Sleep with one eye open, Apple TV: Google’s hot on your heels. CEO Eric Schmidt demoed the long-awaited Google TV today, and if you like searching, you’ll like it.
GTV uses Chrome to find the content you want, and it searches the web, your DVR, Amazon, Netflix, and whatever cable options you already have; it’s not totally clear yet what the remote will be like, but it looks like it will have a QWERTY keyboard.
Maybe my standards are too high, but neither Apple nor Google TV seems the holy-cats-drop-everything paradigm-shifting device of our time. Tivo and the DVRs it begat were such a radical improvement over VCRs that they changed watching habits in a massive way. So far, I’m not convinced that either of these boxes will have anywhere close to the same level of impact.
But I could be wrong. What do you think PopWatchers? Is Google TV the cure for what ails you? What would be your dream set-top box? Or have you already found nirvana with an HTPC? [Wired, Reuters]
Google isn’t offering anything new. And they make you buy more hardware to watch the same shows on. Ridiculous and unnecessary.
I get my TV online from a program at Seetvpc [dot] com. This offers more shows and runs on software that can be installed on any PC or Apple.
Until I get a means to ala carte my cable channels, instead of stupid packages, I’m not going to be happy. Cable could do this, but so far internet options are coming the closest.
Keyboard remote need to happen…other wise it just be related to web tv now msn tv
WOULD YOU BUY A GOOGLE PRODUCT WITH ZERO CUSTOMER SUPPORT???
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!
The all new Google TV service seems to be targeted primarily at a niche demographic – those in the technological middle ground and wouldn’t necessarily appeal to the 9 million or so consumers who have never been online. It may even only be a novelty interest to the techies with a plethora of pc’s and internet-ready consoles already connected to their TV.
However it does have real potential for those remaining, with the free connection helping (the speed of which may be an issue). The interface may also require further thought – a keyboard is a great start, but they themselves admit that a mouse doesn’t work well for TV browsing. Upping the onscreen cursor size would help, but you also have the issue of having a suitable surface on which to use it; perhaps it needs an alternative that is still intuitive and easy to use. Not everyone is able to adjust to trackpads / trackballs, which are an obvious alternative. Maybe a Wii like wand or similar may evolve to complement the service?
All things being equal, I am interested in seeing what comes of this – if anyone can make a success of it, Google can.