Here is a small review I have already done. I received mine on Friday, and have only really had a few hours to play with it.
This is my first Google TV box so I am new to all this. I own a Roku HD-XR, PS3, Wii, and of course a few PC's to take care of all my media needs. There are a few "complaints" I have on the new Co-Star, and I'm open to the possibility that I might have just had unrealistic expectations of the device and of Google TV.
-First off, the acceleration on the touch pad pointer makes it damn near unusable. Slowing down the pointer speed in the settings helped a bit, but given how much you are forced to use the pointer in Chrome, it sure seems clunky. The pointer click is done with a tap on the touchpad, but there is no feedback to confirm a click on the remote or even an audible click sound, and it always seems there is a small delay in response. The scrolling, which is done by a slide gesture on the right side of the touchpad, is very sensitive and has been difficult for me to control.
-The remote sounded like a good idea, but it's got a major flaw. Again, the problem comes when in Chrome and on pages that require both typing, and then pointer navigation. I find I am constantly typing on the KB side, then flipping over to use the pointer, and then flipping back to the KB. They either need to make the arrow keys functional in Chrome, or move the touchpad to the other side of the remote. Another problem I have with the remote design: the gyro that turns off the side facing down is really finicky unless you have one side facing straight down. If you like to lounge back in your bed or chair while watching TV, you will need to sit upright in order for this remote to work because it's really picky about not having one side straight down. Also, the keyboard side has keys which require a very solid push with the finger tips; you won't be typing anything out quickly on this thing.
-No Native Apps - Except for Netflix... Seriously, I thought a few places like Amazon, Vudu, Crackle, Vevo, would have some native apps for Google TV. Given how horrible my experience is with browsing in Chrome, having to run the browser version of all these streaming sites is painful. I can't even get Vudu to work, and browsing on Amazon is just a pain in the ass. When watching an Amazon video on Chrome, the only way to Fast Forward, or Pause is done with the pointer; the remote video function keys do nothing!! The Google TV App "TV & More", which aggregates all shows and movies from your different sources including the web, does offer relief from having to browse Amazon videos through Chrome. Once a movie/show is selected in this app interface it will launch either the Netflix app or Chrome for Amazon and begin the movie for you. This is an acceptable workaround to Amazon Video as this "TV & More" interface is well put together and easy to navigate. I have no idea which sources are included in this app, everything I have looked at so far has only been from Netflix & Amazon (no HD Cable or Satellite service). There is no way, that I can find, to show or configure what sources show in TV & More
-OnLive Client - Does NOT work with Xbox 360 wired controller, or a bluetooth PS3 controller... this is just plain stupid. If OnLive wants to know why they only have 1800 concurrent customers, it's because no one wants to buy their controller to try the service out. The image quality of the OnLive client does look very good, definitely better than my PC. I'm hoping this is something Vizio addresses or a community fix is generated. An OnLive streaming box is half the reason I purchased this thing.
The unit seems to run "smooth". There are a few transitions that aren't visually smooth, but it doesn't feel laggy. Browsing is definitely not as fast as a PC, and even slower than my Samsung GS3, but this is a full desktop website browser so I find that acceptable. Again, it isn't fast, but I don't ever feel like it's lagging or freezing up, which is nice. The Chrome browser is mostly held back by the remote; most websites seem to work fine, but I can't seem to easily navigate between this keyboard and touchpad. I really am just avoiding using anything that requires Chrome as the experience is just painful trying to navigate and click on links. It sure would be nice if the directional pad could be used on the browser to navigate through links, right now it just does small scrolling. Vizio could make a massive improvement by adding a simple audible click sound to the pointer. I'm definitely going to be in the market for a wireless keyboard mouse combo, this remote just doesn't cut it unless I am only using Netflix.
I don't have cable or satellite service, so I can't comment on the rest of the functionality. I would like to get a Tivo box for OTA, but I'm waiting until a really good deal comes through.
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