Google set to take over your living room too…
It seems that Google is not only taking over our computer systems, and everywhere we look online, but Google is now 
set to take over our living rooms too.
With its latest venture, Google TV, Google, in collaboration with Intel and Sony are planning on delivering to us, the consumers, this new platform. Google TV is reportedly going to be available as a “set-top box” or alternatively as a “web-capable television”.
The news of Google TV was spread via the highly acclaimed New York Times; therefore one may assume that it is fact, and Google TV will be coming to our homes sooner than soon.
According to the New York Times report, “Google TV would be based on Google’s mobile operating system, Android, and would also include a version of the Chrome browser for using Web applications like Twitter or Picasa, Google’s online photo sharing and storage service”.
It seems that Google has approached the idea of Google TV with the sole purpose of creating a SmartPhone-like application, that will enable consumers to browse the web via their television sets, this way creating a preferred living room device where one can view all online as well as physical (e.g. DVD’s etc) – all on one device.
Although there are already quite a few similar type set-top boxes available to consumers, the likes of gaming platforms, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii, it has been noted that these would be Google competitors’ have as yet not solidified a solid enough fan base, as their product has as yet not become a fixture in all households across the globe – thus giving Google TV a fighting chance.
What will be interesting to see, as the Google TV machine develops, is whether Google TV will be a platform or a product? Meaning that it is as yet unclear whether Google TV will only be functional on Sony products given the fact that Sony and Google are affiliated on this particular project.
Therefore, time will tell whether other manufacturers will be able to jump on the Google TV band wagon, or not?
In my opinion, I think that this new venture is great, and will only led to many new and exciting spin offs – of innovation and creativity, as the competition is now being upped – and who – knows – the sky is the limit!
