Google TV hasn’t exactly taken the 
world by storm, but the search giant isn’t giving up on it.
Google is expected to showcase a second generation of the device next month at its I/O developer conference. Whether the company has mended any fences with the networks, however, is less clear.
YouTube, historically, has been the playground of things like 
the Chinese Backstreet Boys and the Numa Numa guy, but Google may be thinking about adding another layer to the popular video destination.
Officials at the search giant, which owns YouTube, are reportedly planning to add up to 20 ‘channels’ of original, professionally produced content, which will fill between 5-10 hours per week.
There’s no doubt that Apple’s latest iteration of the iPad
is a hit with consumers. Day one sales are estimated at 500,000 or above and people are still lining up outside their nearest Apple store to get their hands on one.
But the iPad 2 is entering a much different world than its predecessor. And while Apple still holds a commanding market share position, it may be in for a much tougher fight this time around.
Paramount’s head of digital 
distribution is headed to YouTube.
Alex Carloss, who held that role until last week, has joined the Google division’s content acquisition team, where he will work with Robert Kyncl, who left Netflix for the video streaming services last September.
Alex Carloss, who up until last week was
head of digital distribution at Paramount, has made the jump to Google.
Carloss will work on the content acquisition team for the company’s YouTube arm, joining Robert Kyncl, who left Netflix for the company last year.
While the media has had a field day trying to 
convince people that the table market is being fought on a hardware front, it’s not. Ultimately, it’s the end user experience that makes the difference on whether someone enjoys the product.
Apple, to date, has had a vastly superior interface that – along with its headstart in the market – has allowed it to own a commanding share of the space. Android tablets, meanwhile, have all been built upon an interface that was never meant for devices other than phones. Today, Google changed that.
The tech world got one heck of a surprise Thursday afternoon when long-time 
Google CEO Eric Schmidt announced he would be ceding the position to company co-founder and president of products Larry Page.
It’s a move that tech analysts are trying to piece together to determine what it will mean for the future of the quickly expanding company. But what, if anything, does it mean for the entertainment industry?
While the networks and other content 
providers are throwing up hurdle after hurdle to slow Google TV, the search engine giant is looking for new ways to ensure the service stays relevant.
The Wall Street Journal reports Google is in talks with the holding company that’s in the process of aquiring Miramax to license the digital rights to the studio’s entire film catalog. If successful, the films would be available two ways: Via paid rental on YouTube and, for older catalog titles, free to watch, with ads.
Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog
First it was Hulu, then the major networks. Now, Viacom has blocked Google TV units from accessing its content, including all Comedy Central programming.
It’s the latest in a series of hindrances for the latest set-top box competitor and couldn’t come at a worse time. With the holiday season approaching and shoppers debating whether to splurge for the device, there is less and less programming to watch via Google TV.
Search giant Google says it wants to take TV into 
the future, but the networks are pretty comfortable with the present. Fox has joined CBS, NBC and ABC (along with Hulu) in blocking its content from appearing on Google TV.
Uses who use the service’s Web browser to access the network’s site will still see the Web page itself, but will receive an error message when they attempt to stream any programming. Typical PC users, of course, still have access to all of the content.
Chris Morris: Journalist 