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Google officially unveils Android TV

Google officially unveils Android TV

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With a success under its belt with the Chromecast, Google is officially renewing its assault on the living room with Android TV. Running atop Android L, Android TV will run on hardware a la Google TV and set-top boxes like Apple TV and Roku and consoles, but with an added focus on gaming.

Today's announcement confirms details gleaned by The Verge this past April. Google TV, launched in 2010 with its apparent ambition to turn your television into a smartphone, is now firmly in the past. Android TV is Google's rekindled vision for your home's largest screen, and it's considerably sleeker and more in line with the competition's offerings. Entertainment is paramount this time around, as the software surfaces content from the Google Play Store and requisite partners like Netflix and Hulu, and provides recommendations based on what you watch. Search is also baked into the experience, using Google's Knowledge Graph to provide contextual information for your favorite programs. Users can even control the software using an Android Wear watch, and, much like the Chromecast, content can be sent from a separate device to Android TV.

Mountain View is also bringing Google Play games to television, confirming an earlier report by the Wall Street Journal. Like the Fire TV, devices will come with a controller, and gamers will be able to play multiplayer games online and earn achievements via the Google Play Games network. In addition, Google is working with hardware OEMs like Sony and Sharp to design TVs slated for 2015, and Razer and Asus to develop the set-top boxes with a focus on gaming.

Google Android TV Photos

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