Sony underwhelms with Google TV at CES

By Jeffrey Van Camp January 7, 2011

sony-googletv-ces-2011 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Google may have asked TV makers to hold back Google TV, but that isn’t stopping Sony. At Sony’s CES booth, Internet TV is all over the place, and it’s all powered by Google. We first tried out these TVs at Sony’s launch event back in October, and it doesn’t appear the software has changed since then. Though the concept is good, Google TV is still underwhelming, both in set-top boxes like the Logitech Revue and embedded in TVs, as seen here.

Two big problems stuck out with Sony’s Internet TVs:

The Google TV interface is sluggish.
The keyboard remote control is confusing and strangely built.

Though I did begin to get used to the device, the remote control remains far too complicated for many users. It took me several minutes to figure out how to do simple things like move my mouse, which is done using a touchpad button on the right side of the remote. Hopefully Google will revamp its software in the months to come and Sony will simplify the remote control in next year’s model. Until then, check out this run through of some Google TV features.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

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