By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2011-01-06 01:22:09 | Word Count: 664
Google’s revolutionary TV that was supposed end the need to ever get up from the couch again (well except maybe to head to the fridge) has been named one of the worst gadgets of the year.
Built to work on the Android OS, the Google TV has now officially had its first programming cancellation. It will also be shelved during the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next month, which is normally used as a platform to impress the public and other professionals in the tech industry about exciting, new gadgets.
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Despite a deal with Sony for upcoming models and the fact that Google TV has already been integrated on the Logitech Revue, Google has asked the TV manufacturers to delay any more introductions until further notice.
Originally the technology was well positioned against Apple TV because along with streaming videos, music, photos and being integrated with Netflix and YouTube, Google TV (as implemented on Logitech Revue) also offered web surfing, content streams from your computer, video chat and complete interface with your DVR.
However, since most TV networks blocked content from Google TV—leaving only Dish Network subscribers to get full advantage of the DVR interface—and the fact that it cost three times as much as Apple TV and came with a difficult to use qwerty keypad / remote, public demand simply dissipated. The set up for the Revue wasn’t simple either. Most reviews stated that the qwerty keypad / remote became unwieldy at times (such as when standing) and that it wasn’t streamlined enough to be used easily. One button involved with rewinding was even unnamed.
I guess Google did not foresee their content being blocked so concertedly by TV networks out of piracy concerns—which basically made its promise shallow to couch potatoes. Viacom, which owns Comedy Central, VH1 and Nickelodeon, was among the first to decline optimizing their sites to facilitate Google TV, and blocked access to their full episode content. In response to Viacom, a Google spokesman merely threw off the issue, saying that it was ultimately the content owner’s choice to restrict content.
But what’s the use of having a TV/ Web Browser if you have to give up your favorite shows in the process?
On the whole, Google did nothing concrete to assuage TV studio fears that the content streamed to Revue owners through Google TV web browsing would be legit, stopping short of offering to block pirated sites altogether. Now Google is halting the product rollout to revise its strategy, and probably to fix issues that have come to light regarding the hardware.
Although no stranger to releasing a brand new type of product and adjusting it on the fly, Google perhaps has the wrong approach here. The consumer electronics market is not like the search engine industry. For products to be a success, they have to be timed to shopping seasons such as the holidays to generate enough buzz and purchases to become fixed in the public’s mind.
The Google TV delay also highlights what the fact that Google is unused to playing with others. The possible economic fallout for its business partners Logitech and Sony could put a permanent stain on their future deals. By all accounts, the TV manufacturers were surprised by the halt.
Despite being a giant in its home field, Google had better learn the consumer electronics business fast if they want to make a successful foray into it. Clearly they had a compelling idea about what the next generation TV’s could be, but until they offer real gains in the product, I would say the Google TV deserves to be named one of the worst Gadgets of 2010.
