Google TV Vs Apple TV

sRecently Google announced the launch of Google TV in response to Apple TV which is available for just $99.

Apple TV: The latest product from Apple stores which has already become a rage across US. It goes along with the other Apple products. Instead of concentrating on the hardware market of TV's Apple TV instead has put its focus more on the streaming content. It comes up with services like movie rentals, show rentals, watching you tube videos on TV instead of the computer screen etc. This is a kind of new strategy coming from Apple. Till now it was coming with products mainly related to hardware products. Now it has shifted focus to providing rental shows etc. There are many similar products out in the market with even better features, however when Apple comes with such a product its something to watch out for. So in the future you can expect apple TV to support gaming applications and replace DVD player etc.

Google TV would be based on Android and would support google chrome and hence you could watch you tube and other videos just like the way Apple TV does. Mobiles usually have to restrict to smaller screens. However, Google TV gets away with this disadvantage. This means Google tv treats TV just as another device to display its content. So google has announced it will come up with google TV SDK which the developers needs to use to use the TV for their application development. Soon we may expect apps that confine to google TV standards.

Apple announced that Apple TV would be in the stores very soon and it was immediately followed with the announcement of Google TV to be released in fall 2010.

For google TV a new SDK for the developers will be announced soon. That will pull the android market and the developers into Google TV. So very soon you can expect applications games based on Google TV. Will this try to capture the market of playstation, nitendo etc only time will.

However the strategies of the two companies seems to be different. Apple TV seems to be centred around streaming video content where as Google TV seems to bring together internet space and TV into a single device. Apple TV is trying to tap its loyalists and get them to fetch revenue constantly using rentals. This is a new strategy coming from Apple. However, google TV is aimed at increasing internet usage and effectively its presence in the form of advertisements etc.

Which one of the them do you think has come up with a better strategy? Share your thoughts.

References: 

Apple TV

Google TV

android platform mobile handsets - HTC Evo 4G phone

HTC does it yet again. It has become is the first phone maker to come out with a handset that can access the 4G network. In fact, 4G is so new it still isn't available in many parts of US. Sprint is expected to roll out its 4G network in other 24 US cities later this year.

The Evo is powered, like many HTC phones, with the Android operating system. In 2008, HTC produced the first phone to use the Android system which was called the G1 or the HTC Dream.

Android, which is gaining popularity this year, has for the first time outsold iphones.

It hosts a 4.3″ capactive LCD display that is quite stunning.

The EVO have a nice, large 8MP camera that is capable of some pretty decent shots. Both have It has the 3X digital zoom with a ton of extra settings made available from HTC. The EVO has the front facing camera which is quite useful in the 4G network.

The EVO has the capability of 720p video output with the HDMI type D micro connector on the bottom of the phone.

HTC Smart - Worlds First BREW Mobile Platform (BMP) phone

HTC has launched the first BMP phone in the market. After being the first to bring Android into the market it has now launched the first BREW mobile platform mobile phone.

HTC is trying to diversify its business. Over the last few years it has been mainly focussing on Windows mobiles. However, now it seems to be interested in other mobile platforms and being the first in launching any platform always helps. HTC has already lauched quite a few android phones already and now the first BMP phone. BMP is the lastest version of BREW, a properitery of Qualcomm.

'Smart' as its called is aimed at the entry segment of the smart phones market.

Good features:

Multiple home screens

touch screen

Stylish

very similar to the android phone

Facebook

Messaging

Drawbacks:

Auto focus in camera is not there

No WiFi

No GPS

Since this is the first BMP phone on the market have to see how it fares. Android took about 2 years to pick up (since it was launched during the global slowdown) but now its seems to take up a huge market share. We are yet to see how BREW will fare in the market. BREW was mainly focussed on CDMA mobiles till now, however with the launch of BMP it seems to make an entry into the GSM, 3G market as well.

HTC smart didnt make news in the market since its launch and even the platform BMP seems to be going down with no new phones being launched even after a year since the launch of its first phone