Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on, Bruce Springsteen once sang. Oh, Bruce, if only you'd had Google TV to cut down on the endless wading through pages and pages of channels. Crave got a first look at the service in action on the Sony stand at technology trade show IFA in Germany last week.
Google TV will power Sony's Internet television service, starting from next year. You'll be able to search for specific keywords in future programmes, your recordings, rentals, and the Web, just like typing a search into Google on your computer. You'll be able to bookmark TV channels and place them alongside your Web bookmarks on a customised home screen.
When you're on the Web, the programme you're watching stays in the corner of the screen. That's handy for tweeting about a show or finding out more information about what you're watching.
Google TV ties together the various services owned by the big G. Search for something, and you can click between Picasa, Google Maps, YouTube and other options to find relevant photographs, locations, videos and more.
It remains to be seen how easy this system is to control: the humble remote might be overwhelmed by the options. In its guidelines for developers building sites for viewing on a telly, Google revealed that GTV remotes will all have a Qwerty keyboard.
Google TV is not to be confused with Android TV. Google TV is a platform for searching and aggregating TV and Web content, whereas Android TV is set to be a platform that brings apps to televisions. Quite why Google has done a Microsoft and come up with two confusingly similar products is beyond us.
Click through our gallery to see Google TV in action. Is this the Internet TV service you've been waiting for, or is the living room merely another stage in Google's plot to take over the entire world, one screen at a time?
iPhone App 
Newsletters 
RSS Feeds 
Send Us Tips 
Comments 4
Add your comment
anonymous 8 September, 2010 02:33
WOULD YOU BUY A GOOGLE PRODUCT WITH ZERO CUSTOMER SUPPORT??? "One Screen to Rule Them All? - That' s pretty Scary when there is no HUMAN BEING to speak to when there's a problem!
We have learned the hard way that GOOGLE has ZERO CUSTOMER SUPPORT, except by email. Even that support is offshored now to INDIA. Would you buy a complicated TV product from a company that has no toll free tech support? Google has left their paying Adwords customers with no support help, thinking it saves them money. WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO SUPPORT THIS COMPANY?
If you doubt this I challenge you to try to call anyone at Google. There are no phone numbers for you to call Google for any of their product offerings!! It's GOOGLE'S DIRTY LITTLE SECRET. Sure, there is a corporate phone number there, but if you call it you get an operator who WILL NOT ROUTE YOUR CALL. You can't even reach the LEGAL DEPARTMENT by phone! Don't take my word on it - check it our for yourself!
IF YOU WANT A PRODUCT WITH ZERO PHONE SUPPORT, then get it... But, at least you were warned. We have waited 15 days for Google to respond, even escalating our issue to the Legal department - NO RESPONSE! It's OUTRAGEOUS. Don't get BURNED BY GOOGLE!
billfred 8 September, 2010 09:37
AAAHHHHHH CAPITALS!!!! aaaahhhhhh daily mail/express reader, chill the f**k out! Android is given to the manufacturers, it's their job/your service provider to give you support. It's not exactly a dirty little secret. Yeah anyway, google TV, me likey, anything so I can have one box under my tele, wish we could use the Xbox as a DVR and not just a media extender. =[
Lloytizzle 11 September, 2010 11:44
So are these on all sony TVs with internet TV or Will there be TV's next year that havve this service built in?
anonymous 12 October, 2010 22:09
TV's will have GoogleTV built into them Lloytizzle. I highly doubt there will be any "upgrade" package to get GoogleTV on your current Sony TV :)
As for Prager if you didn't abuse your caps lock so much people may take you seriously. It is evident that customer support for Google is... less the average. Thats because they don't sell the products. If you buy say a Sony TV with GoogleTV built it. The Sony helpline will be your customer helpline.
Google make products. Not sell.