Google TV: Your TV and the Web, together again

It's called Google TV, and Google promises that the first Android-powered, Google-TV-enabled devices — including TVs and a Blu-ray player from Sony, as well as a "companion" set-top box from Logitech — will go on sale this fall. Supposedly, you'll be able to use Google TV with your existing DVR or cable box, although Google execs say they're working with Dish Network on a custom Google TV DVR for Dish subscribers.

Google reps showed off Google TV (which had been well leaked over the past few weeks) during the company's I/O developer conference Thursday morning (well, after a few embarrassing hiccups), and at first glance, it's not much different from what we've seen from Web TV devices of years past: an interface that lets you browse the Web on your TV just as you would on a desktop browser, all with the help of a QWERTY remote with a mouse pointer.

But Google is promising more than just a Web browser on your TV; no, they say, Google TV will be nothing less than a "single, seamless experience," starting with the familiar-looking Google search box that lets you conduct instant searches across your typical onscreen programming guide, your personal streamed content, videos on YouTube, general search results, you name it.

yahoo.com