CES 2012: Google Android TV announced by Lenovo

The world’s first television based on Google’s Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system has been announced by Lenovo.

The TV set, however, will initially only be for sale in China. Available in 42” and 50” versions, the device is unusual because it is not using Google’s TV software, which is based on an earlier version of Android, codenamed Honeycomb.

The K91 Smart TV will join a host of other ‘smart TVs’ that are set to be announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Those made by LG are already confirmed as using Google TV, and they are expected to be joined by models from Sony and Samsung.

GigaOm reports that the Lenovo set will use a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor running at 1.5Ghz, as well as offering 1GB of Ram, SD card storage and a 5mp webcam. The remote control will feature a touchscreen and an integrated microphone for voice control.

A key theme of CES is set to be TV that increasingly blur the line between computers and televisions, while their remote controls increasingly resemble smartphones. Apple is also reported to be working on a TV of its own.

Lenovo additionally announced the IdeaTab S2, a tablet with a keyboard dock that is similar to the award-winning Asus Transformer Prime, as well as laptops that include the company’s first bid to take on the ‘ultrabook’ market of new thin and light computers. The U310 and U410 will initially sell in America for just $699, but are slightly heavier than their more expensive rivals. The prices marked manufacturers’ attempts to differentiate their products in this new category of devices primarily through price. Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps had previously observed that at $1,000 ultrabooks would be too expensive for mainstream consumers.