Google and Apple want your TV
Facebook announced some new features Wednesday. Now, you’ll be able to download your information from Facebook. So all those pictures, videos, and status updates can be loaded on to your computer. There’s also a new dashboard to control what you’re sharing with third party applications like games and monitor how the companies who make those applications will use it.
And you’ll be able to organize groups of your friends. So you won’t have to share the same things with family as you do with co-workers.
But today we want to talk about TV. You see, while you may visit Facebook, you spend more time watching TV. Yes, even you, public radio listener, probably knock back a few hours a day. And big tech companies, namely Google and Apple, are trying to become part of your TV experience.
Wednesday, Logitech unveiled the Logitech Revue. It’s a small box, attaches to your TV, costs 300 dollars, and it uses something called Google TV, which lets you search for movies and TV online and watch them on your set.
Google TV is arriving shortly after the recent debut of Apple’s latest version of a set top TV box called Apple TV. Costs a hundred bucks, so 200 less than Logitech’s Google TV set up.
We talk to CNET editor John Falcone as well as Jacqui Cheng from Ars Technica about what all these tech companies are doing in your living room.
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