Sony's Google TV Remote: Flying a Cessna is easier

written by: Gianluigi Cuccureddu

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Published on Tuesday, 26 October 2010 21:02

That is what Jon Steinberg, former Google employee, tweeted. The full tweet was:

I tried Google TV yesterday. Flying a Cessna is easier and has fewer controls than the Sony remote.

WebProNews also reports on other sources that share the same feelings on Sony's Google TV remote. The Boy Genius Report stated the following:

”The size is definitely intriguing as it is way smaller in person than we expected it to be. Also, the feel is right - pretty light without feeling inexpensively cheap. However, the myriad of buttons sort of confuses us, especially when a bunch of them don’t serve a purpose 90% of the time in what we’d imagine would be your daily use.”
 

Not everybody will have this difficult/negative experience with the remote, but it does reflect one of the challenges Google has with Google TV, its user experience and simplicity. It all boils down to the question if people are buying the search augmented TV experience, the Web-meets-TV integration, "complicating" it in comparison to the current experience. 

Others, like Apple, are offering users an easier and plug-and-play experience plus the TV remotes that support this easier experience. On AppMarket.tv we've been reporting extensively on TV remotes, and some of these software solutions for the iPhone/iPad do seem to be easier than Sony's remote. Intimidation could play a role in non-adopting this remote, plus it adds an extra device in the living room, which could favor a software solution (app) for existing mobile devices.

The introduction of the WebProNews article says it all:

It’s no secret that Google TV is having a rougher launch then some might have envisioned. (Some users have even said that it's the first Google product that needs the "beta" label but doesn't have it.)

Innovation comes with ups and downs, and this could be just one of them.