It has been primarily radio silence for the disruptive TV experiment Telly in recent months. After opening up registrations nearly 10 months ago, details have been few and far between as the company has tested and refined its product with a few thousand customers. The premise behind the company is to give away 55-inch smart TVs at no cost to consumers but to enhance them with second screens that feature advertising. Telly will also be able to use all of the data discovered through the devices to better target ads and services. Now, the company has revealed a new set of updates in an email to customers who have signed up to be a part of the experiment.

Key Points

• Telly told customers on its reservations list that it will begin distributing free TVs more widely in the “coming months.”
• The company says that it has added new features to the devices including watch-together, fitness, and widget capabilities.
• Telly claims that it has hundreds of thousands of people on its waitlist to receive a free smart TV.

Check Out a New Preview of the Telly Smart TV:

This week, Telly emailed individuals who signed up to be a part of the program with an update on how things were progressing. The company sent out the first installment of a new newsletter called “Telly Insider” in which the company claimed to be “hundreds of thousands strong and growing.”

The company indicated that it has sent out thousands of devices to beta testers across the country and their input has helped the company continue its attempts to build the smartest TV in the world. Between the beta testers and the company’s team, they have identified and eliminated bugs, built new features, and are refining the product to make it as market-ready as possible for when more ship out in the near future.

“As we continue to ship TVs and expand into wider availability in the coming months,” the Telly Insider said, “you’ll be the first to know about the latest news and delivery updates.”

The newsletter acknowledged that interested customers have been waiting for a long time to receive their free TVs, but Telly assures users that what the company has been working on will make the wait well worth it.

What New Additions Is Telly Adding to Its Free Smart TVs?

Telly has already announced the inclusion of a ChatGPT-powered virtual assistant, as well as the inclusion of the most popular streaming apps, over 40 video games, music apps, and more. However, it is introducing even more features that utilize its TV’s built-in camera, second screen, and soundbar.

• Watch Together on Telly: Telly is harnessing the power of its built-in camera to turn the screen into a co-watching hub. Now, users can watch their favorite sporting events, movies, and shows, or play video games on the main, 55-inch screen, while they are on a video call with friends on the smaller, second screen.

• Fitness on Telly: Similar to a fitness, smart mirror, Telly can turn a user’s living room into an interactive fitness studio. The TV company is working with GoFa, to use the device’s main screen and camera to ensure that users maximize their results in every workout.

• Always-On Widgets: One benefit of the dual-screen Telly smart TV is that even when the main screen (the Theater Display) is turned off, the bottom screen can remain on, providing information around the clock. Personalized widgets will allow consumers to keep track of the weather, news, time, sports scores, and other useful information with just one glance.

• Picture Perfect: Telly has told customers that it has “fine-tuned everything for even sharper picture quality” on its devices. The company has reportedly been working on perfecting individually tailored picture modes including “Movie,” “Game,” and “Bright,” in order to let viewers experience their content however they would like. Additionally, users can personalize their viewing with adjustable backlight, brightness, contrast, and more.

How Long Will It Take to Get Your Free Telly Smart TV?

The Telly Insider newsletter did not provide an update on the timetable for future devices to be sent to customers on the waitlist aside from indicating that more devices will be sent in the coming months. However, the company did let consumers know how to best stay up-to-date on the process.

In addition to encouraging individuals to ensure that their reservations were complete, Telly indicated that customers could check their reservation statuses via the Telly mobile app, where all updates and information about the process will be available.

“As soon as your Telly is ready,” the newsletter said, “we’ll drop you an email and send a notification through your Telly mobile app. That’s your cue to lock in your details like confirming your shipping address and giving our Terms & Conditions the thumbs up. Once that’s all sorted, our delivery squad will be in touch to sort out the shipping details with you.”

As you might assume when it comes to a free 55-inch smart TV, there are a few strings involved. Telly requires that the device be used as the primary screen in your home, in order for the company to garner enough data and serve enough advertisements to make giving away the TV for free worth the investment. Users are also not allowed to cover or tamper with the second screen and there are monetary commitments involved with not abiding by the terms and conditions.

Nonetheless, it appears that Telly is slowly, but surely, inching closer to sending out more smart TVs to the “hundreds of thousands” of American consumers willing to be a part of the disruptive data play.