The iHeartRadio app brings the best of internet radio to your TV, but with visual enhancements for the larger screen. The app displays album art and station branding for stimulation. One can select the station of preference, or simply search by location and genre. Or my personal favorite: search for any artist or song, and the app will create a list of stations that play it.

It is definitely convenient to have the app, as Google TV users have only been able to use iHeartRadio from the browser (which is not the best, as we all know). The experience with he app is simply much smoother and aesthetically pleasing.

Users can now stop bringing their other devices to the living room in order to listen to their favorite radio stations. And if screen brightness messes with the mood, do not worry – The app will dim the display, keeping a nice, dark room filled with your favorite tunes.

This one is definitely one we have to at least check out, so make sure to check it out from the Spotlight app on your Google TV.

[Source: Google TV Blog]

There are two versions available, a 47-inch and a 55-inch version. They are not exactly the most affordable TVs, though. These bad boys will hit your wallet with a $1600 and $2100 price tag, relatively. The 3D-capable, LED HDTVs are quite the mouth-droppers, though.

If you are interested, you can now go ahead and check out all the details straight from LG’s official Google TV site. But what do you guys say? Are you getting one of these? Hit the Amazon links below if you are.

LG Google TV 47″

LG Google TV 55″

Not much is known about the specs and details of the device, and we were only able to see non-working units. We were able to see what the new system looks like, though. The box itself is a simple black, shiny device. What is much more exciting (at least for now) is the new remote.

We have grown to love Sony’s current Google TV remote, so we can see your opinions being very polarized. Some will love it, some will hate it. It definitely looks sleek and functional, though. The remote is a black dual-sided slab with a keyboard on one side and a track pad and other function buttons in the other.

Sony is promising a summer release for this product, so it might be worth the wait if you are a fan of Sony’s Google TV products. We now have a plethora of players in the market, though, so we are wondering how Sony will play its cards. Now that the company no longer has exclusivity over the OS, things could get a little rough.

Will Sony keep its prices lower? Will its products simply be better? What do you think? Check out the video below for more details, and don’t forget to hit the comments section with all your opinions.

[Via: Phandroid]

Google TV is starting to spread its wings, no longer exclusive to a a single TV manufacturer (Sony). Companies like LG, Vizio and Samsung are starting to get in the game, but there is a bit of an odd player in the market. Lenovo has decided to take an alternative route and release an Android 4.0 Smart TV, which is now available in China.

There are two versions available. The first is a 42-inch one, with a price tag of 6,499 yuan ($1,030), while the second one has a 52-inch display and sets you back 14,999 yuan ($2,378). As you can see, not exactly the most affordable TVs, but are they worth the price?

Such third-party manufactured and customized versions are usually not as good as the original product, but Lenovo certainly has something with great potential here. The Ice Cream Sandwich TV is only available in China right now, as Lenovo is testing the waters with this new project. It is still unknown if we will see a global release, but if Lenovo plays it right, we could have a great Google TV contender for all Android fans.

We checked out the device at CES, and it packs some great functionality. It features Face Unlock, access to BesTV (Chinese streaming service), a gamepad controller and even a remote that doubles as a Wii-mote-like gaming controller. Not to mention that it is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor.

Lenovo’s device definitely has its downsides, though. Due to its nature, it does not have access to the Google Play Store. Instead, Lenovo is using its own app store. As assumed, the TV will not have a very vast reach, at least for now, and developer support might be a bit slow.  But we might see things picking up soon with more games and applications becoming available for this Smart TV.

Google TVs will continue to have full support, and are more likely to be updated to upcoming versions. And that is something customers might want to consider, as well. Sadly, Google TV is not available everywhere, but neither is Lenovo’s Android 4.0 TV.

There are many pros and cons about each platform, but when it comes to Android-based TVs, Lenovo seems to have a good shot with this one. It seems like a very well-built and complete TV, with great accessories and features. But would you trust Lenovo for updates and support? Do you think Google TV is simply better? You tell us.

