(photos: A.C.Ryan) A.C.Ryan VEOLO Media Player | US$279.00 | www.acryan.com
who doesn’t love a smart TV? however, some of us might be reluctant to splurge our hard earned dough for one and that’s where the A.C.Ryan VEOLO comes in. billed as the smart Android hub, it is (naturally) powered by Android OS (and in this case, version 2.2 aka Froyo) and (naturally, again) it does more than just a media player or streamer. armed with built-in WIFI and a web browser with HTML 5, Adobe Flash and Chrome V8 JavaScript support, it allows you to surf the Internet just like you would on your desktop. additionally, being Android-powered also means user will have access to a host of widgets, apps and games, thus adding more functionality to your older non-smart TV without having to buy a new TV set. the VEOLO also introduces us to a whole new way of input and controls that include mouse motion, touch and swipe and QWERTY keyboard. other notable features include 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, 512MB RAM, full HD support with HDMI 1.3 out, Dolby Digital and DTS downmix, two USB ports and SD/SDHC card slot. the A.C.Ryan VEOLO media player is available via its worldwide retailer network with a price tag of €199 or US$279.