The eagerly awaited Sony Internet TV powered by Google TV is due to arrive in stores in the US on October 16, at a much lower price than originally rumored. Expectations are high for the connected TV and consumers are eager to find out if Sony's internet TV can live up to the hype. Sony has also announced it will release a Blu-ray player powered by Google TV that enables consumers with a HDMI-ready TV to browse the web, stream videos from sites like YouTube, play Flash games, connect with friends on social networks, play Blu-ray discs and even show off photos on the biggest display in the house. Sony's integrated internet TV is being marketed as the world's first internet TV. While there are other internet TVs already on the market (and even larger numbers of set-top boxes offering connections to the internet through the TV), few have provided a seamless internet-TV experience with access to the "full" world wide web. Sony and Google are striving to break down the borders between browsing the internet and watching TV. "Sony Internet TV is the world's first HDTV that combines the big-screen impact of television and full Internet search to deliver an unrivaled entertainment experience," said Mike Abary, senior vice president of Sony's Home Division in an October 12 statement to the press. "Finally, you can seamlessly search your favorite TV programs and web sites on the same screen, at the same time." The two companies have worked hard to develop a promising combination of hardware and software for the mainstream consumer. The internet TV is built on Google's Android platform and uses the internet giant's Chrome browser for surfing the web. Users can surf the web, update their social network statuses and check live sports scores while watching their favorite TV shows in the background thanks to a feature called "Dual View." There is a bookmark feature and a range of pre-installed apps such as Netflix, Pandora, YouTube, Napster, Twitter, CNBC, and NBA as well as Sony's Video On Demand powered by Qriocity. In early 2011 users will also have access to third party apps in Google's Android Market. Chatter about Sony's internet TVs is mostly positive: "The picture in picture capability is practically the selling point here," writes tech website Boy Genius Report, adding, "at a cost of $1,399 for the 46 edge-lit LED model is practically a steal." However many reporters are not entirely satisfied with the remote and its "mosaic of tiny buttons." "The button-based navigation also contains some annoying redundancies, with multiple ways to, say, go to the home menu, or search for content," explained tech blog Gizmodo.u00a0 While it's not perfect -- the user interface, Dual View screens and hand-held QWERTY keypad remote will provide a steep learning curve for most consumers -- the multitasking TV sets high standards for the future of internet TV. Consumers have so far been slow to adopt some of the slightly more limited TV options on the market (such as Apple's $99 Apple TV, all-in-one internet TVs made by Samsung, Panasonic, LG, Sharp, Toshiba and Vizio, and set-top boxes from competitors such as Boxee and Roku) but analysts predict internet TV adoption will surge over the next few years. Despite the growing range of connected TVs and set-top boxes appearing in the market, the Sony Internet TV powered by Google TV provides a convincing option for those currently shopping for their next flatscreen TV. Consumers can expect to pay approximately $100 more than the price of Sony's existing Bravia internet TVs for the "Google TV experience" -- $599.99 for the 24 inch NSX-24GT1, $799.99 for the 32 inch NSX-32GT1, $999.99 for the 40 inch NSX-40GT1 and $1,399.99 for the NSX-46GT1 Sony internet TVs. The Sony internet TV Blu-ray Disc Player (NSZ-GT1) is priced at $399.99. Sony's internet TVs and Blu-ray Disc Player will be available for purchase from October 16. Logitech Revue with Google TV will start shipping in the US before the end of October and will cost $299. International consumers will have to wait a bit longer revealed a Google spokesperson in an October 5 email to Relaxnews. "Initially, Google TV will only be made available for US consumers," said Google. "It will be available internationally next year and we'll have more to announce next year."

The eagerly awaited Sony Internet TV powered by Google TV is due to arrive in stores in the US on October 16, at a much lower price than originally rumored.

All you need to know about Sony's Google-powered internet TVs

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All you need to know about Sony's Google-powered internet TVs

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