So many Android-based TV boxes have come out of China in the past few years that I’ve pretty much stopped paying attention. But Notebook Italia spotted one of the most unusual models I’ve seen to date at CES Asia recently.
It’s called the WAHE Home, and at first glance it looks like a PC-in-a-keyboard device. There’s a full-sized keyboard and touchpad with a speaker and HDMI and USB ports on the back.
But plug that speaker section into your TV and you can detach the keyboard and use it wirelessly from your couch. Or you can use a remote control. Or a game controller.
In terms of hardware, the WAHE HOME has pretty dated specs, including a Rockchip RK3288 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, Bluetooth 4.0, dual-band 802.11n WiFi, and a microSD card slot.
It has three USB 2.0 ports, a headset jack, and HDMI 1.4 support.
But the design and software are what make the WAHE Home unusual. Pick up the keyboard and touchpad and you get an Android tablet-like user interface. Switch to remote control input and you get a user interface that’s easier to navigate by remote for video or music playback.
The game controller lets you navigate a “console mode” for selecting games and playing them in full-screen mode.
There’s no word on if or when you’ll be able to buy a WAHE Home device. Notebook Italia reports the developer is showing off a prototype for the first time in order to solicit feedback and gauge interest from potential partners.
This model is already out in china and cost RMB 899
https://item.jd.com/22697610330.html
I’m currently using an ASUS CHROMEBIT CS10 ($84 at Amazon) with RockChip 3288, 2GB LPDDR3L, 16GB eMMC, Chrome OS and a Logitech TK820 ($55.79) wireless keyboard & trackpad along with the remote and the speakers of my dumb TV. They are pretty much the same thing and they are available now. Cheers!
This is by far the coolest and most productive/useful design I’ve seen – good for Kodi, good for gaming, and good for web browsing from the couch. I think Rockchip RK3288 is probably questionable/just barely enough for 4k but should be fine for anything less.
How come there’s no official Google Android TV stick, like there is Fire TV stick or fire cube or fire TV 4k. It doesn’t make sense, unless the rumored Google console is meant to be their flagship Android TV product.
The Chromecast is as close as you will get to that one.