iPhone fans love their Apple TVs, but the fact is that not everyone can afford one of their iGadgets. So with that in mind, Samsung has just come up with the affordable alternative for all of the Galaxy phone wielding viewers out there – the Samsung HomeSync, an Android-powered set-top box that lets users store, share and stream multimedia content from their smartphones.
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| Samsung HomeSync arrives to take on Apple TV |
Don’t go mistaking Samsung’s new gadget for a similar-looking device that’s already offered by Google. The HomeSync most definitely is not a Google TV, so don’t go dismissing it as one. Instead, HomeSync is exactly what it says it is – a port for synching your Galaxy phone with your Smart TV in order to share apps, music, games, images and files, and stream 1080p resolution movies and TV shows onto the big screen via your handset.
Samsung’s HomeSync comes with some nice little extras too. The device goes further than many other streaming solutions by not just facilitating content delivery but also providing ample space for downloaded movies, TV programmes and other media with a considerable 1TB of storage. Moreover, HomeSync can be shared by every member of the family, thanks to the ability to create multiple profiles on the device.
All said and done, HomeSync really is quite an original device. It’s basically just an oversized Android device, with its Media Hub powered by a 1.7GHz dual-core processor and running the latest version of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The device also sports 1GB of RAM onboard and can support 802.11 Wi-Fi on the 2.4 and 5GHz bands, while two USB 3.0 ports allow for peripherals like a keyboard and a mouse to be attached. Users can access the Google Play store directly with HomeSync in order to download apps and other content, so they don’t even need a Galaxy phone to use the thing, although that remains the main purpose of the device.
Just like the Apple TV, HomeSync is basically a way to mirror whatever you’re doing on your smartphone on your HDTV or monitor. Once synched with your Galaxy phone, your handset acts as a multi-function remote control, and can be used as a touch pad, remote mouse or QWERTY keyboard to navigate the content on the big screen.
Samsung’s HomeSync is currently on display at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The company has said that the device will launch in the US this April, before expanding to other countries later this year, although it hasn’t given out any pricing details so far.
Source: Samsung