ENTERTAINMENT
Amkette Evo TV
Price: $184.99
Website: www.amkette.com
Amkette
Evo TV
Taking a page off the Apple TV design book
and using it as the cover page for its own Android-encyclopaedia is what
Amkette seems to have done here. And it has worked!
Hardware
Google Nexus Q
Price: $300
Website: www.play.google.com
Google
Nexus Q
Google's first non-mobile gadget is the
Nexus Q - a cloud streamer/disco ball with a ring of 32 LED lights that pulsate
with the music and an onboard 25W Class D amp. It plugs into your TV and
speakers for streaming of YouTube clips, movies from Google Play or tunes
stored in your online locker, all controlled via your Android smartphone or
tablet. One question: how much?!
Pros
·
Novel design
·
1080p streaming
·
Collaborative playlists
Cons
·
Expensive
·
Lacks Google TV
·
Doesn't stream home media
·
Currently US only
Multi-room streams - Special skill
Team one or more Nexus Qs to form a Sonos style
multi-room music system. Got mates you trust? Add them to a collaborative
playlist and make a compilation of your favorite bluegrass covers of pop songs.
Apple TV
Price: $99
Website: www.apple.com
Apple
TV
Apple's tiny box of tricks unlocks all
kinds of extra powers for your iOS kit. As well as streaming 1080p movies on
demand from mines and Netflix, Apple's AirPlay tech means it can play music and
games, show videos and display photos from your iThing on your telly's screen.
Not bad for something no bigger than a delicious chicken kiev and full of even
more delicious bytes.
Pros
·
Fall-off-a-log easy to use
·
Seamless integration with iPod/Pad/Phone
Cons
·
Not sold in India
·
Limited format support
·
Works best with Apple kit
iCloud - Special skill
Apple TV's iCIoud integration gives you full
access to your Photostream and music library (via Runes Match) without even
reaching for your Mac's power switch. Holiday snaps were never easier to show
off.
Xbox 360
Price: from $275
Website: www.xbox.com
Xbox
360
With the Red Ring of Death a thing of the
past, Microsoft's gamer has gone from strength to strength. Games still come
thick and fast, and it has an unrivalled multiplayer experience in Xbox Live,
but it's also excellent for streaming music, movies and recorded TV from your
PC. Chuck in on-demand TV and Kinect gesture control, and you've much more than
a console.
Pros
·
Loads of games
·
Xbox Live
·
Streams from any computer
Cons
·
No Blu-ray drive
·
Getting on a bit
Smart Glass - Special skill
Microsoft's upcoming Smart Glass app will
run on your iOS, Android or Windows phone or tablet, turning it into an extra
screen for maps, menus or info when you're playing films or games alike.
Gaming
Amkette Evo TV
Amkette
Evo TV
Accelerometer-based remote control for
gaming, completely modified Android 2.3.4 OS, HDMI, Wi-Fi, USB media playback,
built-in mic for Skype calling and 4GB of internal storage make this Apple
TV-lookalike so much more than its mentor! Amkette has even spent time tweaking
YouTube so you can customize it to your type of content and faster navigation.
Finest home-grown effort yet!
Dual-screen Airplay
Dual-screen
Airplay
Rumors of an Apple games console have
bubbled away for years - but combine an iPad with Apple TV and you've already
got one: AirPlay turns your tablet into a Wii U-esque touchscreen controller,
forwarding the gameplay to the big screen. With an App Store stuffed with
big-name titles, it's easy to game without a dedicated machine, although you
won't quite get an Xbox-quality experience.
Xbox 360
Game
for Xbox 360
When it comes to gaming it’s hard to argue
with a games console. Having built a solid base of blockbuster titles and the
best multiplayer platform ever, Microsoft has iced its cake with a huge library
of downloadable games on Xbox Live Arcade, and stuck a Kinect-shaped cherry on
top with gaming’s most advanced motion-control system. Not shabby for a console
that’s about to turn seven.
Video
YouTube
Price: free
Website: www.youtube.com
YouTube
YouTube isn't just for looking up old
hair-oil adverts and watching people fall off stuff anymore. With a load of
free (and legit) TV content from major production houses and full-length
Bollywood movies, there's enough to keep you glued to the sofa. Going out?
Watch rented movies on your Android phone or tablet with the Google Play Movies
app instead.
iTunes (Movies)
Price: from $2.99
Website: www.apple.com
iTunes
(Movies)
With over 15,000 films and 90,000 TV shows
available to buy or rent - many at up full 1080p - Apple's video library is
second only to its music collection. It's not the cheapest (and you will need a
US credit card to access the North American content on iTunes) but some films
come with DVD-style iTunes Extras. Choice, extras and convenience: worth it.
Xbox video
Xbox
video
Since adding Daily Motion, YouTube and
MLB.TV - all alongside Windows Media Center, Microsoft has turned the Xbox 360
into a titan of on demand telly. With Zune Video (soon to become Xbox Video)
also offering HD movies to buy or rent, who needs a Blu-ray drive anymore? It
all will come together with the Smart Glass and Windows 8 so just you wait for
November 2012!
Music
Google Music
Website: www.play.google.com
Google
Music
Google’s musical offering is pretty much
non-existent in India at the moment - but if the Nexus Q is to join the Nexus 7
tablet on these shores, Google will need to flick the switch on Music, a store
and cloud-based drive that allows you to upload up to 20,000 songs absolutely
free, no matter where they originally came from. Take that, iTunes Match.
iTunes (Music)
Price: from $0.99
Website: www.apple.com/itunes
iTunes
(Music)
The 28m-strong (and counting) song
catalogue speaks for itself, but it's iTunes' cloud connectivity that makes it
so simple. Buy a song on your iPhone and it automatically pops up on all your
iThings, thanks to iCloud. Shell out for a year and iTunes Match will mirror
your entire music library in the cloud - no matter where you are, if you can
get online you can listen to your tunes.
Xbox Music
Website: www.xbox.com
Xbox
Music
Announced at E3 but expected to launch
alongside Windows 8 on tablets, PCs, Windows phones and your 360, Xbox Music is
still little more than a name. Microsoft's promise of 'access to your music
collection from any screen' suggests cloud-based storage backed up by both
individual song downloads and subscription offerings. Sounds good to us.
