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What is HDMI-CEC?
HDMI-CEC can help you narrow down necessary controllers and save time. Here's how it works
Do you love tinkering with your home theater to get everything as streamlined as possible? Or maybe you're tired of juggling devices and remote controls to various boxes and streaming dongles, especially when you switch from playing games to watching the news or changing channels vs. turning up the volume.
Lenovo makes the Smart Clock 2 and its wireless charging add-on official
Along with a bunch of new tablets, including that massive one with an HDMI-in port
Lenovo's Smart Clock series looks like something that fits right into Google's smart home lineup, and it does, despite being third-party hardware. The second generation of the Smart Clock has been leaked more than once already, but today it gets official. the design looks a lot like the original, with the biggest change being an option for an add-on wireless charger for your phone.
That Lenovo tablet with HDMI input is official, and it's a monster media machine
The 13-inch tablet doubles as a portable monitor, but who knows when we'll see it outside of China
I've always had a soft spot for Lenovo's weird-ass tablet designs, ever since one of them asked me to buy Android apps with Burger King gift cards. The latest one turned heads when we found out you could use it as a portable HDMI monitor, a surprisingly practical use for a little flat screen that can fit in your backpack. Based on the official announcement, it might just be worth a second look, and possibly even money that doesn't come in the form of prepaid fast food credit.
Android tablets are in rough shape these days. Sure, a few are worth picking up, but they tend to aim towards the budget-friendly market. Thankfully, at least one manufacturer is keeping Android tablets interesting. While Lenovo's slates aren't all home runs, they almost always sport unique designs, like smart display docks or weird digital keyboards placed along the side. The company's next tablet has an all-new feature that might make it even more appealing to anyone looking for some extra screen real estate while on the move.
Phone screens keep getting bigger, but you know what's bigger still? Your TV. If you want to show content on your phone to a room full of people, what better way than to mirror it on the TV? With a Chromecast, you can mirror your screen in a few taps, but some phones also support other options.
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- Good news! The best deal we've seen yet on the Mi Box S is back at Walmart. There's never been a better time to pick up one of these streaming boxes that just received a long-awaited update to Android 9 Pie.
When you think Android TV Box, you might think Nvidia Shield TV right away, but the company best known for its graphics cards isn't the only one offering a capable big screen experience for Android. Xiaomi's Mi Box S is a neat little device outputting 4K HDR to your TV, and it's on sale at Walmart, going for only $30. That's the lowest we've ever seen and $5 less than the recent offer of $35.
CES officially kicks off next week, but if there's anything we know about LG, it's that the company will trickle down 90% of its announcements before the show even begins. We've already seen its three new Google Assistant-powered soundbars and now we're learning about six new TV series for its 2019 line-up, all of which will also have the Google Assistant built in.
Amazon's new Fire TV Cube, which was announced earlier this month, is now available for purchase and ready for shipping and delivery. The pre-order price of $89.99 is long gone, so you will have to fork out the full 9.99 if you want one. However, the deal on the bundle with the Amazon Cloud Cam is still available so you can save $40 by grabbing both for 9.98. Additionally, if you buy the Cube on or before July 1, you can redeem a Prime Video credit before August 31.The Fire TV Cube is a jack of all trades. It's a Fire TV device, so when you connect it over HDMI to your TV (cable not included, sadly), it acts like a smart box. Streaming services, games, and various other apps are available with support for 4K Ultra HD up to 60fps and HDR. It's also similar but more powerful than an Echo Dot thanks to its eight far-field microphones, 40mm speaker, and built-in Alexa support. And it's finally like a mini Harmony hub with its included IR functionality that lets you control TVs, soundbars, A/V receivers, and cable/satellite boxes. Plus, there's an IR extender in the box to reach hidden electronics and equipment.
