Android TV Launch Is Imminent, Here’s An Early Look
Google TV was a swing and a miss in terms of Google’s play for living room dominance, and thus it was good news when word leaked that the company was both rebranding its TV platform to “Android TV” and ostensibly making it better with a different foundational version of Android.
Now, The Verge reports that it has acquired exclusive documents that show the new and improved Android TV. So what exactly is new and improved about it? Well, mainly, it’s simpler. “Android TV is an entertainment interface, not a computing platform. It’s all about finding and enjoying content with the least amount of friction,” say the documents.
You can browse and search for movies, TV, and music, and in addition to Google’s built-in apps, you’ll find the likes of Netflix, Hulu, Songza, Pandora, Vevo, and more. The interface is a familiar “card” system, and you’ll be able to get around with a simple remote control. One interesting bit in the Google documents indicates that you should be able to get from a home screen to your preferred content in three clicks or less.
Credit: The Verge
Android TV also has games, which is notable as that puts it squarely in competition with Amazon Fire TV and also gives the platform a bit of an edge over streamers like Apple TV, Roku, and others. (That said, it’s not clear if Android TV will be a platform that companies can integrate into their own products, as Google TV was, or if Google is actually building a streaming box of its own.)
Now, The Verge reports that it has acquired exclusive documents that show the new and improved Android TV. So what exactly is new and improved about it? Well, mainly, it’s simpler. “Android TV is an entertainment interface, not a computing platform. It’s all about finding and enjoying content with the least amount of friction,” say the documents.
Credit: The Verge
You can browse and search for movies, TV, and music, and in addition to Google’s built-in apps, you’ll find the likes of Netflix, Hulu, Songza, Pandora, Vevo, and more. The interface is a familiar “card” system, and you’ll be able to get around with a simple remote control. One interesting bit in the Google documents indicates that you should be able to get from a home screen to your preferred content in three clicks or less.
Credit: The Verge
Android TV also has games, which is notable as that puts it squarely in competition with Amazon Fire TV and also gives the platform a bit of an edge over streamers like Apple TV, Roku, and others. (That said, it’s not clear if Android TV will be a platform that companies can integrate into their own products, as Google TV was, or if Google is actually building a streaming box of its own.)
