Adding another Apple-fighting feature to it’s roster, Google will be launching its web-to-TV service this fall in the U.S. and worldwide next year. CEO Eric Schmidt announced at the IFA consumer electronics trade fair in Berlin, that the service will allow users the ability of full Internet browsing on their television sets and that Google will be working with content providers, though they doubt they will get any actual content from them. First announced in May, Google TV will be powered by Chrome and allow users to turn their consoles into more than just an instrument on which to watch video. Their official blog states that “it can be a photo slideshow viewer, a gaming console, a music player and much more.”
As of last week, Sony said they would be featuring Google TV on its sets, also Samsung said they would be looking for a way to use the service. This announcement comes just a week after Apple unveiled their new Apple TV device (down to $99 from $229 and a quarter of the size of the original) and it’s plan for TV show rental at 99 cents and movies for $4.99. Schmidt also announced that this web-browsing service would be free.
