Revue

Logitech Revue finally gets Google TV Honeycomb update

The Google TV-equipped Logitech Revue is finally getting its Honeycomb update.

Earlier today, both Google and Logitech announced that the set-top box's owners would be able to download an over-the-air update bringing Android 3.1 to the device. Honeycomb delivers a host of improvements, including a redesigned interface, access to Google Music, and support for the Android Market. In addition, the software's Chrome browser supports Adobe Flash Player 10.2.

The update comes over a month after owners of Sony's Google TV-based devices were offered the software. The only issue is, early reviews of Honeycomb for Google … Read more

Logitech confesses to 'gigantic' mistake with Google TV

Logitech is halting production of its Google TV Revue set-top boxes, acknowledging that the whole affair was a financial disaster for the company.

At an Analyst and Investor Day hosted by Logitech on Wednesday, CEO Guerrino De Luca confessed that the Revue was a "mistake of implementation of a gigantic nature." In his presentation, DeLuca in part pointed the finger at Google TV, referring to it as a "beta" product, according to The Verge.

De Luca told investors that Logitech lost more than $100 million in operating profits on the Revue after bringing it to the … Read more

The 404 877: Where you learn a lot about people at the beach (podcast)

Jeff's back in the studio after his vacation week, and any positive vibes floating around in the air are obliterated when he tells us about the things you can learn about people just from spending time at the beach.

Unsurprisingly, none of us plan to see "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," despite its 80-percent "fresh" rating on RottenTomatoes.com. We're also ripping a page from the Obvious News section and talking about TV porn sales going down in recent years, and playing a handful of voicemails carefully chosen by Mr. Bakalar.

The 404 Digest for Episode 877

Big surprise: TV porn doesn't sell like it used to. FBI releases child ID iPhone app.

Episode 877 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Digital City 136: Mac App Store shopping tips and the latest gadget price cuts

This week we go comparison shopping, comparing game prices on Apple's Mac App Store against other retailers. Then we discuss the new price cuts for the Logitech Revue and the Nintendo 3DS, and play tech trivia with MTV's games blogger Russ Frushtick.

Bonus: Download the show's jaunty theme song as a free MP3 here.

Buzz Out Loud 1521: Internet Explorer IS for dummies (Podcast)

On today's show, the sad news that even those of you who are grandfathered in to AT&T's unlimited plans will be subject to throttling. sorry. Also, Adobe tries to future-proof itself with a new HTML5 Web animation tool, the darknet is not your mom's social network, and RIM doesn't make pizzas.

Adobe shows off Edge HTML5 tool

Vimeo launches a new Pro service for $199 a year that offers a large amount of video storage and streams, Logitech drops the price of its Google TV-powered Revue to $99, and Adobe releases a preview of a new HTML5 design tool called Edge.

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded:

Logitech's Google TV box matches Apple TV at $99

When it was released last year, Google TV was touted as the next big thing. However, things haven't panned out quite as planned. The service has had a rough go of it, with buggy software and networks blocking access to content. But don't count it for dead quite yet.

Logitech, one of Google's partners in the launch of Google TV has slashed the price of its Revue with Google TV system from $249 to $99, matching the price of Apple TV and Roku's new Roku 2 XS. On top of the price drop, Logitech says the more affordable box will be upgradeable to Version 2 of Google TV that includes Android Market later this summer.

Here's what Logitech had to say in a short statement: … Read more

Logitech's Google TV debacle drags down earnings

Logitech last night reported a disappointing quarter and named an interim CEO. The company's Google TV experiment is one of the reasons why.

Granted, Logitech can't blame Google TV completely. After all, the company is in the crosshairs as PC sales remain anemic. Logitech makes peripherals that take a hit when PCs aren't flying off the shelves.

But Logitech's well-documented Google TV woes aren't helping matters much. About a year ago, Logitech made a big bet on Google TV to be a digital home player. Its flagship product was the Revue (CNET review). Now the … Read more

More bad news for Google TV

It was pretty much established that Google TV wasn't ready for prime time when it launched last fall, and now comes more proof.

Logitech has reported that the company's Revue with Google TV set-top box and the accompanying gear generated only about $5 million in sales during the last quarter. That's only about 72 percent less than the $18 million Logitech had expected. This was first reported by Janko Roettgers at the blog GigaOm.

One day I hope to learn why Google TV was rushed out. It wasn't like there weren't already plenty of risks … Read more

Why Netflix has content and Google TV doesn't

If Google managers hope to license premium TV shows and films for Google TV and YouTube, they should do what Netflix did and "build relationships through traditional means."

That's the recommendation of one studio executive who was referring to a tradition that has helped forge partnerships in the movie industry for decades: doing lunch. Sounds simple, but in an industry that relies so heavily on personal relationships forged over arugula salads and sparkling water, Google's usual data-heavy, interchangeable-executive approach doesn't cut it. In Hollywood, it seems, Google has had a people problem.

Google managers now … Read more