Google TV to take on Apple TV with upcoming fitness and smart home features

A Google executive teases future capabilities coming to Google TV.

What you need to know

A Google executive discussed the company's plans for Google TV in the future.
Google intends to integrate smart home, fitness, and video conferencing features into the interface.
There's no fixed timeline yet, but these capabilities could arrive sometime this year.

Google TV may soon be able to do more than just play movies and TV shows. Rob Caruso, Google TV's director of product management, has recently revealed what's next for the smart TV interface.

In an interview with Protocol, Caruso said that Google wants to improve smart home controls on Google TV, citing as an example the recent updates that made it possible to access smart home controls via the power menu on the best Android phones.

Another "big area of exploration" is fitness capabilities. Caruso teased the possible integration of Google's services and devices such as Google Fit and Fitbit as well as third-party systems into the interface. The plan seems to take its cue from the Apple Fitness+ integration on Apple TV, though Caruso stopped short of disclosing the specifics of the plan.

Video conferencing is also a major focus. Google plans to expand your options for video communication on Android TV beyond Google Duo. Caruso made mention of Zoom as a potential service that may be added to Google TV's video conferencing options.

Google is also interested in expanding the number of free live TV channels available on Google TV; the Mountain View-based company already made progress on that front when it partnered with Pluto TV late last year to give Google TV users access to more than 300 free live TV channels.

On the content side of things, Caruso expressed hope for some improvements in the situation between Netflix and Google TV. Currently, Google TV users are unable to add Netflix shows and movies to the interface's system-level watchlist.

"I hope we'll see some welcome improvements and innovations in the coming months with not just Netflix, but with many partners," Caruso told Protocol.

While there's no set timeline for when these features will arrive, Caruso said some of them may become available "on Google TV devices in the coming months."

Source: androidcentral

The hidden cost of food delivery

Noah Lichtenstein Contributor Share on Twitter Noah Lichtenstein is the founder and managing partner of Crossover , a diversified private technology fund backed by institutional investors, technology execs and professional athletes and entertainers. More posts by this contributor What Studying Students Teaches Us About Great Apps I’ll admit it: When it comes to food, I’m lazy. There are dozens of great dining options within a few blocks of my home, yet I still end up ordering food through delivery apps four or five times per week. With the growing coronavirus pandemic closing restaurants and consumers self-isolating, it is likely we will see a spike in food delivery much like the 20% jump China reported during the peak of its crisis. With the food delivery sector rocketing toward a projected $365 billion by the end of the decade, I’m clearly not the only one turning to delivery apps even before the pandemic hit. Thanks to technology (and VC funding) we can get a ri

Cyber Monday Canada: Last-minute deals for everyone on your list

Best Cyber Monday Canada deals: Smart Home Audio Phones, Tablets & Accessories Wearables Laptops & PC Components Amazon products Gaming Televisions Cameras Lifestyle & Kitchen Toys & Kids Cyber Monday Canada is here, and retailers are rolling out the red carpet for customers who want to shop for everything from tech to kitchenware to games and everything in between. Unlike years past, Cyber Monday Canada deals look a bit different than normal. Instead of retailers trying to pack their stores with as many shoppers as possible, we're seeing tons of online deals that you can take advantage of from the comfort of your home. We've rounded up our favorites below, so feel free to browse through the best of what Canada Cyber Monday has to offer! This list is being updated with new Cyber Monday deals all the time, so check back often. Spotlight deals It's a Switch Nintendo Switch Fortnite Edition bundle $399.95 at Amazon It's a Switch.

iPhone 13 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro Buyer's Guide: 50+ Differences Compared

The iPhone 15 Pro brings over 50 new features and improvements to Apple's high-end smartphones compared to the iPhone 13 Pro, which was released two years prior. This buyer's guide breaks down every major difference you should be aware of between the two generations and helps you to decide whether it's worth upgrading. The ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro debuted in 2021, introducing a brighter display with ProMotion technology for refresh rates up to 120Hz, the A15 Bionic chip, a telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, Macro photography and photographic styles, Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field, ProRes video recording, a 1TB storage option, and five hours of additional battery life. The ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro was discontinued upon the announcement of the iPhone 14 Pro in 2022, but it is still possible to get hold of it second-hand. Our guide helps to answer the question of how to decide which of these two iPhone models is best for you and serves as a way to c

Slack’s new integration deal with AWS could also be about tweaking Microsoft

Slack and Amazon announced a big integration late yesterday afternoon. As part of the deal, Slack will use Amazon Chime for its call feature, while reiterating its commitment to use AWS as its preferred cloud provider to run its infrastructure. At the same time, AWS has agreed to use Slack for internal communications. Make no mistake, this is a big deal as the SaaS communications tool increases its ties with AWS, but this agreement could also be about slighting Microsoft and its rival Teams product by making a deal with a cloud rival. In the past Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield has had choice words for Microsoft saying the Redmond technology giant sees his company as an “existential threat.” Whether that’s true or not — Teams is but one piece of a huge technology company — it’s impossible not to look at the deal in this context. Aligning more deeply with AWS sends a message to Microsoft, whose Azure infrastructure services compete with AWS. Butterfield didn’t say that of course

Tech Talk

Search This Blog