Google is quite persistent and hopeful that one day, it will conquer the living room of consumers. The search engine company will, reportedly, rebrand its set-top box as the "Nexus TV." The rebranding puts it in line with the Android tablets and smartphones of the company.
The information about the Google TV makeover allegedly came from an unnamed employee of Google. The said device is set for debut in mid-2014.
"The battle among technology companies to take over the living room is getting even more crowded. Google has been developing a "Nexus"-branded TV set-top box and could launch it in the first half of next year, according to people who have seen the device or were told about it," wrote Amir Efrati of The Information [subscription required] that first reported about the rumor.
The new report seems to confirm an earlier report that appeared on The Wall Street Journal in July. Purportedly, Android creator Andy Rubin demonstrated the prototype of the set-top box during last year's edition of the Consumer Electronics Show. The said Google TV device runs on Android and comes equipped with a Kinect-like motion sensor, and a video camera. It supports streaming services and video chats through Google Hangouts.
The Nexus TV will be "aggressively priced" according to the report and if aims to battle it out with Roku and Apple, then the tag price will ideally be below $100. If the Nexus TV will be the same TV demoed by Rubin, then it will not be supporting live broadcasts
Google's venture into the living room has failed on several occasions. While the Google TV platform installed in smart TVs and the premium-priced Nexus Q have failed to take off, the $35 Chromecast, an HDMI dongle that gives users access to some streaming services, is sitting on store shelves.
If the Nexus TV takes off, it will challenge Amazon set-top box, which is rumored to be in the works. However, Amazon won't be Google's only concern as the internet search engine giant will also have to take on Microsoft and Sony, which are looking to dominate the living room with Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Google did not comment on the Nexus TV rumors.
