This time around, we have a device that turns your HDTV into a smart TV. With Favi’s SmartStick you can make your plain Jane TV “connected” by simply plugging in a small device into your HDMI, power via USB, and controlled by an IR sensor that is placed on top of your TV. A remote is also included in the package to navigate through the Android OS 4.0 interface. A wireless keyboard and mouse is needed but Favi offers another solution, the SmartStick Keyboard controller. By way of the storefront, you have access to game and video apps and 4 or 8 Gigs of storage to access on board files with support of up to 32GB by Micro SD.
The
Smart Stick was a breeze to set up as long as you have easy access to
the back of your TV. Once plugged in and on, I was taken through a brief
10 minute setup to access my account and then it was off to downloading
apps. The interface looks good in both 720 and 1080 HD and allows for
widgets on the home screen. The controller does navigate through the
system but is rather frustrating after short usage as it uses a thin and
frugal feeling plastic remote where the input commands were often
delayed or incorrect. The ability to download and use many apps from
this device, whether it be gaming or multimedia, while still having
access to the internet via your choice of browsers were nice options
that other similar TV multimedia devices do not offer.
While
the remote is not very reliable or user friendly, the Favi SmartStick
wireless keyboard with mouse touchpad does make navigation much more
convenient and reliable. While at times there was some lag it was a lot
more reliable than the remote that came with the SmartStick. The
wireless keyboard has a full keyboard, trackpad mouse, Android hotkeys,
and is rechargeable via USB cable. Not limited to being used with the
SmartStick device, it is also good to use during presentations, whether
to switch between slides, editing on the fly, or streaming, it does
make portable usage a lot more convenient without sacrificing any
features or space.
While
I was a bit apprehensive as to how well the SmartStick would operate as
with some smart TV’s I have experienced ridiculously slow interfaces,
but with Favi’s device, the operating system looked crisp and clean,
while navigation was smooth and easy to navigate via the wireless
keyboard. Be warned that the remote which comes with the SmartStick was
quite possibly the worst part of the experience, but when used with the
wireless keyboard instead, it is a lot more pleasant to use while making
navigation less frustrating. With the Android interface, it felt
familiar and was easy to navigate, even more so once connected to your
Google account.