Google is BOOSTING TV Plans

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) has added Chinese company Hisense to its list of manufacturers for the Google TV set-top box that is set to become available later this year. The search company already has manufacturing partnerships with Vizio, Samsung, Sony (NYSE:SNE), and LG for the device.

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“Hisense adds even more innovation to the growing list of Google TV-powered devices available around the world,” Mickey Kim, Google TV partner manager, toldPCWorld. “We’re working closely with partners like Hisense to bring services from Google and multiple other providers to your TV with an experience tailored for the living room.”

Hisense will unveil the device at the IFA trade show in Berlin in the first week of September. In terms of pricing, the Hisense device will be closely rivaled by Vizio’s $99 Co-Star Google TV set-top box, which is already sold out on the manufacturer’s website.

Google TV uses software based on the Android operating system and combines classic TV with Internet functionality under a single interface. Users of the device will have access to Android applications and 100,000 movies and TV content through Google’s online store. This is the second version of the software after the first edition, used by devices like Logitech’s (NASDAQ:LOGI) Revue set-top box and Sony’s Internet TV, did not do very well.

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