This tiny dongle turns your regular TV into a Smart TV

Silicon Valley venture capitalists get a lot of credit for powering some of our greatest innovations, but increasingly the crowdfunding site Kickstarter is responsible for the most exciting new tech. The latest example is the Pocket TV, a dongle that gives your normal TV superpowers.

The tiny dongle connects to the HDMI port on your television and, running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), allows you to play games, surf the Internet and even conduct Skype video chats. The package comes with a tiny IR Remote, a more elaborate Air Remote with a gyroscopic sensor and full keyboard, or you can simply download the Google Remote TV app to control the device from your iPhone or Android smartphone.
The team has already blown past its $100,000 goal with a current tally of $370,000 contributions, but with seven days to go on the campaign, you can still snag one for $99 before it hits retail at $160. You can see the Pocket TV in action in the videos below.