CES 2010: Remote controls are growing keyboards
Andrew Wirtanen / Consumer Products / TrendsNote: This week we are reacting to CES 2010, which was last week in Las Vegas.
The Internet is coming back in a big way to HDTVs. Since WebTV debuted in 1996, things have certainly changed. The biggest revelation is that we’ve realized we don’t want websites to look the same way that they do on our computers. The past two years of CES have introduced a large number of Internet-ready set-top boxes (STBs) and Internet-enabled TVs. Along with these changes, I’m afraid that something is being overlooked, something small but very necessary: the keyboard.
Source: Gizmodo
The above image scares me for three reasons: (1) it seems Vizio is stepping into the physical keyboard arena for the first time, (2) I don’t use the remote that came with my TVs and (3) I don’t want a bigger remote for every STB that has text input. I’ve been a longtime supporter of Logitech’s Harmony Remotes, and I hope that they will create a solution soon to accommodate this problem. There’s also the possibility of mobile phone apps that can control devices over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The Apple TV remote iPhone application works great, for example.
TV/STB manufacturers need to accept the fact that the remote control business does not have to be tied to the display business. The idea of buying a TV without a remote control included may seem strange. But isn’t is also strange that I have several remotes sitting in my media console that will never be used? Physical keyboards are actually very complex, and I think TV manufacturers are better off investing in their core product and partnering with a universal remote company. The remote control is an accessory just like audio/video cables, speakers, and receivers.
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The Internet is now on HDTVs… and here’s the remote. | Enhancing Human Experiences
[...] was “is this really what I’m going to use to control my TV?”. I’ve been wary of remote controls since CES earlier this year, and I am very concerned that the first round of these remote controls will be clunky and [...]
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