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Google TV update will add Voice Search, but not for first-gen devices

Google TV update will add Voice Search, but not for first-gen devices

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Google TV Voice Search
Google TV Voice Search

Following on from yesterday’s YouTube app update, Google is continuing to make improvements to the Google TV platform. Today, the company has promised two more features for the platform in a coming update, including Voice Search and a new Quick Guide. Just like on Android devices, Voice Search allows users to speak their queries and trigger an action or pull up relevant results. Saying "Netflix," for example, will open up the app on the set-top box, but viewers can also target specific shows, channels, and even search for YouTube videos.

Movies & TV, meanwhile, has been renamed PrimeTime, with the app bringing a new feature as well. Google is now calling it a "quick guide," designed to make discovery as easy as possible by letting users browse content even if they're already watching something. Viewers will be able to access their favorite shows and channels from the new menu, and also see suggestions as to what they should watch next. Google isn’t giving specifics as to when the update will roll out saying only that it will be "in the coming months" but the company has pledged to bring additional content to the platform in the meantime.

It's not all good news, though: first-generation Google TV devices, such as the Logitech Revue, won't be receiving Voice Search, but will see the new PrimeTime app. Google says that Voice Search will be restricted to second-generation devices, with the company citing the architecture change from Intel to ARM-based processors. That will be disappointing for those who picked up some of the original Google TV units, but more importantly, Google has introduced a problem to its platform as well as new features: fragmentation.