[Source: Phandroid Via: Phandroid]

LG was one of the few manufacturers to show off a Google TV this year at CES, but very few details were shared about these TVs. According to a Korean financial firm, the first LG Google TV’s could be seen in stores as early as next week. Prices are rumored to startn at $1,600 for the 47″ model and run upwards of $2,100 for the 55″ screen.

These TVs not only have Google TV built-in, but they also feature passive 3D technology which eliminates the need to wear glasses in order to see the 3D effects produced my many TVs. It’s possible that LG could be considered for the next wave of Nexus Google TVs, but of course that’s a rumor we’re keeping close watch on.

[via Phandroid]

It looks like those of you in Oz who are waiting for a Google TV-equipped television are out of luck. Today Samsung announced that it has no plans to bring a Google TV to Australia, which likely extends the sentiments to the rest of the world. Philip Newton had some pretty harsh words when asked whether or not the company would be launching a Google TV platform:

Check out these seven apps that bring content from across the globe directly to your living room:

• PPTV offers high-definition video programming, including the latest cinema blockbusters and TV dramas from Asia.  Also available are popular anime series, variety entertainment shows such as Taiwanese Idol and China Super Girl, and live sports and financial news.

• IslamBox has more than 40 Live TV Channels and over two thousand hours of video on demand in four different languages from around the world. Watch Islamic Channels like Islam Channel from UK, Express News from Pakistan, Peace TV from India, Bridges Television from USA, Huda TV from Egypt and many more.

• Yupp TV brings Indian TV channels live and on demand to your Google TV. YuppTV today has more than 80 channels available in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali and Punjabi languages.

• Raaga offers South Asian music from more than 200 music labels from the region in almost 20 languages. This includes Bollywood content, as well as music in regional languages like Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi and more.

• Crunchyroll lets you watch Japanese anime and Asian Drama on your Google TV. The app offers the latest anime from Japan in English languages or subtitles, showing new episodes one hour after airing in Japan.

• Euronews is a web app that publishes news every 30 minutes covering the day’s top world, sport, business, lifestyle and breaking news. Languages available include Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish and Ukrainian.

• Al Jazeera offers an English version of the Arabic-language news network. This app brings breaking news and features plus background material including profiles and global reactions, and you can watch the latest Al Jazeera programs in HD quality.

The Boxee Box and Google TV may be in competition which each other, but they have some things in common. One of those things is the Intel Atom processor. This means that there is the possibility to run Boxee software on a Google TV. GTVHacker sent out a Tweet yesterday with a picture of exactly that. The picture shows Boxee software running on a rooted Sony Google TV. There was no more information provided, but if you have a rooted Sony Google TV you’ll want to stay tuned for more. How awesome would it be to have the best of Boxee and Google TV on one device?

[Twitter via Engadget]

Apple is holding an event today for the iPad 3, but they also announced a new Apple TV. This is the 3rd gneration of Apple TV devices. The question is how does Apple’s third attempt at TV compare to Google’s first? Let’s take a look.

The new model of the Apple TV supports 1080p video output. Google TV also supports 1080p video output. The Apple TV can now also stream movie purchases from iCloud. Google TV can do this, and with the recent Google Play push we’ll likely see more cloud streaming to the device. Apple TV has a new UI, seen in the image above. Google TV has also recently received a UI refresh.

The biggest difference between the Apple TV and Google TV is the pricing. Apple is still pricing the device at only $99, a real steal. Google TV devices range in price, but most are more expensive than that. If Google really wants to be in the TV game they need to start competing with Apple more agressively. They have many of the same features, but nearly as many users.

[via The Verge

The Android Market is getting rebranded today with a shiny new logo and name. From this day forward the apps, music, movie, and books store will be called “Google Play.” Other than some clever uses of the word “play” that’s where the changes end. Google is trying to push their ecosystem, and this rebranding is another step in doing so. Quite honestly it makes sense. The Android Market sold things that could be used without having an Android device, so the name wasn’t entirely accurate.

Among the first devices to recieve the new Google Play makeover are Google TV devices. You can check by opening the Android Market, if the update is ready you will be greeted with a Google Play splash screen and the option to continue. It’s time to say goodbye to the Android Market. We hardly knew ye.

[via Phandroid (1), (2)]