There are already ways to convert your TV into a smart TV running Android with touchscreen support, but you’d need to buy an Android mini PC and a infrared touch frame overlay for your TV both of which should cost several hundred dollars in total, and the larger your TV the costlier the price, and once you get the hardware, you may also need to modify your kernel source code to enable USB touchscreen… A US start-up is now working on a much cheaper and easier way to achieve this with Touchjet WAVE, a quad core Android mini PC that integrates an infrared sensor to track finger movements and taps across the screen of your existing TV.
Touchjet WAVE specifications:
- SoC – Quad-core ARM Cortex A9 processor @ 2.0 GHz (Likely Amlogic S802 or S812)
- System Memory – 1GB DDR3
- Storage – 8GB flash
- Video Output – HDMI 1.4
- Touchscreen Capabilities / Requirements
- Built-in optical touch sensor supporting 4 touch points
- Requires 20″ to 80″ display which can output 720p or 1080p @ 50/60Hz or 4K @ 24/25/30Hz
- Audio – Line out
- Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 LE
- USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x micro USB OTG port
- Power Supply – 5V via USB cable
- Dimensions – N/A
The WAVE will ship with a TV mount, a USB power cable , an HDMI cable, a infrared stylus, and an optional air mouse. It runs Android 4.4 with the company’s Touchjet UI, and Touchjet Media Sharing and Remote Control App. The latter will let you control the TV without being right in front of the monitor, but you could also use a wireless keyboard or air mouse using one of the USB ports. Watching the promo video to get a better idea of what the device is capable of.
After four days on Indiegogo, the project raised over $280,000 from nearly 2,000 backers. All early bird rewards, where you could get the WAVE for as little as $99, are gone, but you can still pledge $119 to get one “WAVE Indieogo Edition 1 Pack”, or $225 to get two. Shipping is free to the US, but $30 to $50 to the rest of the world, with delivery scheduled in March 2016. That’s the second crowdfunding project from the company, as they previously funded and shipped the Touchjet Pond touchscreen projector, that now sells for $599.
Via LinuxGizmos
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress
