Mecool Now KA2 Android TV review: Could be smarter - XDA Developers

Sometimes a machine surface tin beryllium a spot excessively tiny if you privation to video chat with a radical of people, similar your family. Now Mecool has introduced an add-on camera for your TV that volition fto you get the full radical into the framework erstwhile you chat. The Mecool Now KA2 is the latest Android TV video camera offering from Mecool, which has a scope of location amusement products, boxes, and sticks. It besides offers a scope of accessories, specified arsenic flash drives, keyboards, and remotes.

The Mecool Now KA2 astute camera sits connected apical of your TV and not lone gives you a afloat featured Android TV, but it besides works arsenic a webcam for your TV portion giving you customizable privacy. But is it the champion enactment if you privation to instrumentality a video telephone from your couch? Let's instrumentality a look.

About this review: This reappraisal was written aft investigating a Mecool Now KA2 astute camera with video calling. Mecool did not person immoderate input successful this article.

Mecool Now KA2 Android TV and video calling camera: Price and availability

• You tin lone acquisition the set-top container connected Mecool's website for $124.99

The Mecool Now KA2 Android TV and camera is for merchantability astatine Mecool’s tract for $124.99. Right now, you tin get 15% disconnected and escaped shipping connected the tract if you usage the codification BLACK. It was antecedently disposable connected third-party retailers similar Amazon but is presently retired of stock.

Mecool Now KA2 camera: Hardware

• Adjustable buffers assistance the portion beryllium securely connected apical of the TV
• Manual sliding camera screen for privateness
• Slider power to crook disconnected the microphone

The Meecool Now KA2 Android TV and camera portion has a streamlined look, which you tin spot successful the photos below. The beforehand of the portion has the powerfulness switch, the IR receiver, and the one-click reply button. There are 4 LED lights that show a scope of colors depending connected the function. On the right-hand side, determination is the camera itself with an LED show that shows erstwhile the camera is successful use, on, oregon off.

If you're disquieted astir your camera pointing astatine you each clip you're successful beforehand of your TV, the portion besides comes with a microphone privateness power and a knurled instrumentality which, erstwhile turned, covers the camera lens with a carnal cover.

Underneath the unit, determination is simply a larboard for the powerfulness jack an HDMI successful and retired port, and a web port.

There are 2 adjustable legs that driblet down to the rear of the portion to halt it from sliding forwards disconnected the TV screen. There is besides a rubber bumper that tin beryllium lifted to halt the portion from sliding forwards disconnected the TV screen. These are casual to adjust, and though the legs are a small stiff, they tin beryllium adjusted to acceptable adjacent the slimmest of TV sets. My TV is astir 1cm heavy and the Mecool sat snugly connected the apical of the set

Mecool Now KA2 Android TV and video calling camera: Software and installation

• Easy to brace with distant
• One-click entree to Google Meet
• Simple to acceptable up and usage with the distant power

Installing the Mecool Now KA2 Android TV camera is conscionable arsenic elemental arsenic its design. All you request to bash is connect the HDMI cablegram to the TV and the Mecool unit, plug successful the powerfulness supply, and power the portion on. Pair the distant power with the camera (after inserting 2 AAA batteries), log into your Google account, and commencement calling. The full installation process took lone a mates of minutes.

Then, each you request to bash is to log successful and commencement calling radical connected your interaction list. Do enactment that this Android TV and camera volition lone enactment with Google Meet video calling software, truthful marque definite you person a Google relationship acceptable earlier setup.

I recovered the Mecool Now KA2 astute camera bundle elemental to brace with the distant control. Turn the camera connected and spot the batteries into the remote. When the surface appears, click the measurement down and participate buttons simultaneously until the instrumentality flashes. It volition past brace the distant to the Mecool Now KA2 set-top box.

Once the app is connected, click the Google Duo fastener connected the distant to entree the Google Meet screen. Just marque definite you person the latest mentation of Google Duo — oregon Google Meet, arsenic it is present known.

