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Google TV was announced today. But what exactly is it? Give us two minutes. More »

As expected, Google just announced Google TV at I/O. There’s four billion TV viewers worldwide, making it the biggest market in the world, and Google’s after it in a big way — it’s a $70 billion ad market in the US alone, after all. According to Google, “video should be consumed on the biggest, best, and brightest screen in your house, and that’s the TV.” The idea is to merge the web and TV without compromising on either the web experience or the video experience, with a focus on discovery and personalization. Of course, since it’s Google, the interface is search-driven, so you can just type in things like “30 Rock” or MSNBC” to find channels and content — including upcoming content to record and content from the internet. Yeah, it’s kind of like the TiVo Premiere’s swivel search, but prettier — and there’s a Hulu logo on the screen, which is extremely intriguing.

Google’s not sharing hardware specs, but we’re told Google TV devices will have WiFi, HDMI, the Intel CE4100 processor, and… some will have an IR blaster to tune your cable or satellite box, which is just sad. (Like, 1997 sad.) The input devices will all have keyboards, and you’ll also be able to use Android devices as a remote, including using voice search to find content and sending content from the phone to the TV. The software is based on Android with Chrome as the browser and full Flash 10.1 support. Since it’s Android, there’s a version of Android Market — any app that doesn’t require phone hardware can run on Google TV. There will also be a Google TV-specific Android SDK launching in “early” 2011, along with the Android Market for Google TV.

As for partners, it’s just as we heard: Sony will launch Sony Internet TVs and Blu-ray players with Google TV in the fall, and Logitech will introduce a set-top box with a Harmony remote and an HD camera for video chat at some point in the future. Dish Network will also launch a Google TV box at some point, while Best Buy will promote the platform as a whole in-store.

Make sure to keep up with the latest from I/O in our liveblog!

Continue reading Google TV turns on at I/O: runs Android and Flash, partnered with Sony, Logitech, and Intel

Google TV turns on at I/O: runs Android and Flash, partnered with Sony, Logitech, and Intel originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 May 2010 12:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony, Intel, and Google are teaming up to produce a line of Internet-connected televisions that will run on a new version of Google’s Android operating system, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

Intel is contributing a
customized version of its Atom chip that will run a new version
of Google’s Android operating system called Dragonpoint, Bloomberg reported. The TVs will be announced at the Google I/O conference in May.

The Bloomberg story apparently confirms an earlier report by The New York Times that says essentially the same thing. What’s new is that Bloomberg has unearthed a name for the Android TV derivative. Logitech, as both the Times and Bloomberg reported, is working to develop a remote control/keyboard combo device to control the new TVs.

Google declined to comment on rumors and speculation.

Sure, selling $150~ 3D glasses and $80~ WiFi adapters for their HDTVs is no problem, but according to Bloomberg Samsung and Panasonic have drawn the line at the rumored Google TV initiative. Panasonic VP Bob Perry said in an interview that the Intel hardware to run Android “adds too much to the cost of the set,” while Samsung similarly declined to join, looking towards a future built on its own apps platform. The widget experience at CES 2010 did appear to be much improved, but so far the sometimes slow and clunky interfaces have left us with CE4100 dreams and open Market wishes. Judging by our last poll on the subject, opinions on the future of such displays are split, but without anything in the way of an official announcement from the Google / Intel / Sony / Logitech cabal we’ll hold off on deciding who has made the right choice.

Who doesn’t want Android and Intel in their HDTV? Panasonic & Samsung originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 01:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A little more than a week ago, The Wall Street Journal reported that Google and DISH Network had begun testing a set-top box that uses Google as a search algorithm. In a story published late Wednesday, The New York Times went a step further, claiming that a “Google TV” platform is in the works, from Intel, Google, Sony and Logitech.

The Times reported that the Google service will run on Atom-powered set-top boxes, and that Logitech is developing complementary remote controls. The Google TV platform will be opened to third-party developers to write their own plug-ins, as they have for the Android platform, the paper reported.

Given the two complementary reports from two of the major daily papers, it seems logical to assume that Google is likely leaking the news ahead of a launch. Furthermore, the open platform concept seems to be in keeping with Google’s strategy.

Sony apparently will manufacture the set-top boxes, although I have yet to see a mass-market Sony set-top besides the PlayStation 3.

EDIT: I wrote earlier that, since the announcement of a plug-in TV widget technology with Intel in 2008, a Yahoo-Intel partnership for developing widgets on set-top boxes has been extremely quiet. Yahoo representatives have pointed out that the company has announced partnerships with Vizio, LG, Sony, and Samsung.