Matt is a Senior Editor at TechCrunch.
Matt Burns is a family man first and attempts to be a writer second. Born and raised in the heart of the automotive world, only cars eclipse his love of gadgets. He previously wrote for Engadget and EngadgetHD before moving into the party house that is TechCrunch. He learned the retail side of... → Learn More
Up until now, Google TV has somewhat been a mystery. Capabilities were announced and some screenshots made their way onto the web. But there really hasn’t been a solid demo or informative site about the upcoming platform. Thankfully Google just launched the Google TV minisite that actually reveals a bunch of details including that Twitter, Pandora, Netflix, and a bunch of other apps are on their way to your TV.
There’s a lot on the site and we’re still combing through it. This is what we’ve found so far:
Apps are going to be a key feature and will include Pandora, Chrome, Twitter, Amazon, Android Gallery, and “starting early next year,” apps from the Android Market.
Major TV networks such as HBO, TNT, TBS, CNN will have some sort of swanky video portal. This could possible be the device’s killer function.
Fling, play audio or video on your phone on Google TV “with the press of the button.”
YouTube is properly formated for a larger screen. Possibly a version of Leanback.
You’ll be able to browse the web — or use apps — while watching TV. Think picture-in-picture.
Google TV doesn’t launch to live content, but rather a customizable homepage with shortcuts.
Google Queue: A DVR for the web. Build a list of websites, video podcasts, YouTube videos and watch them later — okay….
“Over-the-air updates” Really? As opposed to updates via the constant Internet connection?
Predictions anyone? Google TV is clearly a refined platform but will the everyday consumer care? After spending sometime on this site, I actually think that with the right hardware partners and marketing campaign they will.
