Android TV: Googlebot on the gogglebox

Android is coming to your telly. Crave chatted to to manufacturers working on televisions powered by Google mobile operating system at technology trade show IFA this week. As all the big names showed off their Internet-connected tellies, less well-known names are going 'Droid.

The amazingly-named Swedish company People of Lava is the first to develop an Android-powered television, while Vestel also has the backroom boffins working overtime to build one. Don't worry if you hadn't heard of Vestel, it's only the largest telly-maker in Europe.

Android TV seems like a winner. It's an established operating system and using it means manufacturers don't have to develop software as well as hardware. It's good for developers too, as IPTV types won't have to build different solutions for different manufacturers. Plus, Android is free. It may even be a draw for consumers as a name that's gaining ever more customer recognition.

Ideally, we'll see our Android syncing in some way with our telly -- Vestel reckons Android TV will let you use the same apps on blower and gogglebox.

The challenge for app developers is that this provides yet another screen for which their apps must be adapted, following the slew of Android tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Toshiba Folio 100. Controlling Android via a remote control is another issue.

What do you think about Android TV? Would the Googlebot on the gogglebox sway you into buying a particular television, even if it's from a less well-known name? Drop your thoughts in the comments.