Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
GOOGLE IS HOPING its latest attempt to break into the set-top box market will be more successful as it unveiled its latest smart TV offering.
Android TV, the rebranded version of Google TV, will run on both smart TVs, mainly those with HD and 4K displays, and set-top boxes similar to Apple TV.
The service is focused entirely on entertainment, bringing forward content from Google Play as well as content from other services like Netflix and Hulu, and recommending shows based on what you watch.
Voice search is also included in the experience, with the service using Google’s Knowledge Graph to provide contextual information for any programmes you watch. Searching for a show will bring up relevant information such as description, episodes, YouTube videos and other relevant content is displayed in a grid-based system.
Should you require it, you can control your TV using an Android Wear smartwatch and content can be sent to a separate device to your TV, similar to how Chromecast works.
The company is also bringing Google Play games to the TV. Similar to Amazon’s Fire TV, devices will come with a controller and multiplayer games can be played with an accompanying Android smartphone or tablet.
The first devices featuring Android TV will arrive in Autumn, while HD and 4K TVs from Sony, Sharp, and Philips will run on Android TV. Other companies like Asus and Razer will develop the set-top boxes with a focus on gaming.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
I was wondering was there anyone out who still believed that Apple were industry leaders. Guess there are a few sheep left believing the marketing out of Cupertino.
Bet you the sheep know how to hit ‘reply’ instead of starting a new thread. I’ll get back in me box so.
Apple haven’t been market leader since 2011 or 2010. Google took the same approach Microsoft did when they launched Android get it on as many phones as possible and just flood the market at a rate that company that makes about 6 products can’t keep up with. Apples decision to control they’re own ecosystem will always be they’re downfall.
And you have to pay for most of the content which only works on apple devices locking you in. You’re at the mercy of whatever product features apple decide to add… including a teeny weeny little screen :-D
I’m running KitKat on a 3 year old HTC Sensation XE, Android makes it easy to switch between ROMs so I often flash a new one just to experience the interface and features. If I don’t like it, I can just restore from backup, along with all my apps, config and data. I find IOS a bit boring and archaic at this stage. The last few updates haven’t really added anything significant and the look and feel hasn’t changed in ages.
I HATE ….I re-type…. HATE anything to do with androids and windows. They break, are slow, catch viruses regardless of norton or Mc affee . APPLE is the future of good reliable machines at the moment. I do believe google will catch up somehow but I won’t be buying anything other than apple products in the future. Any android tablets or windows laptops have broken down on me within a year or two. Macs and apple products are built better and last longer.
I’ve never had many problems with my android or windows devices & most people can’t afford to splash out 1000′s of euros on apple products. They do the job perfectly for most people & are cheaper.
I HATE ….I re-type…. HATE anything to do with apple…………………………………ah hear! I couldn’t be bothered :)
Apple’s future seems to be based on adding functionality to iOS8 that has been available in Android for years. Welcome to the past.
One word, iTunes…. If Apple really is the bees knees why do I have every song in my iTunes 4 or 5 times??
Ya get what you pay for graham. My advice to folk out there with little knowledge of how to use computers is don’t be impatient and save your money, put it away and save for that IMAC because windows will give you nothing but problems unless your a computer tech who knows how to care for one and even then you’ll be doing nothing but buying new parts for it all the time. They are cheaper than apple for a reason, and that reason being they are not as good as apple. You can go into a shop and buy a pair of trousers on the expensive high street and then you will see the same looking pair in penny’s, but we all know the quality is different and how long the penny’s “copycat” is going to last compared to that of the “actual” pair of jeans.
I’m wearing jeans from Penneys. I’ve had them for ages. And yes, they’re actually actual jeans.
The one thing that Apple are really good at is marketing. They target overpriced ‘hip’ and ‘trendy’ hardware to to people who ‘think’ their hip and trendy!
It’s nothing to do with being trendy. They are just a better machine and not one person in this thread has been capable of offering a fairly decent argument in favour of windows over apple. Nobody has bothered to counter my own posts on why I believe apple are better. All I’ve had is some good comedians but no actual decent argument for windows. I think it’s the other way around though I think a lot of people here are the ones who are the hipsters and avoiding apple because they are so “mainstream”. Oh wait a minute ….why are they mainstream? Because they are actually a better machine that’s why they are so popular.
Here you go Stephen. A link to 5 reasons why windows is better than mac.
