ASUS working on a Google TV USB Stick – ASUS Qube receives FCC certification

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While I’m beginning to have little faith that Google will ever turn around the sinking ship that is Google TV, there’s no denying the platform has potential. Despite my feelings on the budding platform, it appears some OEM’s aren’t quite ready to quit the “Android for your TV” spinoff, with ASUS finding itself as the newest OEM to take a chance on Google TV but — not in the way you might be thinking.

The ASUS Qube is the device passing by the FCC today and it appears that, instead of going for the traditional set top box route like Vizio or Sony have done, ASUS could introduce and Android dongle for televisions. The “Android on a stick” will be powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Marvell Armada CPU and connect to a television via USB (similar to the Roku USB stick), transforming a dumbTV, into a smartTV.

There’s even a few apps that have popped up in the Play Store from ASUS that directly reference the Qube, so it’s safe to say something will launch soon. Let’s hope they’re working on getting some kind of Android version of Airplay in there. What do you guys think — if priced right, would you buy an ASUS Google TV USB stick?

[FCC | via Engadget]

Chris Chavez
I've been obsessed with consumer technology for about as long as I can remember, be it video games, photography, or mobile devices. If you can plug it in, I have to own it. Preparing for the day when Android finally becomes self-aware and I get to welcome our new robot overlords.

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24 Comments

  1. yea. smart tvs are expensive. just bought my dumb 40in samsung and it would be nice if i could cheaply make it smart

  2. Google needs to get the foothold, and quick! If Apple releases a TV that has a gooey user interface and deep integration among the rest of their products; they’ll capture the masses. Then everyone will praise Apple for the awesome idea they came up with and how beautifully awesome it is. I’m rooting for you Google, but after the train wreck of a launch the Nexus 4 was and the soon-to-be failure of GTV, I’m starting to question how you manage to employ some of the smartest minds in the world…

    1. I think all those smart people have a bad case of A.D.D. They fall in love with a project and get us excited and even get us to buy it then after a few months they fall in love with another project. I just hope they have a few people that still love this project working on improving it.

    2. Well the smartest minds aren’t always the most consumer oriented. Don’t confuse them. Google needs people that know how to appease the consumer.

      And no matter what Apple launches their fans and the media will slobber over it.

  3. yay! :) i hope the price is right for me tho

  4. Absolutely!

  5. I would totally buy this. Thought of pre-ordering Wise TiVi, but this is much better. After all, Wise still have my attention with the camera unit.

  6. I love my asus products so yes

  7. They are going after the android on a stick people instead of Sony and Vizio with their step top boxes. I would need a stick that has hdmi for my 26inch hdtv thats currently sitting here unused. The tv does not have any usb ports since its a few years old. Would be a nice set for a guest bedroom.

  8. It better be priced under $80. There are plenty of other Android PC sticks for under $75 that have pretty good specs.

    1. Specs are one thing, support is another.

  9. GTV must get content to stay in game. I love their integration with Dish but I really am looking to turn off my cable bill and purchase/subscribe. This is the game. Put my content in the cloud and play to any of my devices. Acceptable options include hulu/netflix and then pick one:

    – Play
    – Itunes
    – Amazon Prime

    If amazon would build an app for their movies that works on most common devices(whether Android or iOS or whatever, I would be going with them exclusively. I hate how hardware is being used to restrict content and they’re all playing this game. Amazon had a chance to do this and blew it by only allowing me to watch movies from them on ipad or kindles. Stupid. Who cares where I play media I purchased. Amazon forced the hand so I’m now going with Play. Sad thing is these companies have forgot how to make money in pursuit of selling devices. Stupid. iTunes is on windows and mac. But on handhelds we’re having to buy the device to get the service. It’s just stupid.

    1. I thought Amazon had a Google TV app. I could be wrong. But the rest of the common cord cutter content like Netflix and Hulu is there.

      1. Amazon app just directs to the website, not a real app.

  10. I doubt it will be USB. Sure it isn’t a HDMI stick?

  11. People are already discovering that Android TV sticks are an awesome way to deliver online content to an HDTV.
    This is simply the first name-branded one getting ready to come out.
    edit
    Whoops, second. (Sorry)

  12. With prices starting at 30$ for hdmi android dongles (let’s say 60 for decent specs, free shipping) they’d better offer quality content if they don’t want it to be a fail

  13. be really cool to plug into the 2nd USB port on my HOPPER.

  14. With no display or case to screw up — hello, my many defective Transformers — I’d give this a shot if the price is right. Asus still does a good job on mobos and peripherals.

  15. I would like some sort of streaming device, so far using ps3, but there are no comparisons for streaming anywhere on the net that I have found. Would like to see what hardware /software combination is the fastest and handle the most file types.

  16. Couldn’t talk about buying it without price, and features….

  17. oh great…its being powered by marvell…

  18. If it doesn’t allow for viewing live TV, then it’s missing the point of Google TV. We need somebody to combine the latest Boxee TV and the Ouya. Give me the best of BOTH worlds.

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