Google TV

This week the folks at Kingnovel have released a device by the name of K-R42-1, a so-called "Android TV box" made to utilize the mobile operating system on your big-screen television machine. What's odd about this machine - and similar television boxes running Android - is the fact that Google makes their own "Google TV" platform that also works with Android at its base. The differences between this machine's Android and Google TV's Android are slight.

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This year at Google's developer conference, SlashGear will be in attendance at what's guaranteed to be a celebration of convergence. What we've seen from the previews, leaks, and rumors of the contents of this conference point towards Android, Chrome, and Google TV devices moving in towards one another, keeping more than just their software in mind.

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Samsung has hinted at a potential OLED partnership with Google, with chatter from within the company of a deal on OLED TVs after CEO Larry Page visited one of Samsung's South Korean OLED facilities. "During the meeting with the Google CEO, I proposed the expansion of our business partnership to him" Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jay-yong told The Korea Times, describing Page's reaction as showing "interest in our OLED business."

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I remain quite jealous that my house can't get access to the incredibly fast Google Fiber Internet service or the Google Fiber TV service. I understand living in a more rural area likely means I'll never have access to impressive services like this. If you do happen to live in Kansas City and have access to Google Fiber TV and happen to be one of the few that has a 3-D TV in your home, the TV offering from Google now has two new 3-D channels to check out.

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ASUS' first go in the Google TV realm became official today. We heard earlier that the company would be digging its paws in that market a few days ago, but ASUS officially unveiled their Qube Google TV box today at CES 2013. We also happened to get our grubby little hands on the new device here at Pepcom inside CES.

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Netgear has pushed out a new Google TV box at CES 2013 this week, the NeoTV PRIME (GTV100), as well as new home streaming to its NeoTV range thanks to a deal with Slingbox. The PRIME supports all the usual Google TV apps, as well as playback of local media via its USB port.

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ASUS promised a Google TV device for CES, and the company has delivered with the Qube, a squared-off media box with a matching cuboid user-interface for easily navigating live, on-demand, web, and other content. The compact box uses an motion-control remote, though those with an Android phone can also find ASUS' Mobile Remote app in the Play store to turn their phone or tablet into a touchscreen controller.

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Google may not have had the 2012 they wanted with their Google TV platform, but it looks like they're going to start things off right in 2013, with a slew of new Google TV devices being unveiled at CES 2013 next week. ASUS, as well as Hisense and TCL, all three of which will be new to the platform, but companies like LG, Vizio, and Sony will also be showing new devices next week as well.

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Amazon's Instant Video has landed on Google TV, with a new app for the smart TV platform arriving in the Play market. A free download - though initially to select Google TV hardware - the Amazon Instant Video app builds on the generic browser access of the streaming media service, with HD support along with recommendations and "Your Watchlist" support.

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LG's Google TV line has always taken a back-seat to the company's homegrown smart TV platform, but all that could change with the firm's 2013 line set to debut at CES 2013. LG plans seven Google TV models - spanning five screen sizes - for the new year, the GA7900 series and GA6400 series, with select Premium CINEMA SCREEN sets and integration of a new Magic QWERTY Remote.

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Google is weighing two bids for its unwanted Motorola set-top box business, insiders claim, with Pace and Arris Group believed to have emerged as primary suitors. The bidding - unspecified, but Google was believed to be looking for roughly $2bn back in August - could be complicated by certain restrictions Google wishes to implement, Bloomberg reports, such as maintaining a portion of the equity and the STB unit's patents.

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The surreptitious rise of next-gen Google TV boxes continues, with the Netgear NeoTV Prime GTV100 following ASUS' Qube in slipping through the FCC and then into the wild courtesy of some leaked prototype shots. The NeoTV Prime is a compact STB with a dual-sided remote, offering a touchpad and streaming media shortcuts on one side, and a QWERTY thumb-board on the reverse.

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