14 DAY TRIAL // The Google TV rumors are beginning to look a lot more real with several new details leaking out. The first hardware running Google’s Android operating system is expected to be announced next month along with the details of the program. Sony will apparently be the first partner and is expected to launch Android-powered TVs in about a month’s time, according to Bloomberg.
The initial rumors had Google working with Intel and consumer electronics manufacturers to launch Internet-enabled devices. They would run a modified version of the Android mobile operating system and be able to access Internet content along with the regular TV programming. Web-enabled TVs aren’t a new idea, but implementations so far have left much to be desired. TV’s running weather widgets that are updated online are one thing, TV’s running YouTube is another.
The project will be announced and presented at the Google I/O developers’ conference next month, on May 19 and 20. There are several companies involved and the big names behind it mark it as an important move. Google will be providing the operating system and Intel will be providing the processors or, likely, the entire platform.
The chip manufacturer has had huge success with its Atom line in netbook computers and is trying to get its chips in mobile devices and in CE devices as well. A third partner will be computer-peripheral maker Logitech, which is developing a wireless keyboard that doubles as a remote.
Google is already working on getting its software and especially its online services on as many devices as possible. The mobile space is a very promising one, and Google is pursuing that on several fronts. But, as the Internet becomes more a part of our lives, other devices, like TVs, are tapping into that potential. And, since another screen means another way for Google to spread its advertising platform, it’s easy to see why it wants to conquer the nascent TV Internet space as well.