-million 12 month advertising deals.

According to the insiders familiar with Apple’s negotiations, there will be three types of advert users of iTunes Radio can expect to see. Most familiar are the audio and video adverts, which will interrupt playback periodically; Apple has supposedly tuned the video advert system so that the promotional content pops up when the user is most likely to be looking at their display, such as just after pressing play or skipping through tracks.

However, the third type of advert may be more controversial. Dubbed “slate” ads, they are apparently a full-screen takeover, bringing up an interactive iAd-style page that completely covers whatever the user was looking at before. These will be supported not only on iPhone and iPad, but on Apple TV, and iTunes on both Macs and Windows PCs.

It’s unclear how frequently the full-screen adverts will be shown, though it may be down to how much each brand is willing to pay. The sources say that Apple has a sliding scale depending on screen size: iPhone advertising will be cheapest, with Apple TV the most expensive.

From 2014, advertisers will be able to choose which devices their promotions show up on. The 4+ initial partners will have exclusivity until the end of the year, but as of next year Apple will be opening up its books, it’s said, with a minimum $1m buy-in tipped.

Those not keen on adverts but still wanting iTunes Radio support will be able to bypass the promos by subscribing to iTunes Match for $24.99 per year. A “buy track” button will also be displayed along with every song playing. 

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