Android TV officially unveiled at Google I/O

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Published 25 Jun 2014

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Google has extended Android’s presence yet again, now including an SDK for all form factors that you can think of. The latest addition is to your TV, as Google has just unveiled Android TV.

Today at Google I/O, the Mountain View-based company officially unveiled Android TV. Interestingly enough, this isn’t a brand new SDK or even a new version of Android, but an extension of Android L — just as we’ve seen in other Android platforms recently announced, including Android Wear. That means functionality will be similar, and developers will be able to develop for Android TV much more easily.

Android TV’s layout is quite similar to the other Android platforms, with a big focus on cards. What’s more, you can use Android TV to listen to your voice to find what you’re looking for, using real-world conversational language to find it. You can even ask Android TV questions, like the actress who played a certain character in a movie, and Android TV will use Google Search to provide a response, as well as recommendations starring that person.

If you lose your remote? Google has made it possible for Android Wear-based wearables to function as a D-pad for Android TV. So, just in case your couch or chair eats your remote, or your dog steals it, you’ve got a remote right on your wrist.

Gaming is a big focus for Android TV, and you can tap into Google Play Games to have achievements and leaderboards, as well as multiplayer games right from your TV. On stage, Google showcased NBA Jam‘s multiplayer gameplay, which included one person on Android TV and the other on an Android-based tablet.

Users will be able to “cast” their apps and games to Android TV as well, just for good measure.

Android TV’s Store will open later this year, in the fall, along with the public release of Android L. SONY and Sharp have partnered, along with Philips, with Google to launch many TV models with Android TV later this year. Set-top boxes from Razer, ASUS and others will also be coming later this year.

ADT 1, the way developers can access the tools to build for Android TV, is available today. You can check out Google’s official page for Android TV right here.

More to come…