Remember last year when a rumor claimed that Google was working on a new TV project dubbed “Android TV?” There weren’t many details available about the effort at the time, but that’s changing today thanks to a new leak that’s revealed several details and screenshots of Google’s work.
According to documents shared to The Verge, Android TV is a product that’s meant to be “an entertainment interface” that is “all about finding and enjoying content with the least amount of friction.” The software is said to consist of cards that are movie posters and book covers on a shelf that the user can select to dive into the content itself. Android TV is also expected to support notifications and voice input.
Perhaps the most important feature of Android TV is its content recommendation feature. The leaked docs say that Google is interested in suggesting content that you may be interested in rather than making you seek out content yourself. It’s said that recommendations will appear on Android TV’s home screen and that Google is aiming to require three clicks or less for the user to move from the home screen to watching content.
There’s no mention in today’s report about when Android TV might launch, but it’s said that Google is currently in the process of working with developers to create apps and games for the platform. Some of the apps that are already prepped for Android TV include Google’s own Play Movies and Hangouts as well as Vevo, Netflix, Hulu and Pandora.
Google has already made a couple of attempts to take over the TV. While Google TV failed to gain traction with consumers, the Chromecast has experienced much more success, with Google’s Sundar Pichai recently revealing that sales of the tiny streaming stick are in the millions. Still, Google appears to be interested in doing more than simply helping you to beam content from your phone to your TV. We’ll have to wait and see if Android TV fares better than Google TV has so far, but it’s definitely a project that I’m looking forward to seeing launch.
Are you interested in Android TV or do you already have a set-top box setup that you’re happy with?
Via The Verge
