HERE IN THE UK, we haven't had many opportunities to sample the delights of Google TV, as a lone Sony device is all that's on sale here.
However, it looks like that is the way it will stay, as the word is that Google TV will be phased out. If this rumour turns out to be true the service will be rebranded as Android TV next year, representing the influence of the millions of Android mini PC devices shipped from China and leaving Google a victim of its own open source ethic.
While some of these devices are dreadful, many recent ones far outstrip the neglected Google TV service that has seen slow take-up from the public, has been abandoned by several manufacturers, and is still using the Android 3.0 Honeycomb version of Google's mobile operating system that dates back three years and is virtually extinct on tablet devices.
The problem has been that Google TV has never been sure of its identity and where it fits in the marketplace, and consumers have hedged their bets as a result.
The main purpose of rebranding as Android TV will be to try to create a standard for the Google set-top box devices, because while some are superb, there are many cheap copies.
The original MK802 is particularly prone to this, as the copies are significantly laggy and often are impossible to update. The INQUIRER was advised to update its MK802 by taking it apart and holding a paper clip across two pieces of solder to short out the motherboard. We kid you not.
We hope those days will soon be gone. µ
