Hillcrest Labs has unveiled the latest version of the Kylo browser, the free web browser for TV, which the company introduced earlier this year. It was developed for households that connect their Macs or Macs to the TV.
Kylo lets users visit sites across the web with a browser that was specifically designed to be viewed from a distance in the family room, living room, or dorm room. In addition, Hillcrest Labs announced that its companion product, the Loop pointer, is available at half price (US$49), from now through June 11 in celebration of the new Kylo release and in advance of Father’s Day.
The Loop (pictured) allows you to control Kylo. It also lets you take total control of your computer’s digital media. Music, videos, photos.
The latest version of the Kylo browser (Kylo Beta 0.7) is available at http://www.kylo.tv and and lets you: hide Kylo’s control bar and keyboard; configure Kylo’s settings in order to access web site pages designed for other hardware platforms; enjoy enhanced zooming; print from their TV; and more. Additionally, Mac users can now target their secondary screen as the main browser screen for the Kylo browser. This capability previously existed for PC users only.
The Kylo browser is not meant to replace traditional browsers such as Safari or Firefox for use with standard computer display screens, but instead is for use on a television connected to a computer.
“We know that one feature that is likely to attract attention is the capability for advanced users to configure the Kylo browser to access Hulu,” says Dan Simpkins, founder and CEO of Hillcrest Labs. “It remains our position that Kylo is simply a web browser based on open-source Mozilla code, like Firefox. We fully respect the rights of content owners and aggregators, and as such, we do not deep link, re-index, divert users past ads, or overlay different user interfaces on video players. However, we believe consumers should be able to use the Kylo browser to visit any site on the web on the display screen of their choice. Our hope is that a respectful dialog with Hulu will encourage them to consider changing their policies.”