Samsung Get InTouch With Connected TV Upgrades

Samsung have revealed a product that could bring them further forward in the connected TV development stakes, as they team up with Skype to give potential customers a chance to use a ‘webcam’ chat service without the strains of picking up a laptop or walking to a computer.

Set to be released in March, the ‘Samsung inTouch’ is a ‘TV accessory’ that will attach to any HDTV set and enable integrated video, audio, and text chatting to any of the user’s ’Skype’ friends.

Sold with a TV webcam and product-specific keyboard, the inTouch is said to also be able to feature a general Internet browser and YouTube functionality. Other pre-packaged services on the inTouch include a selection of apps, built-in Wi-Fi, and 720p high-definition video output for the services, meaning that any HDTV set could now be transformed into a ‘smart TV’.

Samsung Techwin America’s sales and marketing vice-president Mike Palazzolo said of the device: “While internet connected HDTVs are now common, not every household gets to experience this fun and interactive feature, especially if they have an HDTV purchased just a few years ago. With the inTouch camera system, Samsung is now bridging the gap between this experience and those consumers who own HDTVs without networking capability.”

Listed as a 3-megapixel camera with a 30-degree ’tilt range’, the set, which has an RRP of $199.99 (£130), also allows picture-taking and sharing via both the camera and a USB slot. In running terms, the official user interface of the Samsung inTouch is a modified edition of the Android 2.3 Gingerbread platform.While it is not the first time that Skype have attempted a connected TV experience, will this new product bring video chat to new frontiers?

Crazy Matt Cazzy into all things hi-tech, gizmos and gadgets. If its just out, i want it. Loves watching tv on every device ever invented that can handle it

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