Rumor: Google TV launching week of October 17

Google TV may be launching sometime around October 17, according to an internal Best Buy document leaked by Engadget. The release date was actually set for October 3, 2010 but was reportedly pushed back two weeks due to unknown circumstances, and while that doesn't give us complete confirmation, it's pretty close if you remember that Best Buy is an official Google TV partner. The retailer is expected to sell the Logitech Revue, as well as TVs and BluRay players that are powered by Google TV.

Eric Schmidt has already told us the Google TV is slated for an autumn release, but this leak narrows that down to about a month left of waiting. Google TV was announced back at Google's I/O conference in May, and is expected to combine traditional television programming with Internet video, allowing users to easily search for programs without scrolling through cumbersome onscreen TV directories, hopefully merging Internet and TV content into one seamless experience.

For those trying to weigh the competition, Apple TV should be shipping in the next two to four weeks, which would mean the first users will get it before Google TV is out. Regardless of the exact timing, both devices appear to be ready to ship in time for the 2010 holiday season, which should be a perfect entry point for the next Google versus Apple battle. Oh, and don't forget the Boxee Box and Hulu Plus.