LG Google TV Launch Tipped For 2012

LG is readying its first Google TV for launch in January 2012 at CES, insiders claim, as Google prepares its second attempt at the smart TV segment. Specifications for the new LG are unclear, with Bloomberg's pair of sources "with knowledge of the product" only confirming that it will be a TV set with Google TV functionality integrated. It will be one of the first to use Google TV 2.0, which offers third-party apps and a redesigned interface.

LG was tipped to demonstrate one or more Google TV products back in January, at CES 2010, but the company reportedly froze production plans at Google's own request. The search giant, so leaks suggested at the time, was looking to refine its smart TV experience based on poor feedback from reviewers and users.

That poor reception has continued, to the point where Logitech – one of Google's original launch partners for Google TV – has decided not to replace or further produce its Revue set-top box when existing supplies run out. Although initially confident about Google TV, the company has seen sales underwhelm and its own bottom line heavily hit by the failure of the smart TV platform.

Meanwhile, Samsung is also believed to be considering a Google TV push of its own, but the Korean company has been quiet on how the system might fit into its own expansive smart TV plans. Samsung has been rumored to use its own bada platform on smart TVs, though the company's involvement in the new Tizen platform could see it using that instead.