There is no shortage of Android TV boxes, but the good ones are not many, or are expensive.
The likes of Xiaomi have done a good job with the Mi Box line, and more recently the Mi TV stick; not to mention the lovely Ematic 4K box that is sold by Safaricom.
Nokia is planning, or has already entered the streaming box space too with a new product that should be hitting retail stores, possibly in Kenya too, in the next couple of weeks.
The product has Nokia brand, and overall, it is called the Streaming Box 8000.
It is manufactured by an Australian company called Streamview. It has just the Nokia name for, you know why. Still, it appears to be capable enough for what Android TV set-top boxes offer, and with the name Nokia slapped over it, it may swing some heads who have since subscribed to HMD Global and its recent plan to re-popularize the brand.
Similar to other TV boxes, the Nokia product should be hooked up to your TV using a HDMI cable. It can be connected to the internet via ethernet or Wi-Fi (dual-band). Other ports include a normal USB Type A, a Type-C (this is a new one for the product), as well as an optical audio and AV-out outlet.
It is speculated that the device will be powered by an Amlogic S905X3 chip. This is not the most powerful chipset around for the Android TB box platform – that has been left for Shield TV that is the SI unit of powerful Android TV set-top boxes.
No mention has been made about RAM.
Nonetheless, the chip is capable enough of outputting 4K signals.
The package runs Android TV 10. There is no mention about it adopting the new interface detailed by Google TV.
The remote is one of the busiest we have seen and appears to have a full array of numeric and other controls. Let’s just hope the remote will come in handy when navigating the system and completing other tasks such as taking screenshots or mapping apps to buttons.
Of course, all other popular apps, such as streaming services are here.
The product appears to be targeting emerging markets, and as said, it will likely sell here at 100 Euros, which is about KES 13k.
That is a little on the higher side, but we believe it will hit the sweet spot of KES 10k.
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