WebTV

Exclusive: Microsoft Strategy Exec Hank Vigil to Depart, Will Remain Advisor

Kara Swisher in News on July 1, 2011 at 2:31 pm PT

Microsoft’s SVP of Strategy and Partnership Hank Vigil will be leaving the software giant to focus on investing in and advising for early-stage start-up companies. But the 25-year company veteran will also become a “strategic adviser” to Microsoft. That’s probably a good idea, since Vigil is one of the company’s most visible and well-liked execs in the tech community, especially in Silicon Valley.

Google TV Aims to Turn the Channel With New Release Later This Year

Ina Fried in Mobile on May 4, 2011 at 7:00 am PT

Google TV may not have gotten much in the way of ratings in its first season, but the pilot has been renewed. This year, though, Google will attempt to reposition the device as more of a companion to a traditional TV provider than as its replacement. Sources say the next version will be detailed in the coming months and is expected to debut in time to land on devices that sell this holiday season.

Google's Android Kingpin Andy Rubin Will Open D: Dive Into Mobile (Plus, One More Surprise!)

Kara Swisher in News on November 22, 2010 at 6:01 am PT

While everyone is considering whether to brine or deep-fry the turkey this week, All Things Digital HQ will be busy with our preparations for D: Dive Into Mobile. That includes setting the program, which takes place in two weeks and will open with an evening interview with Google’s Andy Rubin. Plus, there is one more surprise speaker we’ll be adding to the program too.

Why Will Google TV Be Any Different From WebTV? Or AOL TV? Or MSNTV? Or…

John Paczkowski in News on May 21, 2010 at 9:12 am PT

At its I/O developer conference Thursday in San Francisco, Google predicted it would “change the future of television” with GoogleTV, an effort to marry broadcast TV with the Web. And in comments about the announcement, the company’s executives hawked the new software and hardware bundle with similarly aggrandizing pronouncements.

Google Announces Web TV Google TV

John Paczkowski in News on May 20, 2010 at 9:20 am PT

“The revolution we’re about to go through is the biggest single change in television since it went color.” Intel CEO Paul Otellini said that last week, hinting at the announcement Google made just moments ago: A new software platform for set-top boxes and televisions that promises to marry broadcast TV with the Internet. Its name: Google TV.

Perlman's Cloud-Based OnLive Gaming Service Goes Live, but Not Until June

Kara Swisher in News on March 10, 2010 at 12:29 pm PT

Longtime Silicon Valley entrepreneur Steve Perlman has been ferreting away on a new cloud gaming service called OnLive for a while now. Finally, it’s got a due date to go live–June 17 at the E3 conference in Los Angeles. As in OnLive will be live, but it’s not live yet. Get it?

Voices

Start-Ups Linking TV to the Web Talk Business Models

Scott Austin, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on November 18, 2009 at 9:30 am PT

I remember my brother showing off a new device in the late 1990s that let him navigate the Internet on the television. Back then, there were no dogs riding skateboards on YouTube or NBC dramas on Hulu, but the technology from WebTV appeared to be a breakthrough in the convergence of the two mediums.

WebGameTV

John Paczkowski in News on March 24, 2009 at 8:35 am PT

The days of the traditional gaming console are coming to an end–according to entrepreneur Steve Perlman, anyway. Later today, Perlman–a former principal scientist at Apple and the founder of WebTV–will officially unveil OnLive, the online service with which he hopes to upend the $46 billion world-wide videogame market.