Google tv 2.0 Review: Rising From The Fallen?

The Google TV 2.0 has failed to sizzle in the market after raising the expectations of people high. Released in the last week of October, the Google TV 2.0 is speculated to be the idiot combination of a fancy Netfix and You Tube box. Google had wanted to bridge the gap between internet content and cable but has failed to resolve the major fundamental issues that led to the doom of the first version.

The developers of the Google TV 2.0 kept in mind the drawbacks of the first model and worked on to improve it. The Google TV runs like a champ with absolutely no streaming breaks. The previously missing designs are elegantly incorporated in this new version.

The Google TV 1.0 appeared as if put together in haste. Different design cues were utilized to give each screen a slightly different look than the others. Android application Honeycomb has a prominent influence and has managed to satisfy the Android lovers. Google TV now hosts the Android 3.1 instead of the previous 2.2.

The new version features a home screen with a single bar of icons that overlaps the contents of the background. Designed with a gorgeous menu tree, the Google 2.0 version provides the natural navigation path to the apps and new key features of YouTube, Chrome, TV and Movies.

The Google TV also runs beautifully on the Sony introduced Internet TV Blu-ray player, therefore CPU performance is bound to increase. Bookmarks are added and pages load a lot faster in this new version of the Google TV.

The Google TV has more entertainment in stock for its users. Functioning like a normal search engine this Google TV intelligently searches and puts forth the results, guiding the owner’s cable TV. Great navigation paths and content discovery are the revised YouTube Leanback’s most appreciable features, but is prone to crashes owing to its partnership with Flash.

Google TV does not have enough arms to stand up to its rivals the Boxee Box and Roku, both of which have high perfoemance with additional content and by using many search engines.

The TV looks great and includes and supports mpeg2 and .avi files which prove that it supports DLNA servers the best. While others like Boxee Box and Roku requires users to switch inputs on their TV and utilize another remote for use, the Google TV requires only one for its perfect functioning. One remote controls everything.

[via technobuzz]