The country’s largest telecommunications provider has launched a new over-the-top product that turns a television or a monitor to a fully operational computer.
Partnering with Intel Philippines to launch the product, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) unveiled on late Thursday the TVolution Stick, a device that allows users to do activities normally done on a personal computer.
No bigger than a dongle, the TVolution Stick is based on the Intel Compute Stick and runs on Windows OS 8.1, letting users stream movies and videos, search the Web, and send and receive e-mails, among others.
Offering integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technologies, the TVolution Stick sports a powerful quad-core Intel Atom processor and Intel HD Graphics to ensure smooth performance and vivid picture quality. Its pocket-sized body, designed to be portable and space-efficient, carries 32 GB storage, 2 GB memory, a USB 2.0 port and a Micro SD card slot. Users simply need to plug the TVolution Stick into the TV’s HDMI port to activate the computer on screen, and can easily charge it via DC wall charger or powerbank.
On a limited run until November 30, new subscribers of DSL Plans 999 and up and all PLDT HOME Fibr plans holders who apply online will get the gadget for free, along with popular content from Fox, iflix and Spinnr.
“We’re very happy to introduce the most advanced TVolution, in collaboration with Intel.
Apart from providing our consumers entertainment, it gives them a full suite of PC functionality on their TV screens backed by PLDT HOME’s most trusted broadband services,” PLDT Vice President Gary Dujali said in a media briefing.
For his part, Intel Philippines Country Manager Calum Chisholm said: “The TVolution Stick collaboration between Intel and PLDT provides a complete computing experience compared to other ordinary streaming sticks. When paired with the strong and reliable broadband connection of PLDT, the TVolution Stick by Intel will serve to augment the home entertainment experience offered by PLDT by also bringing full PC capabilities to the home, so Filipinos can both consume and create, thus, connecting to their potential with technology.”
This groundbreaking collaboration with Intel came on the heels of the breakthrough partnerships with global entertainment company and Asia Pacific’s leading broadcaster Fox International Channels and Southeast Asia’s leading Internet TV service iflix. Apart from these, PLDT HOME partnered with various digital lifestyle applications to complement the needs of its consumers.
PLDT HOME commands a market share of over 70 percent in the first half of the year. Its robust fixed and wireless networks are supported by the country’s most expansive fiber-optic network, spanning more than 100,000 kilometers.
“PLDT HOME’s partnership with Intel in introducing the new TVolution Stick lets Filipino families integrate Fox, iflix, and other digital applications in one small but powerful device enabling a richer and more convenient digital lifestyle as we forge the strongest connections at home,” Dujali said.