Google TV

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on Google TV:

Apple TV app blocks purchases and rentals on Android TV and Google TV

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Sony TV with Apple TV+
And they probably won't be coming back.
Photo: Sony

It’s no longer possible to purchase or rent new content through the Apple TV app on Android TV and Google TV. The block comes less than a year after Apple’s service made the leap to Google’s big screen platforms.

It is believed Apple removed purchasing after failing to strike a deal with Google over in-app commission rates. You can still use the Apple TV app to watch content you’ve already purchased.

Surprise, Surprise: Google Is Also Working On A TV Streaming Service

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Just about every major tech company is working on two untapped product categories right now: wearable technology and streaming television over the internet. Apple is trying to draw in TV networks with advertising incentives, and even Intel is working on its own TV service.

It should come as no surprise that Google has been in talks with media companies about streaming premium TV over the internet. The company has reportedly demoed its new product to cable executives, but it’s still up to the networks to jump on board.

Intel Plans To Launch Set Top Box To Compete With Rumored Apple TV

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Intel

Every TV manufacturer on the planet is racing out with a smart TV to compete with the rumored Apple television set that may or may not be released in 2013 or 2014. Rather than waiting to see what happens, Intel is ready to jump into the action with their own device.

According to a new report, Intel has developed a virtual cable TV service along with a set top box that they think will help them win the war to control your living room.

Google Continues To Streamline Motorola In A Bid To Beat The iPhone

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Google doesn't have time to focus on products like this. It has an iPhone to beat.

Google is gearing up to offload Motorola’s set-top box business as it looks to concentrate its efforts on competing with Apple’s iPhone. The company has been trying to sell Motorola Home Business, which supplies set-top boxes to cable television providers, for around $2 billion, and it has reportedly received multiple offers already. Once it’s gone, Google will focus on high-end smartphones.

Google Wants To One-Up Apple With New AirPlay Competitor

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AirPlay is one of Apple’s killer features in iOS or the Mac. As long as you have an AirPlay-compatible speaker or, better yet, an Apple TV in range, you can automatically stream video or audio to another device, all without pairing first.

Now according to a new report, Google wants to not only launch its own bonafide AirPlay competitor, but one-up AirPlay by offering true second screen capabilities to customers using Android devices with their Google TVs.

Google TV Taking On Apple TV With Planned New Update Announcements

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Seems like everyone’s playing catch up lately, right? First Microsoft’s Surface tablet is announced, and now Google TV looks like it’s getting an update that’s sure to put a little heat on Apple’s own hobby initiative.

Apple refrained from mentioning its TV product during the World Wide Developer Conference last week. According to Fox News, an announcement about an update to Google TV is coming at Google’s own developer conference this week, Google I/O. What will it include, we wonder?

Analyst Offers Last Minute WWDC Predictions, Claims Apple Doesn’t Need An HDTV

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Analysts are offering last minute predictions before today's WWDC keynote
Analysts are offering last minute predictions before today's WWDC keynote

With just a few hours to go before Apple kicks off WWDC, some analysts are rushing to make predictions right up till the last few moments. London-based research firm Ovum, for example, delivered a list of three things that its Chief Telecoms Analyst Jan Dawson feels are essential announcements that Apple needs to make during the WWDC keynote later today.

Dawson’s assessment breaks ranks with many other analysts who have insisted that Apple must unveil its own HDTV at the event or sometime later this year but does think Apple needs to bring apps to the TV experience. The remainder of his comments focus on iOS and changes that a wide swath of iPhone and iPad owners, developers, and tech journalists have suggested since Apple released iOS 5 last fall.

Why Mountain Lion’s AirPlay Mirroring Is Hollywood’s Worst Nightmare

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One of the features that immediately caught my eye about Mountain Lion was AirPlay Mirroring. As I noted yesterday, this offers a powerful presentation tool for business users as well as a great classroom addition for teachers and trainers.

Of course, it’s also a great entertainment solution and one that has some dramatic advantages over AirPlay Mirroring on the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S. Those advantages are likely to set the stage for a showdown between Apple and the entertainment industry.

Today At Cult Of Android: Motorola XOOM To Get Ice Cream Sandwich, MADDEN NFL 12 $.99 In The Android Market, And More…

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What’s this? Android news on Cult of Mac? Who cares? Maybe you don’t, maybe you do. Point is: these are a few of the popular topics going on in the Android world today. Maybe you’d like to know what the competition is up to, or perhaps your aunt received a Kindle Fire she needs to update. Regardless of the reason, having a resource such as Cult of Android allows you to learn more about what’s going on with the competition. You know what they say: the best way to beat the enemy is to know which way they’re moving!

Today At Cult Of Android: Google Provides Indoor Maps For CES, VIZIO Stream Player, And More…

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With CES in full effect, it’s been an extremely busy couple of days for Android. In fact, I was so absorbed in CES news, I forgot to post yesterday’s Android roundup (I bet you thought it was going to go away). Good news is we’re still here, and for anyone interested in what has been going on in the world of Android, we encourage you to head over to Cult of Android. Here’s a recap of some of the news-making headlines today.

Today At Cult Of Android: Google TV Drops x86 In Favor Of ARM, Google Earth Updated, And More…

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What’s this? Android news on Cult of Mac?! Who the hell cares?! Maybe you don’t, maybe you do. Point is: these are a few of the popular topics going on in the Android world today. Maybe you’d like to know what the competition is up to, or perhaps your aunt received a Kindle Fire she needs to update. Regardless of the reason, having a resource such as Cult of Android allows you to learn more about what’s going on in the ecosystem powered by the world’s leading mobile OS.

AirPlay Streaming to Apple TV Now Available to Android Users

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Everyone who owns an Apple TV loves AirPlay – it’s a fantastic way of streaming your moves and music straight to your TV that was previously a luxury only iOS and iTunes users could enjoy. However, thanks to the doubleTwist software, users can now send content to the Apple TV from their Android smartphones.

The doubleTwist software for Mac & PC advertises itself as “the iTunes for Android” and allows you to wirelessly sync your iTunes playlists, photos and videos to your Android phone with the accompanying Android application. Its most recent update introduced the ability to stream all of this content to the Apple TV over AirPlay.

AppleTV vs. Google TV: An In-Depth Comparison

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Little more than a week after Apple started shipping their all-new AppleTV, Google announced that they too would join the home entertainment party and offer a TV service of their own. It’s iOS vs. Android all over again, but this time the battle’s in your living room, not in your pocket.

The first product to offer Google’s new TV service is the Logitech Revue. It’s a black set-top box, just like you’d get for AppleTV, but it’s not as pretty, obviously. So, let’s take a look at how the two devices compare.

Watch Out Apple: Google Is Launching Its Own TV Box Next Week

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Hot on the heels of the new Apple TV , Google is launching its own set-top box next week.

Made by Logitech, the Android-based will be unveiled next Wednesday October 6 at press events in San Francisco and New York (see the invite below).

Like Apple’s device, the Google TV is black, although it’s quite a bit larger than Apple’s diminutive box (see David’s photos comparing it to the old Apple TV). The Google TV will run on a 1.2-GHz Atom processor with 4 GB memory, 802.11n Wi-Fi, two HDMI-out ports, Dolby 5.1 surround sound and a pair of USB ports. It will also offer video-chat at 720p if you connect a webcam.

It promises an innovative search-based interface. Search for what you want, and it displays content from the Web, cable, satellite and compatible DVRs. Here’s a trailer showing how it works: