Samsung Evolution Kit will turn last year's Smart TVs into this year's models

Samsung Evolution Kit will turn last year’s Smart TVs into this year’s models

Samsung’s upcoming “Evolution Kit” that you can plug into the back of a 2012 model Samsung Smart TV to effectively turn it into a 2013 model. The kit features CPU and graphics upgrades which should improve performance of apps, web browsing, and other activities.

In other words, the Kit sounds an awful lot like the Android TV sticks we’ve seen coming out of China over the past year. It’s a small box with the guts of an Android phone or tablet which you can use to run apps on your TV.

Samsung Evolution Kit

The difference is that Samsung’s Smart TVs already have the ability to run apps — the Evolution Kit just makes them faster… which sort of makes me wonder why anyone would spend extra money on a Smart TV that’s just going to be outdated in a year or two anyway when you could just buy a dumb TV and plug in your own TV stick.

Samsung will show off the new kit at the Consumer Electronics Show next week, but the company hasn’t yet announced the price or launch date for the Evolution Kit.

Update: The Evolution Kit is expected to launch in May for $299.

Posted on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013, 7:57 am by Brad Linder | 3 Comments

Ferd

The problem with all of these cheap Android media computers (stick form factor or otherwise) is that they come with weak WiFi and are crapped up with goofy Chinese software, truly awful remote controls, and other severe limitations. Great idea, poor execution.
NeedName

We tried one of the Samsung smart TVs. . . and it went back. Other than streaming from my PC the “smart features” were pretty dumb and painful. However, the real problem was the screen — the colors were atrocious, there was light bleeding and black and white banding.

Why they just didn’t go with Google TV I don’t get. . .it may not be perfect but it’s a lot better than what they have now.

So, now I have an LG with my PC directly connected, like Ferd stated, the WiFi on these things are terrible.

Finally, it seems better to have the “smart” features in a separate device for upgrading and failures. Far too many things are now “smart” that don’t need to be.
strider_mt2k

Yes.
Like the early days of cheap tablets, one must go carefully in these waters.

Samsung Evolution Kit will turn last year’s Smart TVs into this year’s models

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