Google looks set to venture into the living room with Google TV, an Android-based set-top box capable of delivering the best of the Web (and online video) to your television set. And it’s partnered with Sony and Intel to make Google TV happen.

Google

Google is, without a shadow of a doubt, the biggest name on the Internet right now. The search giant controls the search sector, is making gains with its Chrome Web browser, has Maps, Street View, and all those other cool apps, and, of course, owns YouTube.

Google has also made the move to smartphones with its Android operating system. But it’s yet to venture into the living room, at least until now.

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The Torpedo Projector can project TV, computer games, photos and movies anywhere on a wall or ceiling.

An Inexpensive Projector for Home Media

Torpedo Game and Entertainment Projector enables you to project content from computers, DVD, TV and other media. All you need for this projector is a power outlet and a large, blank wall or garage door. While the output is not high definition, for around $170 it costs much less than other higher-resolution projectors.

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The R2-D2 Web Cam offers you your own Star Wars webcam droid with a lightsaber-style Skype-compatable phone.

The Force is with this Webcam

R2-D2 Webcam is controlled by a voice-enabled phone that looks like a Star Wars lightsaber. Made to work with Skype, this is an impressive, albeit costly (around $350) and fun webcam for the die-hard Star Wars fan.

The R2-D2 webcam be used to record and playback digital movies, take snapshots or even monitor your room remotely. The camera can tilt 72 degrees up and down, move forwards and in reverse, as well as turn a full 360 degrees.

Other Features of R2-D2

A clever feature of this webcam is that there are sensors on R2’s front leg that detect the edge of a table and automatically stops it from crashing to the floor, while also giving an audible warning. Nice feature for those who bought this thing and don’t want to accidentally send it spiralling to the floor!

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Connected TV platforms are growing in number as everyone tries to grab a piece of the emerging Web video sector. Vudu, up to now a distinct also-ran, has increased its chances of standing out from the crowd by being acquired by budget retailer Wal-Mart.

Vudu

Vudu is one of the many companies which started out offering a set-top box for serving Web video to consumers. When that strategy didn’t work, it became one of the many companies which switched to focusing on software rather than hardware.

This means Vudu’s service is now included on a number of other Web-connected devices instead, including televisions and Blu-ray players. The Wal-Mart deal will inevitably affect deals in place with Mitsubishi, Sanyo, Sharp, and Toshiba, but quite how isn’t clear.

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The Slingbox SOLO connects to your home-theater devices and allows you to watch your standard-definition (SD) or high-definition (HD) TV programs on your computer or mobile phone over the Internet from virtually anywhere in the world.

Starting up the Slingbox Solo

The Slingbox Solo allows you to watch your favorite shows in SD quality over the internet via your desktop, laptop, Mac, or mobile phone from virtually any location.

Getting started only requires a Windows PC or Mac, a high-speed internet connection and a home network router.

Setup & Running the Slingbox Solo

The Slingbox SOLO comes with the unit, an AC adapter (100-240V 50-60Hz), Ethernet cable, Quick Start Guide, Composite AV cable and a remote control IR cable.

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The NinjaTV remote allows you take control of up to 500 brands of televisions discretely, just like a ninja!

Remote Television Control from a Keychain?

The NinjaTV remote device, that fits conveniently on a keychain, allows you to take control of television sets at virtually any location, including the power, the channel, the volume, and even volume controls.

For someone stuck in an auto mechanic shop and forced to watch ‘Oprah’ on an inaccessible ceiling-mounted television set (not that this has ever happened to me personally) having such a device could present some interesting potential, giving you the ability to change channels at whim.

History of the Ninja and Remote Television Control

The Swamiware site, makers of the NinjaTV remote, offer an interesting insight into the design behind the NinjaTV remote. With a tongue-in-cheek nod to ancient history, we learn that…

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As Apple prepares to launch its next big thing in the Apple Tablet, it’s reportedly keen to strike a deal with U.S. television networks which would see the price of TV episodes cut in half. Could the Apple Tablet be about to revolutionize online video?

Apple Tablet Imminent

Apple is expected to launch its new Tablet PC – likely to be called the iSlate or the iPad – at a special media event tomorrow (Jan. 27). The Tablet is being touted as a revolution in home computing and in the way we will consume media in the future.

But pricing is going to be the key to this vision becoming reality. And that doesn’t just mean the pricing of the Apple Tablet, but also the pricing of the content Apple is expecting to be read, viewed, listened to, and played on the device.

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