The New York Times is reporting that Google, Intel, and Sony are working collaboratively on a new platform called “Google TV” in an attempt to bring the web directly into the living room via television sets and set-top boxes.

The idea is pretty straightforward. Consumers will sit in front of their HDTV sets and navigate web applications as easily as switching television channels.

Not surprisingly, the Google TV platform is based on the Android operating system. The companies hope developers already developing apps for mobile phones will also be interested in developing web apps for the television set.

The trio of companies have also enlisted Logitech to help manufacture peripheral devices such as a remote control with a small keyboard.

The new Google TV technology is slated to run on Intel’s energy-efficient Intel Atom processor. Google apparently has a prototype set-top box already but one would expect the TV platform to be directly integrated into devices such as TV sets, Blu-ray players, and other set-top boxes.

So what can you expect as an end-user of the platform?

  • A new interface that lets users perform Internet functions such as search and watching online video content from YouTube or Hulu
  • Users will be able to download web applications
  • A version of the Chrome Web Browser will be used

The individual companies have yet to comment on the project but there are apparently many open Android-related positions that need to be filled.

Android for the phone; Android for netbooks/laptops; and now Android for the television platform. Remember the old “Windows Everywhere” mantra? How about “Android Everywhere”?

Read more about this project over at the New York Times.

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