- What Is Google TV?
- What does Google TV do?
- Should You Get a Google TV?
Should You Get a Google TV?
Right now the only killer apps on Google TV are Chrome and Netflix, but this platform is definitely going to go places with Google behind it. It's only been in the market for 4 months now, so the lack of apps at this stage isn't a surprise. If you're going to buy a new TV or Blu-ray player anyway this year, you should definitely consider the products that have Google TV built in.
If you aren't planning to buy a new TV or Blu-ray player, it's a tougher sell. If you already own a Blu-ray player or any of the major video game consoles, you've already got a way to stream Netflix. Until more killer apps or optimized sites are available, it really comes down to how badly you want to browse the web on your TV.
A Logitech Revue is cheaper and more usable than buying a cheap PC and hooking it in to your TV.
There are competitors in the marketplace, too. Apple TV is very inexpensive, but it's focused on iTunes store content and only plays 720p video, so unless you've got a big iTunes video investment already, it's probably not for you. Roku and Boxee also have Internet streaming set-top boxes, with the added bonus of having agreements already worked out with Hulu. What you lose with those is Chrome and being free to find video anywhere on the web. If a browser isn't a must-have for you, then Roku or Boxee is worth a look.
James T. Stanley is the Product Development Director for Inkubook, a photo book creation site based in Indianapolis and is a Ball State graduate. James is a past conference speaker at VSLive and author of several tech magazine articles and he is currently passionate about Silverlight and Amazon Web Services. You can reach James by e-mailing jameststanley@comcast.net.