Well it looks like Google is working on yet another TV product dubbed Android TV, the Verge reported Saturday. Android TV will be a simpler interface than its predecessor Google TV, and screenshots shown by the Verge actually bear a striking resemblance to Amazon’s new Fire TV, which the online retailer launched this week.
So far Google has been cooperating with third-party developers for app services like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Pandora and Vevo, but apparently also plans to support an extended list of Google services, including Hangouts, which suggests that the Android TV may include a camera for video chats in the living room. Also they want to included is extended support for Android-based games, which is a no brainer..
It’s been an open secret that Google has been working on a more defined Google TV experience which failed to gain traction. The company reportedly showed partners a box with a camera and gaming capabilities at CES in Las Vegas in January of 2013.
A year ago, Google was working on ways to simplify its Android-based Google TV platform to concentrate on devices that didn’t include HDMI pass-through, and resembled more closely competing products like Apple TV and Roku. I’ve since learned that select partners had access to developer devices in the following months, but that plans to launch the device in time for the holiday season got scrapped, possibly in part due to the success the company has seen with Chromecast.
However, the timing may suggest that we may get to see Google’s Android TV soon, after all. A launch at its Google IO developer conference at the end of June seems like a likely option…
source: the verge