(Image source: Digital Trends)

BY JIM FLINK

You ready for Google TV?  Samsung apparently is. Reuters is reporting the world’s largest TV manufacturer is set to bring Google TV software to its TV lineup. It comes on the heels of a complete Google upgrade a month ago.

Digital Trends explains....

“Much more simple that the earlier iteration of the software, the new and improved Google TV is far more … easy-to-use, and resembles Android 3.0 Honeycomb in look and feel... Google has also begun to add the option of using Android apps on Google TV, as well.”

Unlike the first rendition, Business Insider says, Google TV 2.0 is something it might actually want to use.
More importantly, it’s a bet on where TV viewing is going.

“Google still believes that TV is in the middle of a fundamental change from hundreds to millions of ‘channels,’ and that's where the opportunity for Google lies: helping consumers make sense of that huge trove of video.”

And while that may seem a bit unwieldy, CNET notes, this is all part of a very strategic roll-out which, if successful, could rewrite television viewership altogether.

“Reports have also quoted sources as saying Samsung was working on Google TV-based products that use Samsung's own processors instead of Intel's ... Add news of the advanced Samsung/Google talks to reports that LG may be looking to switch on Google TV, and November is adding up to be a pretty good month for Google TV.”

Now, before you go getting all excited, this could well be a ways off. And besides, the Register notes, this isn’t the highest priority for TV manufacturers right now.

“So far, Google TV has failed to set the world alight … most TV and TV-related stuff manufacturers don't have a lot of extra cash to be shunting into a less-than-wildly popular product since the general market for TVs has proved dire in the wake of the global credit crisis.”

The global crisis aside, Google TV has been so slow to develop, some have simply grown tired of waiting. SlashGear notes, Samsung may be the last man standing to see if GoogleTV works -- ever.

“That reticence doesn’t seem to have harmed Samsung; in the meantime, we’ve seen Sony discount its Google TV sets considerably, and Logitech announce that it had no further plans to release devices using Google’s platform. Existing Logitech Revue owners will get Google TV 2.0...but no new hardware is in the pipeline from the company.”

Samsung officials say -- don’t expect a rollout of its product at the giant Consumer Electronics Show in January.  It will come sometime after that.