Google TV 2.0 Debuts: Number of Platform-Specific Applications ‘Won’t Be Large’ at Start
While Google TV 2.0 provides access to the Android Market, the number of platform-specific applications “won’t be large” at the start as devices receive the software update, said Mario Queiroz, vice president-product management, in a blog post.
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About 50 developers have “seeded” Android Market with “useful” Google TV applications, but apps that require touchscreen, telephony or GPS will be missing from the mix, Queiroz said. Google TV has existing apps that include CNN Money, CNBC, Fox Business, Pandora, Napster, Twitter and others. The new release simplifies the original user interface by adding a customizable home screen to allow quicker access to content, and within the apps will be shortcuts similar to those employed in Android-based tablets and smartphones, he said. Google’s YouTube has been better-integrated with Google TV search “so that you can turn virtually any topic, including mountain biking, cooking, and others” into a channel, Queiroz said. Google also has developed a Google TV-specific version of YouTube to allow for the delivery of HD-quality content, he said.
"Given so much choice, we're committed to delivering the best way to discover and engage with the high-quality entertainment on your television,” whether that comes from cable, satellite or the Web, Queiroz said. “The initial version of Google TV wasn’t perfect, but launching it gave us the opportunity to learn. These are still early days, and we're working hard to move forward with each update.
Additional software upgrades are in development, along with “new devices on new chipsets from multiple hardware partners,” that will be released in the “coming months,” Queiroz said. In addition to the first companies to release Google TV-based products -- Sony and Logitech -- Vizio and Samsung are expected to join the mix in 2012, retailers said. A Vizio spokesman declined to comment. Vizio had been expected to field 47-inch and 55-inch Google TV-equipped sets by mid-year. Samsung officials weren’t available for comment, but Samsung at CES said it was developing a Google TV-based set-top box and Blu-ray player. Logitech is developing Google TV-equipped Harmony remote controls.
Sony’s Google TV-based products, which have included 40-inch to 65-inch LCD TVs, have started receiving the 2.0 software update, a company spokesman said, noting his set received it Oct. 30. Logitech’s Revue set-top box is expected to get the new software “soon thereafter,” Queiroz said.
"We are committed to the platform and have been promoting the roll out of version 2 as we can” through news releases, a blog post and emails to Sony product owners, the spokesman said. Sony will continue to promote Google TV products through the holidays and expects them to appear in holiday gift guides, the spokesman said. The spokesman declined to comment on future product plans, but Senior Vice President Mike Abary has said Sony will have second-generation products. Logitech officials weren’t available for comment.