Samsung inTouch brings web and Skype to your TV

Samsung InTouch
Samsung InTouch smartens up your old HDTV

Samsung has taken the lens cap off a set-top camera called the inTouch which opens up a world of Skype calling and web browsing to those with older HDTVs.

Running a tweaked version of Android 2.3, it upgrades the functionality of your TV with apps including YouTube and Google News and Weather, plus big screen web browsing.

The camera even comes with its own palm-sized QWERTY keyboard remote for bashing out emails during the Corrie ad break.

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Installation promises to be a doddle, as once perched atop its TV throne it simply requires connection to a Wi-Fi network and its HDMI cable plugged in the back of the TV. It has an internal microphone and speakers so there are no messy peripherals to contend with.

It's also home to a USB port so you can quickly slot in photos and bore your family and friends with the full unedited version of your snaps from your trip to the steam museum, then upload the least unpopular ones straight to Facebook.

The camera itself is a 3MP unit which delivers 720p HD video and can be tilted up and down within a 30 degree range so grandma doesn't just see the top of your head.

The InTouch looks like a handy addition to an older set, but if you're looking for the full Google TV experience, check out Lenovo's 55-inch Google TV which is the first to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Samsung inTouch is out in March for $199.99 in the US, with no details of a UK release yet.