Vizio’s new Co-Star box has hit their website for pre-order. The price tag is only $99 and for anyone looking into Google TV, that’s not a bad price. Google TV can turn any TV in your home into a smart TV by bringing tons of applications and the full Chrome browser right to your living room. Another sweet little addition to the box is the hybrid remote that comes with the package. It features a full keyboard on the backside, while having all of your remote needs on the front. Much more compact than what came with the Logitech Revue. 

If you are headed to Google I/O, you will be excited to learn that there is a new update to the official application that took place in Google Play last night. The update, targeted at people who will attend the event this year, includes new push notifications to receive “announcements and the conference schedule from the Google I/O team,” along with the ability to view the whole conference’s agenda. If you plan to watch the conference from home, the application can now be installed to your Google TV and supports full live streams of the conference through it.

Other than a few bug fixes throughout the application, the last update in the changelog is a little bit of a cute mystery:

[The update] Improves spacetime decompression algorithms; 29 total hours per day are now available to Google I/O attendees within Moscone West.

It could be Google being their normal slightly-geeky selves or they could be hinting towards something we’ll be hearing about at I/O. Well, we don’t have to wait much longer. Go grab the update from Google Play now.

Play Link

Google is trying to reboot their Google TV venture this year and LG is the first to get into the game with them. Back at CES in January, they showed of two sleek LED models that they said we would be seeing sometime soon. Rumors have been swirling around about the price and availability of these new sets, but LG has just announced the first two models.

The first piece of the puzzle comes from LG executive Ro Seogho, saying that they will be available in the US on May 21. But how much will they cost you say? There are two sizes, 47″ and 55″ that will run you $1699 and $2299 respectively. Whoa.

Willing to give Google TV another try at that price point?

Via: Engadget

Google is reportedly working on a big new feature for Google TV. According to a report and leaked images from Patently Apple, the search giant is looking to command the living room. The software, when released, will allow users to speak queries into a specially designed application that will then relay commands to your TV. As seen in the picture above, you can simply ask when your favorite shows are on and receive a full layout of expected airing times of the questioned programs. 

If there was one thing that we took away from CES this week, it was that many companies are joining Google TV now that the software has matured a bit more. It seems that the folks at Google are already working on the next iteration of it with the news today that they could be offering LG a first-look at the next generation software.

This situation would be similar to Google partnering with Samsung and HTC on the Nexus devices. LG would be the first company to see the software and be able to make their own changes to it if they pleased. This doesn’t mean we will be seeing a marketing campaign for a Nexus TV, but it would be pretty sweet, right? Will it be based on Ice Cream Sandwich possibly? We have a feeling that some of these questions will be answered at this year’s Google I/O.

Via: Bloomberg

If anybody here is an avid Google TV user, you will be pleased to hear that a Google TV preview has just been implemented into the Android SDK, and developers will soon be able to start building apps for your TV. Not only can they build apps, but some of applications will already be usable on your televisions.

The Android Market will also be available on your TV, and you will have the ability to download and use all compatible applications right on your television set. Winning? Back at Google I/O, they mentioned that soon we would be seeing Android implemented into lots of household appliances, and it looks like the time is coming upon us. No, this isn’t science fiction, it’s the GoogleFridge! 

When the Logitech Revue and Google TV were just getting their start, a commercial featuring Kevin Bacon as a fan obsessed with Kevin Bacon almost out-shined them both.  And today, Logitech and KB returned, only this time with an extended cut of that commercial that also includes a way for people to help support his charity, SixDegrees.org.

Here’s how it works: The star of the commercial and biggest Kevin Bacon memorabilia collector of them all, Ivan Cobenk, is putting some of his most-loved items up for sale. Those who watch the video can click on items such as Ivan’s special needlepoint project or his Kevin Bacon oil painting and they will be taken directly to eBay to make a bid. All profits go directly to Kevin Bacon’s charitable organization, SixDegrees.org, which supports and partners with a number of charitable causes.

So get to watching this hilarious spot, and if you have some extra cash, feel free to click on the variety of random Kevin Bacon swag featured throughout.  

This little app called Youtube Remote snuck onto the market yesterday that turns your Android phone into a wireless controller for Youtube Leanback.  All you have to do is sign-in to your Youtube account on both your phone and computer, Google TV, or other device and it will sync right up without hassle.  From there, you can browse Leanback content on your phone while leaving video playing in full screen on your TV, select something new, pause/play/skip, and enjoy being lazy.

What I’m wondering now though, is if this new simple remote connection has to do with Gingerbread?

Download Link

Cheers Zach!