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Samsung's HomeSync $299 Android Media Center, Cloud Drive is Available Starting October 6

Pictured: Peter Holden
By Peter Holden
October 03, 2013
Featured image for Samsung's HomeSync $299 Android Media Center, Cloud Drive is Available Starting October 6

Samsung America has announced that its HomeSync cloud storage device is to be launched this coming Sunday, 6th October. The Samsung HomeSync device is a household media center which is able to store, synchronize and stream content such as photo albums, videos, and music libraries across multiple devices, enabling you to show content directly from your Galaxy Smartphone to your TV, whilst at home or on your travels.

“HomeSync is a powerful platform that we envision to be the center of a household’s connected life,” said Nanda Ramachandran, vice president of emerging business at Samsung Mobile. “We saw an opportunity to create a companion device at home, that seamlessly syncs all of your mobile content wherever you are.”

Samsung Home Sync

Since the HomeSync was first unveiled at MWC 2013, back in February, it has received a bump in specs with the amount of RAM doubling from 1GB to 2GB. The HomeSync device will be retailing for $299, and packs some impressive hardware.

  • 1.7 GHz (Cortex A15 dual core)

  • 2 GB Ram internal memory

  • 1 Terabyte HDD storage

  • Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 operating system

  • Bluetooth 4.0

  • Ability to display 1920 x 1080 Pixel (1080p)

  • Compatible with most popular Music files:AAC, AMR, MP3, OGG, WMA/ASF, FLAC, WMV, 3GA/M4A, Music Player.

  • Compatible with most popular video formats:AVI/DIVX, WMV/ASF, FLV, MKV, MP4/3GP, WEBM; Video Player; Video Streaming.

  • HDMI 1.4

  • Gigabit Ethernet

  • 2 x USB 3.0

  • Compatible with Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy Note 8.0, Galaxy Note 10.1 – 2014 Edition, Galaxy Cameraâ„¢, and other devices that use Samsung Link.

HomeSyncRemoteOptions

The HomeSync runs on Android 4.2.2 and will ship with many built-in Android-based services from Samsung, such as Samsung Apps, Media Hub or Video Hub; as well as Google services, such as Google Play and YouTube. You can control the HomeSync via an app on your smart phone, with support for the following modes:

  • Button Mode: 4-directional control mode.

  • Cursor Mode: A control method similar to the touch pad of a laptop. Touch the screen of a device to control the cursor on the screen.

  • Mirror Mouse: Controls by mirroring the TV screen on the device.

  • Remote Mouse: Senses the movement of a device through its geomagnetic sensor and accelerometer sensor, and controls the cursor on the screen. (Phone-type devices supported)

  • QWERTY Mode: Lets you enter text on the TV screen with a QWERTY keyboard that automatically appears on the device control screen.

With one ID you can connect up to six other devices, uploading or downloading content at any time. You can also create up to seven different identities, which theoretically means you can connect up to 42 different devices to the HomeSync. That’s a lot of options.

An interesting feature is the ability to download a game to the HomeSync device and then to be able to use your smart phone as the controller; this gives the HomeSync the ability to be more than just a media center/cloud storage device. This could be Samsung’s attempt to muscle in on the fledgling android gaming console market. Hopefully it will also be more user-friendly than the Samsung AllShare Cast Hub.

If you are planning on purchasing a Samsung HomeSync, remember to register your device in order to receive a $50 content voucher.

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