COLLABORATIVE CREATIVITY

Lately, speculation about the future of television has been dominated by news of 3D TV sets. But another aspect of television has been quietly evolving with less fanfare: TV sets that connect directly to the Internet. This trend is potentially much more disruptive than the introduction of 3D displays.Now a secret joint effort by Google, Intel and Sony to enter this field in partnership has been revealed. It will bring Google’s Android operating system and Chrome browser to TVs and set top boxes.

The technology has the potential to be disruptive to traditional TV by making the full range of Internet content available on television.

Moreover, the partnership leapfrogs previously announced efforts by competing TV manufacturers to include some type of internet connection to TV sets. Earlier efforts were hampered by weak microprocessors, clunky graphics, and proprietary software development environments. The result until now was a small selection of clumsy widgets and cumbersome overlays that added little to the TV viewing experience.

The introduction of Android on TV sets could change all of that. A large and growing number of developers are building apps for Android-powered mobile phones, so there will be a rich collection of applications available at the outset. And Google’s support of openness will likely result in common standards and easy licensing terms for the SDK.

See the NY Times story for more detail:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/18/technology/18webtv.html?src=linkedin

Posted via email from Think Twice