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Google Fiber + TV announced, will it change how we use mobile devices?

Updated: Jul 27, 2012, 2:36 PM

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This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.

Google Fiber + TV announced, will it change how we use mobile devices?

Yesterday was a big day if you happen to live in Kansas City, as Google introduced Google Fiber + TV, their 1000MB/sec broadband internet service that also offers a monthly HD TV service that will compete with cable and satellite providers. While this in and of itself won’t have a direct impact on mobile users (e.g. there are no towers, so you can’t use them as a wireless network provider) the services being offered promise to increase the utility of smartphones and tablets within your household.

Perhaps the most obvious impact will be the ability of the TV service to drive the adoption of tablets even further; subscribers will get a Nexus 7 tablet included in their package, allowing the device to be used both as a remote and as a way to view TV (both live and recorded). Phone will also be able to act as either remote controls or as viewing devices. With the ability to store up to 500 hours of recorded content and simultaneously record (or stream) up to 8 1080p video streams at once, there will be little to stop every member of a household from consuming the content they want whenever they want it.

Whether Google Fiber + TV itself catches on, or even if it merely inspires other broadband carriers to up their game, it could transform the role that our phones and tablets play in our daily lives, and also make home automation via mobile devices (e.g. Android@Home) even more intuitive as we naturally get used to controlling everything from tablets and phones. It could also help make tablet computing even more ubiquitous, which would be an impressive feat, considering that tablet computers are currently on a trajectory to replace smartphones as the most rapidly adopted technology in history.