Hillcrest Labs and Clicker Announce Strategic Alliance

ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Hillcrest Labs (www.hillcrestlabs.com), in collaboration with Clicker (www.clicker.com), the Internet television guide, debuted instant visual search capabilities for the latest version of Kylo™, the free Web browser for connected-TVs (www.kylo.tv). Also announced today, the latest version of Kylo includes many other new enhancements catering to the millions of households that connect their PC or Mac® to their TV.

By integrating Clicker's search technology, Kylo's instant visual search feature will simultaneously provide thumbnail images of results from across the Web as users are typing. Users can enter text using Kylo's on-screen keyboard coupled with a standard mouse of the Loop™ pointer, or a physical keyboard.  

In addition, Clicker.tv will power a co-branded Internet television programming guide within the Kylo browser, easily accessible via Kylo's directory of recommended websites. Clicker.tv's interface was created specifically for the 10-foot viewing experience, providing Kylo users with the ability to quickly and easily find and watch hundreds of thousands of TV shows, movies, Web series, live-streaming events, and music videos on their connected-TVs.

"With access to over half a million TV shows and tens of thousands of movies, Clicker is one of the premier video entertainment sites on the Web," said Dan Simpkins, Founder and CEO of Hillcrest Labs. "Our collaboration has greatly enhanced the newest version of Kylo, which now offers a better search experience and access to fantastic content."

"We are very excited to work with Hillcrest Labs, a company that is consistently creating innovative ways for users to view and interact with Web-based content in the living room," said Jim Lanzone, founder and CEO of Clicker. "With the new Kylo browser and our instant search collaboration, users who connect their computer to the TV are now able to quickly navigate the Web and all its content within a browser optimized for the 10-foot, lean-back viewing experience."

For additional information about Clicker or Clicker.tv please visit www.clicker.com or www.clicker.tv and follow Clicker on Twitter: @clicker.

Additional details about Hillcrest Labs are available at www.hillcrestlabs.com. Consumers can follow Hillcrest Labs on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/kylobrowser or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kylotvbrowser.

About Hillcrest Labs

Hillcrest Laboratories (a.k.a. Hillcrest Labs) sells products to consumer electronics manufacturers, service providers, and consumers that enable unique, interactive digital media experiences for TVs and other digital media devices. Hillcrest Labs sells and licenses its pointing technology, called Freespace®, for use in a wide range of consumer devices including remote controls, PC mice, and game controllers. Companies that have licensed Hillcrest Labs' technology for use in their products include: LG, Eastman Kodak, Logitech, Universal Electronics (UEI), and ZillionTV. For consumers, Hillcrest Labs sells the Loop™ pointer, an in-air mouse for TV that lets users control an onscreen cursor with a flick of the wrist and navigate the Web or their home media content on TV. Hillcrest Labs also offers the Kylo™ browser, a free Web browser for TV.

Hillcrest Labs has received numerous awards and recognitions including the CES Innovations Award, PC World's 100 Best Products and Greatest Tech Designs, Popular Mechanics' Editors Choice, ECN's Reader's Choice Tech, and many others.  Based in Rockville, Maryland, Hillcrest Labs was founded in 2001 by Dan Simpkins.  The company is funded by NEA, AllianceBernstein, Columbia Capital, and Grotech Ventures.  For additional information, visit www.hillcrestlabs.com.

About Clicker

Clicker (www.clicker.com) is the complete programming guide for the new era of Internet television. Clicker catalogs all the premium television shows, movies, Web originals and music videos available on the Web in one seamless, organized experience so viewers can easily discover what's available to watch online, where to watch it, and new shows they might like. Based in Los Angeles, Calif., Clicker is funded by Benchmark Capital, Redpoint Ventures, Allen & Company, JAFCO Ventures and Qualcomm Investments, and co-founded by CEO Jim Lanzone, the former CEO of Ask.com. Please visit http://www.clicker.com or http://blog.clicker.com for more information.

All product and service names listed in this release remain property of their parent companies and do not indicate official support or endorsement for the Loop pointer, Kylo browser or Hillcrest Labs.  All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Hillcrest Labs, Freespace, the Loop pointer, and the Kylo browser are trademarks of Hillcrest Laboratories, Inc.

SOURCE Hillcrest Labs