After introducing the L
Developer Preview of Android, Android
Wear and Auto,
Google has also unveiled Android for our living rooms, which is fittingly
called Android TV.
Just like the other versions of Android discussed during the
event, Android TV is designed to bring the usability of the Android operating
system to other devices. As such, the platform still features Google’s new
Material Design, which is most prominent when a user is viewing cards on top of
live TV.
Android TV is also bringing improved search functionality
with full support for voice search. Moreover, the platform is fully compatible
with other Android platforms. For instance, consumers are able to use an Android
Wear smartwatch as a remote control for Android TV while games from Google Play
will be playable on the user’s TV.
Google is also giving Android TV a cast feature similar to the Chromecast. This means that content
from an Android smartphone and tablet can be conveniently displayed on TV
allowing users to share content more freely.
And speaking of Chromecast, the TV streaming dongle will
also be getting some upgrades today. For starters, users can now cast content
through the cloud, eliminating the need to get all casters under one network.
Also, Google wants users to use their TV even when not watching any shows or
movies by enabling a feature called Backdrop that displays beautiful curated
images when the TV is not in use.
The Chromecast update will also allow TVs to mirror the
contents of an Android smartphone.
The SDK for Android TV should now be available at Google
Developers website today while products running on the platform are expected to
ship in the coming months.
