Google's first attempt at dominating the living room was a complete failure. The Google TV initiative was a good idea at the time, but in many ways it was flawed, which caused Google hardware partners to abandon the project. However, it seems Google has gain enough experience to make another push into the living room, this time with Android TV.
Android TV seems to be a rebranding of Google TV, as some of the aspects of the old platform reside in the new. Furthermore, the user interface is quite similar to Amazon's Fire TV, then again, almost every new UI these days have cards everywhere.
According to a report from The Verge, who got exclusive information on Google's plans for an Android TV platform, video app developers are hard at work on new contents. Furthermore, we understand that Google is focusing less on the TV aspect of the living room, and more on the entertainment aspect where movies, TV shows, and music are concerned.
Google is looking into making Android TV an entertainment platform, rather than something that has all the bells and whistles of a smartphone. Basically, Android TV should be more user-friendly when compared to Google TV devices and their remote controls with a million buttons.
Interestingly enough, Android TV is not all about movies, music, TV shows, and the TV itself. Apparently, it will also be a place for playing video games, but we're guessing it won't be on the scale of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. We believe Google's goal is similar to that of Amazon, with the possible idea of using the cloud to deliver games with spectacular graphics and physics.
Furthermore, users will be able to control Android TV with their voice, says The Verge. Again, this is quite similar to Fire TV, but with Google's extensive experience in voice controls, Android TV might perform better in that regard.
Still, despite the addition of voice controls, Google's idea for Android TV is not as ambitious when compared to Google TV. This time around, the plan is to make things simple for users, and to make Android TV quite similar to other set-top boxes on the market, but with the Google experience.
It's great to see Google taking another stab at the living room Android TV, but it might not be a sure success. The failure of Google TV is still one of the most disappointing in Google's history, and this something users will never forget. For Google to succeed, Android TV needs to have something very compelling that will force users to give Google the benefit of the doubt.
