Sony showed off the first Google TV sets at the IFA technology fair in Berlin.
Google TV Google TV
Google TV is set to launch in the US before the end of the year, with the European launch planned for 2011. The system will allow full internet access via TV and Google CEO Eric Shmidt confirmed that Google TV will include a Google Marketplace with a variety of different apps, at least in the US. Demos showed that the system will overlay TV with internet browser features such as a search bar and search results.
The US service will launch with three products – a full HD TV and Blu-ray player, both from Sony, and a set-top box from Logitech. Mobile phones using Google’s Android operating system will be able to be used as remotes though a dedicated remote with Android-style voice search is also planned.
Sony is also planning to ramp up the push to 3D in the run-up to Christmas with Blu-ray players bundled with copies of Michael Jackson’s This Is It and Alice In Wonderland.