Elocity A7 Stream TV

Tech geeks will get excited about the A7 for three reasons: Froyo, NVidia Tegra and 1080p output. Basically the newest Android operating system, a processor chip optimized for gaming, video and graphic processing allows you to plug it into a TV.

The hardware controls are the standard control buttons that appear on every Android phone with an added volume button, but they are landscape oriented. eLocity is clearly aimed directly at media consumers, unlike the iPad.

This is like a more-versatile Apple TV, with a built-in touchscreen, that also plays video games, runs apps, and browses the web. And you can take it with you.

Because of the NVidia chip and 1080p, the A7 works great hooked up to an HDTV. And eLocicity is including an HDMI cable and Bluetooth-fob keyboard with the A7 in its $400 kit. Because it uses Android, it can play almost any file format. You don’t have to worry about buying video in different resolutions for your portable device and your set-top box.

You can also play video games on the big screen while hooked up to your TV — we played the racing game Asphalt 5 — but here the HDMI cable was really awkward. Cables and accelerometers do not mix. The gameplay was much better when using the tablet like a PSP, without connecting it to a TV. It’ll be even better once there are more Android games that take advantage of the tablet form factor.

The other hurdle to clear when the A7 is hooked up to the TV is inputting data. You can walk over and use the touchscreen, but that’s very pre-remote. There’s the included keyboard, but it is just the teensiest bit awkward using a device that big when you’re not at a desk or conference table. It worked fine — I just wonder whether people who aren’t me will enjoy sitting back, relaxing, and pulling out a big keyboard to watch a movie.

Part of the problem is that there just aren’t many good peripherals for Android devices yet. The keyboard eLocity is including is branded for Windows (“We’ll include an Android sticker to put over the Windows logo,” company reps told me), and there aren’t any Bluetooth mice, trackpads, or remotes, although clever people might get something unofficially supported to work.

The hardware keyboard is also an acknowledgment that software keyboards for these tablets are fine for casual use, but not knocking anybody over just yet. My editor called it “a deconstructed netbook,” and that’s not far off. But again, part of the appeal is that it can alternately be a tablet, netbook, and set-top box as needed.

It also works as an e-reader. It’s not as light as a Kindle, but smaller and lighter than an iPad, and the touch controls and Aidiko e-book software work great. You’ve can also get the Nook and Kindle apps for Android. Instead of using Pages to read PDFs, its got Adobe Reader and it supports Adobe Flash.

The A7 is being shipping with Facebook, the trial versioin of Documents to Go, Twidroid, and other popular apps preloaded, so it’s ready to go right out of the box.