Mikey Campbell
Ahead of Google's I/O developer conference on Wednesday, a report claims the Internet search giant is cooking up a new batch of Android-based set-top streaming devices with support for video, music and video games.
Citing sources familiar with Google's new play for the living room, The Wall Street Journal reports that the company is working on the initiative with multiple partners and will announce at least one of the rumored devices at its I/O conference tomorrow.
People who have seen one of the rumored devices say it bears resemblance to the Apple TV and Amazon's Fire TV, but runs a new flavor of Android dubbed "Android TV." Rumors of Android TV's existence first hit last October, with further reports claiming the OS will boast a stripped-down interface, push notifications, voice controls and more.
Google appears to be structuring the new Android TV model after its Android mobile operating system for smartphones. Devices will be branded by the companies that make them, but each will run a version of Android TV, unifying key features like game support and music playback.
It is unclear if Google will one day field its own set-top hardware like the Nexus brand of smartphones and tablets.
Sources say one of the platform's major features is support for games that are compatible with both mobile devices and Android TV. For example, a user may be able to start a game on an Android smartphone, pause it, then pick up where they left off on their HDTV. The streaming devices are also said to support remote control functions from Android — and possibly other — portables.
Google has been trying to shoehorn itself into the living room since 2010's Google TV flop. Two years later, it trotted out the $299 Nexus Q media streamer at the 2012 I/O conference, though that particular project failed before it hit mass market.
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Wesley Hilliard
AppleInsider Staff
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
50 Comments
Of all the things Google does wrong, nothing is more laughable than their TV crap. It epitomizes what kind of company they are: -Throw noodles on the ceiling and see what sticks -Be quick to try to adopt and be "FIRST!" and then don't support or do it completely half assed. Maybe even call it "beta" so it's allowed to be half assed -Repeat Google TV Nexus Q Chromecast- although the google drones will march in here and tell us this isn't a chromecast replacement, just another streamer in addition to chromecast. *yawn* oooook This thing Not to mention the week they tried to turn the television industry on its head only to get shut down immediately. Talk about not thinking through a damned thing they do. Why would anyone [I]ever[/I] want to buy yet another Google Television streaming device?
Seems like Google is following the route Microsoft took of rebranding and reintroducing something that flopped the previous x-times as an %u201C{insert-Apple-product-here}-killer%u201D only to receive a lukewarm reception and mixed reviews. In a few years they will try again as MS did with the Slate, Zune, Windows CE%u2026 etc. All this did was tell people who paid attention not to buy into a platform that wouldn%u2019t be around in 5 years. Google is also building an abandonment track record with many google services that shut their doors. Savvy customers, the ones that are the opinion makers among their social circles, will steer clear after being burned yet again. Apple, wisely, just iterated the brand name %u201CAppleTV%u201D from more of an expensive set top box more similar to a Mac Mini, and didn%u2019t break forward compatibility unless it needed to nor confuse consumers by changing the name every year. Apple wisely supports iPhones back to the 4 to run the current iOS (7). When iOS 8 comes out, the 4S will be the oldest phone supported, showing a track record of at least 4 years of updates, and a continuity of apps since the app store opened. All this new version of the previous Android set-top box will do is fracture the market and alienate more current and former customers when they find their new phone won%u2019t work with a Chromecast in a few years %u2014 when Google drops support for Chromecast in some future version of Android, and tell people to upgrade to Android TV or whatever they are calling it by then,
Google I/O is an escape from reality for analysts.
Hey look, Apple Insider’s text parse can’t handle actual apostrophes and quote marks — Um, UTF-8 anyone? (Did that em-dash even work?)
Ah I see. Comments made on the article page with UTF-8 characters are garbled.: while those made within the forum are decoded correctly. testing%u2026 testing%u2026 %u201C%u201D%u2018%u2019%u2013%u2014 \"; Drop Tables; Well at least that doesn’t get by