- A new reference remote for Google TV has appeared
- It's the work of Ohsung Electronics and Epishine
- The remote is powered completely from indoor light
Besides televisions with Google TV built in, we're seeing a growing number of Google TV devices appear, both from Google and third parties – and now one of Google's partners has made a Google TV remote that gets its power from indoor light.
This comes from Ohsung Electronics in South Korea (via 9to5Google), and it's what's called a reference device: something that you can't go out and buy yet, but which may well inform the design and features of future products.
According to Swedish company Epishine, which supplied the solar cell, the remote "never runs out of power" thanks to the indoor solar tech – assuming, presumably, that you're not watching movies and shows in the dark all the time.
There are solar cells on either side of the remote to capture whatever light is available, which means the device is still getting power even when it's lying face down flat. There's actually no battery inside – the remote works solely from indoor light.
Good for users and the environment
The way that the Google TV remotes of today are powered depends on the device, but both the Google TV Streamer and the older Chromecast with Google TV have batteries inside the remotes that need to be replaced every so often.
That can lead to a frustrating hunt through drawers and cupboards for spare batteries if your remote dies mid-watch – though, pro tip, you can also control Google TV devices using the Google TV app for Android or iOS.
A remote like this would do away with that frustration, and of course it's also much better for the environment, as you don't have any used batteries to dispose of. Epishine says these remotes can be lighter and cheaper as well.
In fact, there's nothing bad to say about this idea, and I'm all for it – so let's hope we start seeing remotes like this appearing sooner rather than later. Eventually, you might even be able to buy it separately from your streaming device of choice.
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