14 DAY TRIAL // Google TV is now very close, but it's not quite here yet. There are reports of the first devices landing next week, so the wait isn't that long. In the meantime, Google TV's official website went live giving users and developers a chance to get acquainted with the product.
The site runs down through Google TV's biggest features and attractions list and highlights the advantages of having access to the entire web on your TV.
"Type in what you want to watch, and we'll find it for you. Google TV lets you seamlessly search all of the content on your TV, the web, and apps – then access it with a single click," the site reads.
The search feature is touted the most, unsurprisingly perhaps, since it completely overhauls the way you can find content on your TV. If you think how important search is for the web, it's easy to see the things it could bring to the TV experience.
"With Google Chrome and Adobe Flash 10.1, Google TV lets you access everything on the web. Watch your favorite web videos, view photos, play games, check fantasy scores, chat with friends, and do everything else you're accustomed to doing online," Google adds.
This is another major point for Google TV. Internet-enabled TVs or devices aren't anything new, Yahoo TV Widgets springs to mind, but the emphasis for Google is on bringing a full experience to TVs, not a walled-in or a handicapped version.
The site itself is pretty slick, especially for a Google site, and feels like it was made to look the best on big-screen TVs. The Quick Tour does a good job at introducing the platform to newcomers.
There is also a developers section which shows web developers how to prepare their sites for Google TV and also an upcoming section on how to get apps for TVs in the Android Marketplace. Apps won't be supported until next year.