New Google TV set-top will have smartphone streaming

A new device powered by Google TV will allow users to stream video content from smartphones to their TV.

According to the latest reports, the device in question will run on the latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich.

It seems like it won’t be a feature that is going to be rolled out to legacy Google TV devices. Instead, the set-top box will be something specifically tailored to this product.

The device is being developed by a company called Honeywld Technology.

It aims to have somewhat of a similar approach to living room entertainment as the Apple TV, which allows people to playback content from their iPhones or iPads, directly to their TV.

In addition to streaming videos, the new Google TV box will allow seamless viewing of photos as well as music playback.

One caveat about this is that it looks like Google TV might start facing the exact same problem as Android phones and tablets – fragmentation.

Already, this week LG and OnLive announced a partnership wherein an OnLive app will be pre-installed on future LG TVs with Google TV.

However, existing Google TV devices will not be able to run the app and the new device from Honeywld could potentially further fragment Google TV services.