I was capable to get the set-top container up quickly, though I ran into 1 issue. I followed the instructions successful the idiosyncratic guide, clicked the Google Duo fastener connected the remote, and rapidly started Google Meet. However, I couldn't spot immoderate contacts, nor could I make immoderate groups connected the screen. My contacts database was empty, which was puzzling. It took maine rather a portion to fig retired the issue: I couldn't telephone immoderate of my connections without immoderate Google Meet-enabled contacts showing successful the list, and I couldn't find retired wherever to adhd them. Then. it each became clear. All of my existing contacts are synced to my Outlook accounts. I person ne'er utilized Google contacts to prevention immoderate names crossed immoderate of my devices.

This is simply a immense contented for me. I privation the close to take wherever I prevention and sync my contacts, and my prime isn’t Google. Of course, if you person an Android instrumentality oregon exclusively usage Gmail, past you won't tally into this problem. However, I spot the slug connected my Android, and I added a fewer names to Google’s contacts, truthful I could trial this diagnostic properly. As soon arsenic I added contacts to my Google account, each worked perfectly.

Mecool Now KA2 Android TV and video calling camera: Features

• Simple to marque calls
• Picture successful representation mode
• Remote power calling

Calls are elemental to marque from the device. Use the distant power to scroll down to the sanction you privation and click call, either utilizing a video oregon dependable call. If the different enactment responds from their mobile device, you tin commencement talking. You tin person calls excessively from the TV. If the instrumentality rings, you tin interaction the fastener connected the apical of the portion and reply the call. Make definite that you person opened the sliding screen implicit the camera and the microphone slider too.

When you are not utilizing the Mecool Now KA2 for video calling, you tin instrumentality vantage of Android TV and usage immoderate of the built-in apps specified arsenic YouTube, Prime Video, Google Play, and TikTok. There is nary Netflix, however, which mightiness beryllium a dealbreaker for some. You besides get Google Assistant entree for basal astute controls.

Unfortunately, portion determination are a batch of large filters you tin usage connected a mobile device, you can't usage immoderate with the Mecool Now KA2 Android TV and video camera extremity of the call. The lone fancy effect you tin usage is to reflector the camera successful the room. Picture successful representation mode shows however overmuch of the country is disposable connected the surface to the different party.

Calls enactment precisely arsenic they bash from mobile instrumentality to mobile instrumentality — isolated from the deficiency of filters and effects. The lone quality is that your TV becomes the screen. You tin beryllium backmost connected the sofa and chat with your friends without holding your mobile instrumentality oregon moving it astir to acceptable everyone into the shot. Video calling is simply a acold amended acquisition with this gadget.

Calling a interaction was easy, and receiving an incoming telephone connected the instrumentality was simple. I besides loved that you tin crook disconnected the microphone and descent a screen implicit the lens erstwhile you privation to marque definite that your privateness is guaranteed.

There are different TV cameras connected the market, specified arsenic the Facebook Meta Portal, which is much expensive, oregon the Echo Show and blink Mini bundle from Amazon. The Meta camera is acold much flexible successful presumption of calling platforms, but it doesn't supply a afloat Android TV experience. With its built-in astute speaker, the Echo amusement volition bash truthful overmuch much than simply marque video calls, but the surface acquisition is acold smaller.

Should you bargain a Mecool Now KA2 Android TV and video calling camera?

You should bargain a Mecool Now KA2 Android TV and video calling camera if:

• You usage Google Duo (Meet) to video telephone your friends often
• You privation to get your full household connected surface for calls
• You similar your devices to beryllium elemental to acceptable up

You shouldn't bargain a Mecool Now KA2 Android TV and video calling camera if:

• You bash not usage Google Meet oregon different Google programs already
• If you already person the Mecool KA1 Android TV and astute talker
• If you already person a Facebook Meta Portal instrumentality

If you already person the Mecool KA1 with Android TV with its astute speaker, you mightiness not consciousness the request to upgrade to the KA2, particularly if you don't request video calling. While the Mecool Now KA2 Android TV gives you entree to each your favourite multimedia apps and video calling, it doesn't person a ton of different astute features.

However, the Mecool Now KA2 Android TV and video calling camera is simply a bargain astatine $129 and is ace elemental to acceptable up and use. You conscionable person to beryllium a Google ace instrumentality to get the astir retired of it.