Logitech is going to start selling their Google TV companion boxes on September 29 and they will come with a rather hefty price of $299. This isn’t a surprise though, because there were rumors about this before. However, I think Logitech did some things wrong here because this box should’ve been a lot cheaper, considering Apple TV costs $99 and a Boxee Box costs $199.
Now, it’s true that the Google TV software can offer a lot more than those boxes. You can acceess the whole web, the TV programs, and Android apps, which could be a very big deal in the long term.
So why is the Logitech Revue box so expensive? I believe they built-in a lot of stuff that were expensive and mostly unnecessary. First of all they decided to use an Intel Atom chip which is more expensive than a dual core Cortex A9 chip, with not much difference in performance. Then they built all these keyboards, and pads and remotes for it, which are not only adding a lot of extra cost, but they also make the whole Google TV experience a little confusing.
The best way to control the Google TV experience is going to be through your Android phone or Android tablet once there are apps for it out there. You can have the remote in there, the keyboard, and you could even see access the Google TV interface directly from the app. Of course not everyone is going to have an Android phone or tablet – at least for now – but for those that do have them, Logitech should’ve made the remote and keyboard option and sold separately.
If you want Google TV right away for a lower price, Dish Network is selling it for $179.99 with a subscription plan, which is probably an extra $4-5. This might not be the best idea if you don’t like Dish Network.