Microsoft and Videocon team up for the first ever 'Windows 10-powered' TV set

Many have clamored for Microsoft to make an alternate play into ‘the living’ room, ditching its relatively expensive gaming focused Xbox consoles for a more practical in-home experience for non-gamers. Items such as the Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku and Amazon Fire Stick have all been brought up as pricing and form factors Microsoft should follow, to offer a more convenient way to enjoy the content using Microsoft services.
While we have yet to hear about a Xbox-lite piece of hardware coming from Microsoft anytime soon, the company does appear to be testing alternative content delivery methods for the living room.
According to Gadgets360, “Videocon, in partnership with Microsoft, on Wednesday launched what it is calling the world’s first Windows 10-powered LED TV, priced at Rs. 39,990 for the 32-inch panel, and Rs. 52,990 for the 40-inch model.”
The 40-inch TV, with help from Microsoft, can also double as a personal computer. Called ‘One Touch PC, One Touch TV’, it will house Microsoft Office as well as the Windows Store and All Cast app, making it the all-in-one device some hoped the Xbox One would eventually mature into. Specifically, the TV is a full-HD display with 2GB of DDR3 RAM, built in WiFi and houses HDMI ports, 16GB of built-in storage that can be expanded with a microSD card.

The new TV puts a stamp on Microsoft’s new strategy of being everywhere the customers are. As phones, tablets and other screens become the center of attention for most computing needs, building Windows 10 into the few devices people are now using for computing is beginning to make clear sense.

In these changing times, we realised the needs of our consumers of having easy access to technology at their convenience and, therefore, designed the world’s first hybrid TV/ PC,” Videocon Head of Technology and Innovation Akshay.

Currently, Videocon is selling 32 and 40-inch models of its presumably, Android-based TV sets, but depending on the feedback from the market, it is open to upping the size to 55 or 65 inches for both Windows 10 and Android.
Microsoft Director of Windows Business Group  Vineet Durani added,

With this innovative product, we intend to extend the Windows 10 experience to more users… At Microsoft, it is our constant endeavor to help our partners enter newer categories and create innovative products in order to offer our customers the best user experience at affordable price points.”

We’ve been speculating on how Continuum would work in the real world, Videocon’s new TV may give us our first look at some practical real world applications. Microsoft has also made plans to update Continuum with wireless capabilities, perhaps making a ‘One Touch PC, One Touch TV’ the ideal use case for people who no longer use traditional laptops or PCs for computing.