Why are you comparing Apple and Windows on an article relating to Android??? The Fanboy-O-Meter is going off the charts…
Ironically family guy I’m clicking your link on the journal iOS app and it doesn’t do anything.
Make that 6 reasons why windows is better I suppose :-b
According to 2013 figured android equate to 70 percent apple 22 percent windows 5 percent and others 3 percent. If apple was so good that should be miles higher.
David for some reason it doesn’t work for me either. I copied and pasted the link so who knows.
The fact you’re even looking for someone to argue for “Windows over Apple” shows you haven’t a clue what you’re on about, yeah lets just compare and OS with a company and its line of products. Windows 7 is a perfectly solid operating system and in many ways is far more usable than OSX. Window management is a good example of this. I also find it’s UI significantly less fussy and generally more aesthetically appealing than OSX but that’s down to personal preference .
In Laptops you’ll get better battery life but at a huge premium. In the desktop realm constructing a custom machine to run Windows or a Linux OS (or both) will set you back roughly 60% of the cost of the Mac that will give you equivalent performance. If anything goes wrong a standard machine can be quickly and cheaply repaired. In most cases any attempt to perform 3rd party repair on an Apple machine will result in a voided warrenty. This forces you into Apple Care which ads further expense to your purchase. There is also still a number of important software packages that are unsupported on OSX
You are aware Apple source their parts from the same companys windows laptops are sourced from e.g amd/Intel samsung, toshiba, fujitsu. Apple make very very little of their own parts, therefore an Apple product could not be more reliable than any other. In most cases they use cheaper slower older parts and overprice to the max. By not educating yourself in pc’s your allowing them to rip you off. Apple’s software May be more efficient than windows but that does not warrant in some cases an extra €600. Apple CAN also get viruses the same as a windows people for some reason which i do not understand think they cant.
Google ’5 reasons pcs better than Mac’ and it’s the top article. Next one down is ’10 reasons pcs better than Mac’
I tried clicking the link on Windows Laptop too and nothing happened!
Windows is easy to mantain….I’m old but I can look after my equipment
Who woulda thought you’d be a true beLIEver ;-)
What’s the difference between a Apple user and a terrorist ?
You can negotiate with a terrorist !!
Good call, android is for the peasants
Apple produces good hardware but not the most reliable. Thinkpads are the most reliable laptops and remain the only laptops certified for use on the ISS. There are several other manufacturers that produce superior build quality to Apple’s. The added bonus with a Linux or Android OS is extensibility and flexibility. Technical people choose Linux and Android not because they can fix the hardware that it runs on. They choose it because Apple’s products are extremely restrictive, a few years behind in terms of features and functionality and lack interoperability with other platforms. If you know how to make technology do what you want it to do, then IOS feels like a straitjacket.
I’ve developed stuff on and for PC, I’ve developed stuff on and for MAC. Also iPhones and Android systems. As a creative person (i mean that loosely cause I ain’t that good) they are just tools. A means to an end. You’re going to use or in most cases not use the phone for much more than a phone was made for in the first place really. All this girly bitch slapping about snooty brand relevancy or functionality is silly IN MOST CASES. if you have money and can decide what system then you’re really in a position to decide. most people aren’t. they go with what they can afford and in most cases (secretly i like this) it’s android.
Any technology discussion seems to invoke the Apple vs Android/Windows argument. Any philosophical or scientific article invokes the religious vs atheism argument. Any positive comments on Ireland seems to bring wrath on the government and past governments. It is interesting how much ire it all brings ( the use of fanboys here to denigrate others). The emotion over facile lines such as Apple or Android is frightening. What if it was important? I guess this is how civil wars got started. Interesting it happens though boring that every commentary degenerates to the same old arguments.
So that phd in computer sciences friend of mine is wrong when he states “apple and its products are absolutely brutal”
Yes. Speaking as someone in computer science. There are plenty of idiots in computer science.
I have a computer science friend with 7 PhDs who says apple products are the greatest ever. Are you saying HE is wrong?
There will be no tv shows on just “ads”
Click click click, F off google
Oh Stephen you brainwashed apple fanboy. You will only ever buy Apple again will you? At least you should see what each new device brings before making an informed decision.
But you cannot do that as Tim Cook doesn’t want you to think for yourself.
Invading is such a relevant choice of word here, Google corporation knows more about you than you do already
Just buy a droidbox for about €150 and stream all content for free thereafter, it’s not perfect picture quality on all channels but that’s improving all the time. Try something from the MINIX series of Droidboxs NEO x8 is top of the range at the moment
have your say