Google TV turns on at I/O: runs Android and Flash, partnered with Sony, Logitech, and Intel

As expected, Google just announced Google TV at I/O. There's four billion TV viewers worldwide, making it the biggest market in the world, and Google's after it in a big way -- it's a $70 billion ad market in the US alone, after all. According to Google, "video should be consumed on the biggest, best, and brightest screen in your house, and that's the TV." The idea is to merge the web and TV without compromising on either the web experience or the video experience, with a focus on discovery and personalization. Of course, since it's Google, the interface is search-driven, so you can just type in things like "30 Rock" or MSNBC" to find channels and content -- including upcoming content to record and content from the internet. Yeah, it's kind of like the TiVo Premiere's swivel search, but prettier -- and there's a Hulu logo on the screen, which is extremely intriguing.

Google's not sharing hardware specs, but we're told Google TV devices will have WiFi, HDMI, the Intel CE4100 processor, and... some will have an IR blaster to tune your cable or satellite box, which is just sad. (Like, 1997 sad.) The input devices will all have keyboards, and you'll also be able to use Android devices as a remote, including using voice search to find content and sending content from the phone to the TV. The software is based on Android with Chrome as the browser and full Flash 10.1 support. Since it's Android, there's a version of Android Market -- any app that doesn't require phone hardware can run on Google TV. There will also be a Google TV-specific Android SDK launching in "early" 2011, along with the Android Market for Google TV.

As for partners, it's just as we heard: Sony will launch Sony Internet TVs and Blu-ray players with Google TV in the fall, and Logitech will introduce a set-top box with a Harmony remote and an HD camera for video chat at some point in the future. Dish Network will also launch a Google TV box at some point, while Best Buy will promote the platform as a whole in-store.

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Sony Internet TV, DISH first with Google TV this fall; Adobe, Logitech and others along for the ride

Sony will be first out of the gate with a Google TV powered device, with its "Sony Internet TV" devices -- in the form of either an HDTV or a set-top box with Blu-ray player -- arriving on shelves this fall. The rest of the partners were just as the rumors indicated, with Logitech adding a QWERTY Harmony remote, "companion box" to bridge the gap to existing home theater equipment and eventually video chat capabilities, Intel providing the CE4100 Atom processor at the heart of the devices and an Android 2.1 OS with Chrome browser brings it all together. DISH Network and Google have admitted to their ongoing trials but there's no word on any release date,(Update: We didn't catch it onstage, but DISH just announced it will enable "advanced integration" via HDMI on all of its HD DVR receivers this fall, details after the break) while Best Buy is already on board to sell all of this and inevitably offer to hook up those IR blasters for a fee, while Adobe is just happy to see another device that runs Flash 10.1. The rest of the details are in press release and video form after the break, but you can sign up for updates at Google.com/tv (developers check in here) or check out our ongoing liveblog right from Google I/O.



Update: Vic Gundotra just confirmed in a post-keynote press conference that TV will go international next year.


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Logitech's Google TV companion box includes smartphone apps, we go eyes-on (updated: video!)

Dashing away from the Google I/O keynote as fast as our feet would carry us, we scored the very first look at Logitech's Google TV companion box. While we'll share full details when we catch a breath, here's the scoop: the box extends the full functionality of a Logitech Harmony remote and a WiFi access point to your TV, providing not only Google TV but also allowing you to control your entire entertainment system (including DVR) with a still-in-development keyboard / touchpad remote or an iPhone or Android smartphone app over WiFi. Hit the gallery below for a taste of what the little set-top box can do, and rest assured we've got more info on the way.

Logitech's Google TV Companion Box hands-on

When we got to Logitech's demo space, we expected to see a keyboard and mouse. To our surprise, the Logitech product manager pulled out a Nexus One and iPhone. He explained that the companion box has all the technology of Logitech's $400 Harmony 900 remote and extends it to your handset over WiFi. Several scrollable pages of dedicated buttons let that particular iPhone control not only the Google browser but also a Samsung TV, Onkyo receiver and TiVo set top box, and the product manager showed us that there were three additional control schemes (including a touchscreen D-pad, gesture swipe pane and virtual keyboard) that could be activated simply by shaking the phone. Should you not have a more modern smartphone, it won't be your only option by far -- the box will have an optional RF keyboard / touchpad available at launch, and a pair of USB ports in back allow users to connect dongles for 2.4GHz peripherals. In addition to standard Google TV functions, Logitech said the box would come with a 1080p video chat solution called Vid.

The unit itself is based on Intel's CE4100 "Sodaville" Atom processor, with this particular chip operating at 1.2GHz, and the board features 4GB of memory and 802.11n WiFi. In addition to the aforementioned twin USB sockets, the rear I/O panel features wired LAN jack and two IR headers for additional connectivity, and has a pair of HDMI 1.3 ports that handle all visual content, with Dolby 5.1 surround transferred via either HDMI or S/PDIF out. If your home entertainment setup is entirely wired with HDMI, you'll find the unit allows full digital passthrough; if your sources use any other kind of jack (component, composite, etcetera) you may need a receiver of some sort; reps available couldn't tell us if the box required HDCP to stream content.



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