Leeky
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Sony has been a supporter of Google TV since its inception. Despite the platform's very limited success so far, the Japanese electronics firm is taking another swing at CES with two new Google TV powered devices announced at the show. The first item is an upgraded version of its Google TV powered Blu-ray player (below), designated the NSZ-GP9, which has been slimmed down from last year’s bulkier design and received a new remote offering voice search capabilities.
The other model grabbing its share of the attention is Sony’s first ever Google TV powered set-top box, the NSZ-GS7 (below). For Google TV in general this is an important model launch, as it will mark the first set-top box alternative since the Logitech Revue was discontinued recently.
One big change is the remote. It features a touchpad on the front which supports gestures using three-axis motion control. On the rear is a fully backlit keyboard. Overall the design is quite pleasing and it’s almost guaranteed to be an improvement over earlier remote controls which have been a major cause for criticism on most previously released Google TV incarnations over the past year.
Both models feature improvements gained from the latest “Honeycomb” update, which includes access to Android’s Market for downloading apps as well as other software and utilities. There is no pricing as of yet, but Sony has confirmed the NSZ-GS7 set-top box will arrive in spring this year, with the NSZ-GP9 Blu-ray player following sometime in the summer.
