The Wise TIVI product is about the size of a flash drive, but it packs a ton of potential. See, you can plug the multimedia stick (of your choice of color: silver, green, blue, or black) into the USB port on your HDTV, and your television will basically have the same online functionality as your phone or tablet. (No, it doesn’t transform your TV into a giant touchscreen. Don’t try it.) The unit runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, so if you’re on Verizon your television may be even more current than your mobile device
With a wireless keyboard and a wireless game controller (possibly sold separately – no word just yet), you can navigate the web, access media through Google Play, watch videos on Netflix, watch TV on Hulu, and tons more.
Also, you’ll have the option to play mobile games on a much larger screen. Honestly, the gaming aspect does not seem nearly as enticing to me as the rest of the available options out there, but you can’t create a cool device like this and not do something special for the gamers out there.
The device is scheduled to even offer the full Google TV experience, allowing for picture-in-picture functionality for watching and surfing / chatting.
The Wise TIVI is on pre-sale now, and the multimedia stick costs $79. Also available from Wise, you can get a box version for older televisions with RCA adapters. That unit will only cost $59, and it includes a remote control.
On the other end of the spectrum, you can get a camera version of the Wise device, which will allow you to connect your TV to Skype and other apps that support a camera. Even with the extra hardware, it only costs $89.
According to Phandroid, interested shoppers might even be able to get some extra deals through an upcoming Kickstarter campaign. We’ll keep you posted. Until then, if you’re looking for an affordable way to make your TV internet ready, the TIVI could be an affordable fix with some cool functionality added along with it.
Source: Phandroid