I love Apple products, every computer device in my home was Apple until adding the Google TV over Christmas. Received the Sony Blu Ray with Google TV and do not understand the criticism/hate for the device. I love it and now find myself thinking "Is that all Apple TV can do?", while using them (I have two). Anyone who has not given Google a try based on the negative reviews needs to test drive it for themselves. Very impressed...I hooked the thing up ready to be totally disappointed, but it has made me smile a number of times.
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Like Apple TV...Love Google TV
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I have it in the bedroom. I don't have a computer in there, so it was enjoyable to watch TV while checking things online at the same time. Last week's firmware update increased the PIP size to where it is watchable. I was worried about it being "buggy" or the whole experience feeling like a beta product. It does not, everything I have used is smooth and works seamlessly. I have DirecTV and a Samsung TV, the remote controls all 3 devices without a hitch. A big complaint would be the lack of a backlit remote, like many reviews have stated. I'm a huge sports fan, espn3.com works perfect as do many of the other sports related sites. A search centered device is not a new idea, but this is my first and I have smiled at knowing if I need to look up, read, or check virtually anything I can do that on the Google TV. Don't get me wrong, I like the Apple TV and knew exactly what it was for when I purchased it. ATV has it's place and purpose. It's just there's not anything new to discover on that device opposed to the Google unit.
Understand your point and get the humor, just passing info along for those seeking it.
Oh no no, I didn't mean it sarcastically. It looks like a good product, I've been rather surprised by all the negative reviews!
Ha ha! OK, good.
Like I said, people need to try it for themselves. Reviews have been too harsh IMO.
Like I said, people need to try it for themselves. Reviews have been too harsh IMO.
To each their own, but I personally find "checking things online" on a low-resolution 10-feet away TV screen to be a terrible idea. Especially when coupled with that ridiculous 100-key remote/keyboard Google expects you to use.
I would much rather check things online on my smartphone/iPad, while I watch _video_ on my TV. Much more pleasant experience compared to what Google envisions.. My prediction is that marketplace will reject GoogleTV (just as it rejected WebTV in it's time), and Google TV will end up following Google Wave to the technology graveyard.
+1
I couldn't agree with you more. You can't tell me if you had a smartphone or iPad as well as a web browser on your TV that if you needed to check something online you would prefer the web TV over the iPad. The distance, resolution, input method, and other physical limitations make it a poor experience compared to computers, smartphones, ipads, etc. which are all held or placed within a foot or so and often inches from your face. Neither hardware nor software can change that. Nothing is going to change this unless people start moving their couches 3 feet from the TV and the TV gets smaller to compensate. Which puts you right back to the desktop computer+monitor, which actually was designed for reading.
Televisions and the usual seating arrangement for them in the home just isn't designed for reading the way you do when you are on the internet. They are designed for displaying video and playing audio which they do very well at.
Furthermore, the family does not want sit and watch you browse the internet or check your twitter on the family room TV. And you don't want other people looking all in your facebook account and messages and reading your gmail while you check it on the TV in the family room. These things are personal and private which is why they are popular on smartphones and personal computers.
Google doesn't seem to have figured this out even though this lesson has already been learned many times over the last couple decades. I'm sure people who live alone and/or place it in a personal area like an office or bedroom with close quarters might find it useful but the way they are marketing it to take over the living room and become the focal point of home entertainment for the family is going to fail.
I couldn't agree with you more. You can't tell me if you had a smartphone or iPad as well as a web browser on your TV that if you needed to check something online you would prefer the web TV over the iPad. The distance, resolution, input method, and other physical limitations make it a poor experience compared to computers, smartphones, ipads, etc. which are all held or placed within a foot or so and often inches from your face. Neither hardware nor software can change that. Nothing is going to change this unless people start moving their couches 3 feet from the TV and the TV gets smaller to compensate. Which puts you right back to the desktop computer+monitor, which actually was designed for reading.
Televisions and the usual seating arrangement for them in the home just isn't designed for reading the way you do when you are on the internet. They are designed for displaying video and playing audio which they do very well at.
Furthermore, the family does not want sit and watch you browse the internet or check your twitter on the family room TV. And you don't want other people looking all in your facebook account and messages and reading your gmail while you check it on the TV in the family room. These things are personal and private which is why they are popular on smartphones and personal computers.
Google doesn't seem to have figured this out even though this lesson has already been learned many times over the last couple decades. I'm sure people who live alone and/or place it in a personal area like an office or bedroom with close quarters might find it useful but the way they are marketing it to take over the living room and become the focal point of home entertainment for the family is going to fail.
I agree with the point about the private aspects of email, FB, etc. and that the marketing scheme was off by light years. I'm enjoying GTV and have yet to feel uncomfortable viewing anything on my 40" TV in the bedroom. Vevo, Crackle, and the functionality with my DTV box have all been nice surprises. There's something to be said for having all media in one place, internet and flash included. As you said, to each his own.
I wanted to resurect this thread because I am considering getting a Google TV box. It's not that I want to read small low-res text on my TV, but I would like to watch some of the embedded videos (i.e. flash content) on websites (not porn!, but that would be a good idea 
) full-screen on my TV. Does it do this well?
) full-screen on my TV. Does it do this well?I wanted to resurect this thread because I am considering getting a Google TV box. It's not that I want to read small low-res text on my TV, but I would like to watch some of the embedded videos (i.e. flash content) on websites (not porn!, but that would be a good idea
It depends what embedded video sites you are referring to. Most of the major sites have blocked Google TV - Hulu, ABC, NBC, ESPN, etc etc. So if that's what you're thinking you're out of luck.
Smaller sites will probably work fine.
I wanted to resurect this thread because I am considering getting a Google TV box. It's not that I want to read small low-res text on my TV, but I would like to watch some of the embedded videos (i.e. flash content) on websites (not porn!, but that would be a good idea
I heard that Google is going to do a pretty big revamp that may be announced at CES. Besides Sony, there were a couple of other big manufacturers that were going to use GoogleTV but they are told to hold off. So, I'd wait a few weeks to see what the new announcement is.