The 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has a newcomer with quite an appearance. It is a TV, GNU Linux Ubuntu style, that intends to compete with similar offers by Google, Apple, LG, Sony and Samsung, with the idea of eventually entering into consumer's lives, or at least in their homes.
The Canonical product proposes a mix of features worth checking out like integration with smartphones running Android, Ubuntu or iOS. That is something we would really like to see, especially considering that what they are showing right now is only a proof of concept, not an actual product debut. The idea would be to embed the Ubuntu Operating System into TV's and
offer features like streaming video apps, a searchable guide, cloud computing interfacing, and a 3D dashboard, among other things.
The idea of incorporating PC and cloud storage capabilities to the typical TV functions is curious due to the advantages including access to internet and to the Ubuntu cloud; allowing users to watch content from anywhere in the world; linking the TV to smartphones or tables; and the possibility of presenting content to viewers, in the form of comments on Twitter in addition to movie information shown on a second screen such as a tablet or phone while they watch the main screen, without modifying any TV images, which avoids distraction. This way, we get into the Smart TV concept that has been around for a while, and that coincidentally, this year is supposed to start consolidating.
The ultimate goal of this product / service would be to create a better TV user experience by eliminating things like special configurations, cables or unnecessary boxes. However, being an open source option, it would be no surprise for some people to get their hands on and try hacking it since some of the main services we are talking about are social media, web services and, particularly, movies and TV on demand. For some of them, the idea of paying anything might not be so attractive. In any case, they could be serviced by offers such as Youtube or the BBC's iPlayer if they wish to do so.
At the moment, Canonical has not mentioned any collaboration or agreements with manufacturers, like the highly expected announcements from Sony, Samsung or LG; which takes us back to our initial statement on the title. It is a concept that "looks" quite promising. Let us see if it becomes a reality.
Copyright Esteban Dobronsky 2012 © All Rights Reserved
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The Canonical product proposes a mix of features worth checking out like integration with smartphones running Android, Ubuntu or iOS. That is something we would really like to see, especially considering that what they are showing right now is only a proof of concept, not an actual product debut. The idea would be to embed the Ubuntu Operating System into TV's and
offer features like streaming video apps, a searchable guide, cloud computing interfacing, and a 3D dashboard, among other things.
The idea of incorporating PC and cloud storage capabilities to the typical TV functions is curious due to the advantages including access to internet and to the Ubuntu cloud; allowing users to watch content from anywhere in the world; linking the TV to smartphones or tables; and the possibility of presenting content to viewers, in the form of comments on Twitter in addition to movie information shown on a second screen such as a tablet or phone while they watch the main screen, without modifying any TV images, which avoids distraction. This way, we get into the Smart TV concept that has been around for a while, and that coincidentally, this year is supposed to start consolidating.
The ultimate goal of this product / service would be to create a better TV user experience by eliminating things like special configurations, cables or unnecessary boxes. However, being an open source option, it would be no surprise for some people to get their hands on and try hacking it since some of the main services we are talking about are social media, web services and, particularly, movies and TV on demand. For some of them, the idea of paying anything might not be so attractive. In any case, they could be serviced by offers such as Youtube or the BBC's iPlayer if they wish to do so.
At the moment, Canonical has not mentioned any collaboration or agreements with manufacturers, like the highly expected announcements from Sony, Samsung or LG; which takes us back to our initial statement on the title. It is a concept that "looks" quite promising. Let us see if it becomes a reality.
Back to Technology Drive - Home
