Amazon is developing two smartphones, an audio-only streaming device and a set-top box, said the people.
WSJ: Google Follows Amazon's Lead on New Shopping Site, Delivery, Other Services
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has struggled to turn its video streaming device, Apple TV, into anything more than a hobby.
But if you don't mind finding your own software, or already have a server setup, this is a killer media-streaming device.
In 2012, for instance, Google gave away a Galaxy Nexus phone, a Nexus 7 tablet, and a Nexus Q media streaming device.
It is a software maker largely known for function, but has also built a gaming system ideal as a TV streaming device.
FORBES: Microsoft Tablet vs. iPad Is Nonsense, But An XBox Tablet ...
Another potential debut at the conference: a media-streaming device that Google previewed last year without mentioning it would sell the device to consumers.
It worked well during our hands-on, but as with any WiFi-equipped streaming device, there was noticeable lag when mirroring the smartphone display on the connected HDTV.
ENGADGET: Samsung HomeSync Android TV box hands-on (video) HD
The company posted an explanation this week, predictably pointing the finger at Amazon Web Services and explaining that not every streaming device was knocked offline.
That claim may sound a bit much to Comcast and Time Warner, and even to the likes of Netflix and Hulu that are the prime reason people buy a Roku streaming device.
Netflix's ultimately abandoned foray into the hardware business with its own streaming device has been known for some time -- Wired revealed many of the details in a 2009 article -- but Fast Company has now uncovered some more on the effort that hadn't yet seen the light of day.
Apple already makes the Apple TV streaming device, it sells monitors, adding a TV tuner would be easy, its iTunes Store and software would be a much better interface for finding TV shows, and it has developed a number of technologies in the past year or so that make it easy to shuttle video from iPads, iPhones, and Macs to a TV screen.
FORBES: Sorry, But Tim Cook Didn't Just Announce An Apple TV Set
"By partnering with Roku, and developing a line of new Mitsubishi TVs that will support their new Roku Streaming Stick, we will be able to offer the best big screen TVs and the most powerful internet streaming device together, bringing web-based entertainment to a whole new level for our customers, " said James Chan, vice president of marketing, Mitsubishi Electric Visual Solutions America (MEVSA), Inc.
Most importantly, it works impressively well, which was amply shown by the demonstration we were given with the device permanently submerged in water at the booth, streaming its audio to another device.
When connected to a Bluetooth enabled portable device, streaming and controlling content is a breeze.
ENGADGET: Altec Lansing's inMotion Air speaker system streams from just about anywhere
This will be the first time TWC TV is available for streaming on a consumer device connected to a television.
ENGADGET: Time Warner Cable's TWC TV is coming to Roku streaming boxes
Reiterates that Q is a device for streaming movies, TV and music from Google play that can be controlled by Android phones and tablets.
FORBES: Google Expected to Deliver A Tablet At Developer Fest (Live Blog)
Launching in the coming weeks, the Roku Streaming Stick is an easy and cost-effective way for consumer electronics manufacturers to add the proven Roku streaming platform to a device that features Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL).
In addition to the two smartphone models, Amazon is also said to be working on a device for streaming music and a set-top box, the latter of which was also reported by Bloomberg BusinessWeek last month.
Time Warner subscribers who have Roku boxes will pay no extra fees for the service, known as TWC TV. (There are TWC TV apps that allow subscribers to watch on PCs and mobile devices.) This will be the first time TWC TV is available for streaming on a consumer device connected to a television.
Brown says the device supports WMA streaming audio files that will allow you to listen to Internet radio stations.
But streaming those files to another device, such as a living room TV set, seems to be another matter entirely.
FORBES: Apple And Video Piracy: Will This Be The iPod All Over Again?
The Z300 is the only Bluetooth enabled PC headset capable of answering calls or streaming music via a mobile device while playing a game.
If picked up as a standard, it would let you automatically launch these streaming services on a mobile device, and make them start playing on compatible TVs without having to launch the app on the TV first.
However, unlike Apple's AirPlay -- which delivers a similar UX by streaming video from a mobile device to an Apple TV -- Google's tech simply has your Google TV device stream the video directly from the web.
"We've designed the Toshiba SBX4250 Sound Bar to provide incredible audio performance, while maintaining ease of use even when wirelessly streaming audio from a mobile device, " said Scott Ramirez, vice president of product marketing and development, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc.
ENGADGET: Toshiba tries its hand at home theater audio with the SBX4250 Sound Bar
NeoTV Streaming Player (NTV300) is a simple-to-use device that's an ideal solution for streaming thousands of movies, TV shows or songs to TVs in full 1080p HD and 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound.
ENGADGET: SlingPlayer, TuneIn and other channels added to Netgear's NeoTV lineup
The device can also handle streaming audio and video, a huge improvement over the old dumb terminals and critical for the high-bandwidth future.
It is notable that Netflix will run on the Kindle Fire, given that the competitor Amazon Prime subscription service for streaming video is built into the device.
Once plugged into a MHL-enabled device, the Roku Streaming Stick will stream video and music as well as enable casual game play from the more than 500 entertainment channels available on the Roku platform.
应用推荐