More Google TV details announced, including some really cool apps

Google's entrance into the living room with the Google TV platform will offer a coalition of companies organized access into a booming market. This is a major effort spearheaded by Google with the help of Logitech, D-Link, and other traditional PC companies looking for new revenue markets.

The new Google TV platform offers product makers the chance to utilize a familiar Android-based software platform on set-top boxes, standalone Blu-ray players and Web-connected HDTVs. Google and other partner companies hope to blend the Internet into the living room, giving viewers access to Netflix, Amazon, Pandora, Napster, Twitter, and other services.

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NBC Universal, Turner Broadcasting, HBO, NBA, and additional partners already have custom apps ready to go for Google TV.

The official Google TV website is now live.

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Logitech wants to sell 500,00 Revue Google TV set-top boxes by the end of 2010, with a Google TV led sales target of 1 million total unit sales.

I've tested numerous set-top boxes and streaming solutions, and have been anxious to test out Google TV on a longer basis. The last time I spoke with a Google partner company, progress on the platform -- including GUI upgrades, app support, and other user-based features -- were progressing nicely.

Google and partner companies will have to deal with Roku's growing set-top box collection, D-Link's highly anticipated Boxee Box launch and many other companies that are trying to get internet services into the living rooms of consumers.

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In addition, there is some concern regarding Google's first large-scale entrance into the TV market, as the company has been criticized for privacy issues. Even so, it appears Google has learned from mistakes made by others, and won't try to have a desktop interface on a TV.

Google promises that all other developers will be able to create their own apps for the Google TV platform starting sometime next year. At that point, you can expect a flood of Google TV apps to become available for this promising internet-married-to-your-TV platform.

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