Google's long drawn fight for living room space is starting to get interesting.
It's been almost three years since Google launched its struggling Google TV devices and the Mountain View, Calif.-based company will now relaunch a new smart TV platform more closely tied to Android.
According to Gigaom , some Google partners and developers have already started calling it "Android TV."
Since its launch in 2010, Google TV has struggled for a couple of reasons; some television networks begun to block the devices from accessing their content, the prolonged process to earn YouTube certification and lack of suitable upgraded OS past Honeycomb (3.2). On the consumer end, many who purchased the smart TVs or set tops like the Logitech Revue complained of a difficult set-up process and controls. A study from IHS iSuppli reported that one in four televisions purchased in 2012 were smart-TVs; giving the devices a 27 percent share of the total television market.
In mid May, Google announced an upgrade to Jelly Bean (4.2.2) for existing Google TV devices.
This year has seen some changes in its living room war against Apple and other streaming device makers including Roku. Earlier this summer, Google released the small and inexpensive Chromecast. Launching with free three month access to Netflix, the $35 HDMI dongle sits at the number one on Amazon's electronic device chart .
The biggest piece to Google's living room strategy is the upcoming KitKat upgrade for its Android platform set to hit mobile devices at the end of the month. Gigaom reports that the new mobile operating system (and partnership with chocolate bar maker Nestle) will give manufacturers more freedom in design and hardware choices.
On a surface level, Apple isn't sweating much as it holds the living room streaming device crown. Apple TV sold more than five million units in 2012 while getting the support of popular networks HBO and ESPN among others, giving the Cupertino-based giant 56 percent of the streaming device market. The iPhone maker's biggest competition, Roku, holds 21.5 percent, according to current sales data.
