Google has promised that it will extend its Android apps platform to Google TV “this year,” and now there are some signs that it may be coming as early as this spring.
Developers have noticed an Android Market update that filters for touchscreen devices — TV would be the only non-touchscreen device — which would allow Google TV users to browse TV-only apps. The addition of Android apps would be a big shot in the arm for Google TV, which has suffered from poor reviews.
As everyone has learned from mobile phones, the key to success with an app platform is an avid development community. Apple is the largest, and it has yet to announce any plans to expand its app platform to Apple TV (but I think that’s inevitable, once they’ve cleared the flurry of iPad app development.) Android is second-largest. But on television so far, Samsung is leading the way, hitting 2 million downloads last week.
As Android prepares to make its TV debut, Samsung is experimenting with ways to integrate Google TV, and by extension, the larger Android market as well. At the same time, it’s aggressively cultivating developers on its own platform. We’ll see what happens next.
