Hillcrest Labs unveiled the latest version of the Kylo browser, the free Web browser for TV, which the company introduced earlier this year. Developed for the millions of households that connect their PCs or Macs to the TV, Kylo lets users visit sites across the Web with a browser that was specifically designed to be viewed from a distance in the family room, living room, or dorm room. In addition, Hillcrest Labs announced that its award-winning companion product, the Loop pointer, is available at half price, just $49, from now through June 11 in celebration of the new Kylo release and in advance of Father’s Day.

The latest version of the Kylo browser (Kylo Beta 0.7) is available at www.kylo.tv and includes a variety of new product features that enable users to launch Kylo from a plug-in created for Windows Media Center; hide Kylo’s control bar and keyboard; configure Kylo’s settings in order to access Web site pages designed for other hardware platforms; enjoy enhanced zooming; print from their TV; and more.

The Kylo browser is not meant to replace traditional browsers such as Internet Explorer, Safari, or Firefox for use with standard computer display screens, but instead is for use on a television connected to a computer. Unlike other applications or Web sites, Kylo is not a “walled garden” of aggregated video content, but rather a true Web browser that lets users go where they want across the Internet. According to Deloitte’s, “State of the Media Democracy Survey Fourth Edition,” December 2009, the firm found that 65% of US Internet users would like to connect their televisions to the Internet, a figure that jumped to 74% among Millennials (ages 14-26).

New Features of the Kylo Browser Beta 0.7 include:

• Windows Media Center launcher – A new Kylo plug-in is now available for Windows Media Center. This feature enables people who use Windows Media Center on their computer connected to their HDTV to launch Kylo and then easily return to other Windows Media Center applications after surfing the Web.
• Auto-hide control bar – Users can now select an auto-hide feature for the Kylo control bar. For video sites that do not offer full screen mode, this gives users the maximum viewing space possible. The Kylo control bar conveniently reappears when the cursor is directed at the bottom of the screen with a mouse or Loop pointer.
• Domain-specific user agent string setting – Advanced users can now change the user agent string used by Kylo using the application’s new settings. This feature, used in other conventional browsers, can improve compatibility with some Web sites like Hulu, and can enable Kylo users to view sites that are designed for other platforms like the Apple iPad, Nintendo Wii or Sony PlayStation.
• Better zoom indication – The new Kylo makes it easier to discover and use Kylo’s zoom capabilities for reading Web pages at a distance across the living room.
• Default zoom level setting – This new setting allows the user to set a minimum zoom setting for all Web pages, which is particularly useful for Kylo users with 1080 HD resolution settings.
• Enable/disable auto keyboard – In its default setting, Kylo automatically presents its on-screen keyboard to enter text on Web sites as appropriate. With the new version of Kylo, users who typically have a keyboard handy can select this setting to keep the on-screen keyboard hidden.
• Multiscreen support on Mac – Mac users can now target their secondary screen as the main browser screen for the Kylo browser. This capability previously existed for PC users only.
• Printing – With many home computers now linked via WiFi or Ethernet to a networked printer, Kylo users can conveniently print from their TV browser.
• Updated directory of links – The Kylo directory, which serves as a fast index to top sites, has been updated with a variety of new and increasingly popular sites, like RadioTime and several photo sites, to further expand the experience of Web surfing in the living room. The directory contains links to dozens of sites across a range of topics including: TV, movies, music, sports, games, and more. Users can also continue to use Kylo’s bookmark feature to set up their own personal, visual directory of their favorite sites.