It seems like every manufacturer is gearing up for Prime Day, and Choetech is no exception. Right now over at Amazon, you can pick up a variety of USB-C cables (one reviewed by Benson), a 5 port 90W QC 3.0 charger, and even a pair of waterproof phone bags. These deals are set to expire on the 10th (Amazon Prime Day), so you only have a few days left. The two-pack of USB-A to USB-C cables that is on sale is even Benson-approved, and Choetech claims that those in the six-pack are also, though I can't find a specific review on them. Apart from those cables, the most unusual items Choetech has placed on sale, in my opinion, are the waterproof phone bags for $5.99 ($4 off, coupon code FN6NUKYS). I usually toss my phone in a Ziploc sandwich bag if rain is expected before going out in the city, since I can still use it through the thin plastic. But, something made for the purpose might be a better idea.There are a handful of other interesting items on sale, like a 5-port 90W charger that is compatible with Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0. That particular item is marked down $20, making it 43% off (coupon code 6XU9Q3VO), and by far the biggest savings of the bunch. There are also a couple of cables for hooking up a monitor or TV over USB-C. You can get a USB-C to DisplayPort cable for $12.99 ($9 off, coupon code GFLTDMYR), and a USB-C to HDMI cable for $15.99 ($11 off, coupon code GFLTDMYR).Some of the deals, like the fast wireless charging stand, are unchanged in price since the last time we saw them a few days ago, but they are still the lowest we've seen. Keep in mind that for all of these deals you'll need to use a coupon code to get the best price, and the clock is ticking. These codes are set to expire on July 10th.The full set of deals, and their associated prices, discounts, and codes are below:
Back in 2015, Google updated the Chromecast to support HDMI CEC, which allows users to control their devices connected via HDMI with just one remote. Instead of pulling out your phone or tablet for every minor action, some controls (like playing/pausing) can be done through your TV's remote.
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- USB Type-C guru Benson Leung has informed us that the Pixel phones don't work with the adapter because they lack VESA DisplayPort Alternate Mode that is on the Pixel C and Chromebook Pixel, which means that they aren't compatible with any adapters of this sort.
Even in a world with Chromecasts and other streaming devices, it's often just easier to plug your phone directly into your TV with an HDMI cable and an adapter. Some people depend on this functionality quite a bit, and for those of you that do, it might not please you to hear that Google's Pixel smartphones will not support the company's own USB Type-C to HDMI adapter.
USB Type-C is fast becoming the standard for mobile devices, and it's more than just a reversible plug design. USB Type-C can do a lot more than microUSB could, and that now includes native HDMI output. The HDMI Founders organization has developed HDMI Alternate Mode for Type-C, which could enable easy video-out on future devices.
Lenovo has taken the opportunity at its Tech World 2015 conference to announce the Lenovo Cast, a new accessory that aims to mirror your Android device's screen to the TV. The device is puck-shaped and connects through a cable to the HDMI port on your television.
The Chromecast is great! Wouldn't it be even greater if it could actually run Chrome, instead of being a point for streaming video and music? ASUS seems to think so. Tucked into an announcement of new Chrome OS laptops, Google posted a preview of the Chromebit on the official Chrome blog. It's basically Chrome OS on a stick: plug it into the HDMI port on your TV, add some MicroUSB power, and you've got access to a full copy of Chrome OS.
Google has done a spectacular job of improving and adding features to Chromecast. The low-cost streaming dongle continues to get better, even as it starts to close in on its 2nd birthday. The latest change makes it possible for Chromecast to receive commands from a TV remote, but it may not work on a lot of older televisions. This means users can finally enjoy the convenience of pausing and resuming with the push of a physical button without first turning on the casting device.
Nexus devices might be a great deal compared to other devices in the market, but you pay the price when it comes to accessories. They're either horrendously expensive or take so long to go on sale it's almost time for a new version of the device. We might be lining up for the second one here, as Asus has just now posted English listings for the wired and wireless charging docks for the 2013 Nexus 7.
Seeing what it clearly believes is an untapped market, Netgear announced NeoMediacast, which gives pay TV providers an alternative to the traditional set-top box. This is an Android-powered system in a Chromecast-sized package that simply plugs into the back of your TV via an HDMI port. The idea here is that service providers can offer apps and premium content stores to give their subscribers access to everything they currently get through their cable boxes.
[IFA 2013] HDMI 2.0 Specification Revealed: 18Gbps Data Bandwidth, 4K Resolution At 60Hz, Backwards-Compatible With Category 2 Cables
HDMI 2.0 Specification Revealed
The phones and tablets are about to start falling from the sky like rain at the IFA trade show in Berlin, but before we get to the juicy mobile hardware let's talk about something really exciting: cables. It's finally time for HDMI to get a major revision after the 1.4 spec from 2009, and the 2.0 release of HDMI adds some necessary enhancements to its bullet list.
Android manufacturers have been using the Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) standard since 2011. While most Android device owners are blissfully unaware that their gadgets can output HDMI (among other things) via a nifty little adapter, power users treasure MHL as an easy way to expand functionality. Today the MHL LLC announced the 3.0 revision of the standard, including a ton of new goodies.