I don't really see the use case for this. Doesn't everyone inclined to want these features have a laptop/tablet/SmartPhone within arms reach when they sit on th

I don't really see the use case for this. Doesn't everyone inclined to want these features have a laptop/tablet/SmartPhone within arms reach when they sit on the couch and watch TV? I can't imagine watching a video with friends and using the TV to search for something while making the video 1/8th size in the corner. Assuming I did want to browse Flickr on my TV I would want a TV friendly UI -- not the Flickr website. It makes sense to have a set top with tight integration with other devices for control, TV-centric apps make sense if you can figure out a non-clunky control method. Another demo I saw included setting up an IR blaster to a cable box with video inputs. No one wants to do that. That's exactly why Windows MCE was a failure. At this early stage Google TV doesn't seem to have moved far enough away from being an Android based HTPC. Some people undoubtably want that but I'm not sure it's a mainstream thing.