After being unceremoniously abandoned by key hardware partner Logitech last fall, the Google TV platform seems to have found a worthy replacement in Vizio.

The Co-Star is Vizio's first venture into the set-top box space. It offers the full Google-curated complement of streaming options, plus live TV integration, the ability to install apps from Google Play, and compatibility with Bluetooth accessories and other peripherals. The little $100 box packs enough might to handle 1080p HD streams and files, but content options in Google TV are lacking, and the Co-Star can't compete with more full-grown streaming set-ups like those from Apple and Roku. If you're sold on Google TV, however, Vizio's device is half the price of the other Google box on the market, the $200 Sony NSZ-GS7, and it's a great cost-saving alternative.

The 4.2-inch square black case looks like a cross between a hockey puck and a coaster. On the back are HDMI ports (in and out), Ethernet, and a USB port. Inside are radios for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

Initial set-up took me around half an hour. After connecting everything, pairing the remote, and optimizing its display area for your television, you can then integrate the Co-Star with the rest of your living room: a cable or satellite box, a DVD or Blu-ray player, another internet device, and your sound system. There's no dedicated audio output, so unless your audio system has a way to accept HDMI input, you're stuck using your TV's speakers, or otherwise relying on your TV's optical-out (if you have one) to feed the audio signal to your speakers.

Vizio's skinned Google TV interface takes a completely different approach than competitors like Boxee, Roku, or Apple. Rather than filling up the entire screen with large app icons (or even just the bottom portion of the screen, as in the standard Google TV interface), the Co-Star's main app menu is a quarter-screen-sized pane that slides out from the left-hand side of the TV. This menu is pre-stocked with over a dozen apps and services, and has a customizable "Favorite Apps" section at the top. You can slide it out onto the screen at any time with the click of a button, without needing to exit the current app first.

Speaking of buttons, the Co-Star remote has them in spades. There's a traditional remote control on one side (plus a touch-based trackpad), and a QWERTY keyboard on the other. A directional navigation pad is repeated on both sides, and gaming buttons adorn the rear. At first, it feels like button overload. But after using it for a while, I found it to be a welcome change over less useful, super-minimalist remotes like the Apple TV's. Unfortunately, because of the length of the remote, the QWERTY keyboard on the back can be an uncomfortable stretch for your thumbs. But I'd still rather have it than not.

Another win: The Co-Star has a built-in web browser. And it being an Android device, that browser is naturally Chrome. Derping around the web on a TV is still plenty awkward, but the touch-sensitive trackpad on the remote control makes navigating a passable experience.

The quality of streaming content largely depends on the source, of course. Standard-quality YouTube videos look pretty horrid blown out on a big screen, but the Co-Star has the chops to serve up smooth, artifact-free 1080p content, and even 3-D content, when available.

Availability, however, is still a major sticking point. There are limited streaming options in the Google Play store right now. There's Netflix, but no Hulu. Amazon Instant video works, but it just loads the website in the browser, and too many of the streaming options simply go to the web versions. There are no options to watch videos from sources like ABC, CBS, or Comedy Central, as those networks block streaming access through the Google TV's browser.

Competing devices are clearly better for full-on cord-cutters. But for Android diehards and the Google TV-curious, the Co-Star is a satisfying, low-cost option.For those networks, you're asked to rely on your existing television source, be it basic cable or a DVR. The Co-Star comes with the promise of seamlessly integrating with your regular TV service, but that integration is still so-so at best. On the Co-Star, you have the option to browse and search the listings for both live and streaming content. But if you want to record live programming, for example, you will get thrown out of the Co-Star's interface and into your cable or satellite box's UI. (Dish subscribers are exempt from this jarring transition.)

One thing that helps fill this gaping hole is the ability to play local content. Vizio's box supports H.264, MP4 and MKV formats, and it plays them in full 1080p without a hitch.

The Co-Star also has OnLive gaming built-in, so you can play titles like Batman: Arkham City or Civilization V on-demand over your internet connection. Playback over Wi-Fi tended to be slow and stuttery, and without an OnLive wireless gaming controller, gameplay was difficult and unintuitive. So, hook up the Ethernet cable and attach a controller if you're going to go there.

Vizio's streamer is a great, lower-cost (by half!) alternative to Sony's Google TV box. But it doesn't have the AirPlay mirroring and cross-device streaming capability of the similarly priced Apple TV, nor does it have the wealth of content found on the $80 Roku 2 XD.

Those competing devices are clearly better for full-on cord-cutters. But for Android diehards, the Google TV-curious, and those looking to supplement (rather than replace) their live TV experience, the Co-Star is a satisfying, low-cost option.

WIRED Handles 1080p streams, and several video formats for local files. Button-filled remote control is like a Swiss Army knife of input. Straightforward setup. Chrome browser surprisingly doesn't want to make you gouge your eyes out in frustration.

TIRED Limited streaming options – updates are expected, but for now, no Hulu. And no ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, or Comedy Central through the browser. Vizio's UI doesn't take advantage of the big screen, and app names are awkwardly truncated in the main menu. No dedicated audio outputs, so you're limited to sound systems that can accept HDMI.

Update, Oct 2: This review was updated to clarify the availability of streaming content options, and to provide further detail about available audio-out options.