February 16, 2012 | by Andrew Kameka
Connectivity was the major trend that emerged from CES 2012, with practically every major company on the showroom floor exhibiting two products that work together. Tablets and TV’s, desktops and speakers, and even washing machines and smartphones.
The company that created Kik Messenger is trying its hands at merging smartphones and smart TV’s – or any other device with a web browser. This new platform known as Clik Smart TV is designed to eliminate the headaches that often pop-up when two devices are from different manufacturers. It provides tools that developers can use to establish a link between a mobile device and a computer or television through wireless networks (3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, etc.).
I’ve been testing out a proof of concept app the company sent me, and it’s a fairly straight-forward process. Once the Clik app is installed, users visit ClikThis.com from their browser and scan the QR code that appears. That immediately launches a video player that can then be controlled from the phone. Clik can then browse through trending YouTube videos, a few categories, or search for a particular clip. The player can control volume, play/pause/skip, and mark favorites.
I’m away from home and was unable to test this on Google TV, but I’m assuming it should work because GTV has a capable enough browser. And while I can already control YouTube using the platform’s built-in controls, I was still intrigued by what Clik offers. The connection between devices was near-instantaneous, so the speed and ease of use was refreshing based on the hoops that I’ve taken in the past to access products.
The only question I have is how will the official Clik platform stack up against the native products from companies like LG, Samsung, Sony, and more? Everyone at CES had a web-connected television, and I’m sure they all support mobile devices in some way. Clik’s saving grace might be that developers might not have the resources or desire to develop something to support all of them, or maybe the TV makers themselves might fall short. If a small company wants to deliver a connected experience for a web or TV show, this platform might be easier to develop for than making something for Samsung, Sony, et. al.