quasar chemiluminescent: Hisense Pulse with Google TV set-top box hands-on (video)

Friday, August 31, 2012

Hisense Pulse with Google TV set-top box hands-on (video)

Hisense announced its low-cost set-top box, the Pulse with Google TV, a few days ago, and though pricing remains vague at "less than $100," we got a chance to see the device in action at IFA today. The Android-based Pulse supports content in 1080p, and includes HDMI, USB and Ethernet connections, along with WiFi, and the double-sided remote communicates with the square-shaped box via Bluetooth 4.0. Being a Google-branded product, it also gives users access to compatible apps from Google Play.

The remote includes dedicated buttons for YouTube, Netflix, the web and Live TV, and there's a small touchpad in addition to the standard remote-control keys. It's nifty, in theory, to have a trackpad on the remote, but in practice it's quite difficult to navigate across a TV's display this way: the touchpad is too small, and it doesn't support scrolling, which makes it incredibly inconvenient for viewing web pages. On the flip side of the remote, there's a full QWERTY keyboard -- the keys are large enough to make typing in the Chrome browser and other apps very easy. A booth rep told us the Pulse will drop in September, though that contradicts information from this week's press release. In any case, you can take a closer look in our video hands-on after the break.

Gallery: Hisense Pulse Google TV set-top box hands-on