Sony  has overnight announced an alliance with Google that will see the struggling consumer electronics Company combine Google's open-source Android OS platform with Sony's expertise in consumer electronics and product design.  

The two companies said that they are currently exploring the joint development of new Android-based hardware products for the home, mobile and personal product categories.

As tipped by Smarthouse Sony will introduce a new Internet TV, which will be the world's first TV to incorporate the Google TV platform.

The Japanese Company claims that via an easy-to-use interface, consumers will be able to search and access content from their TVs and across the Internet. The Sony Internet TV which will come with a built in Blu ray player is scheduled to launch late in 2010 in the USA and in Australia in 2011.

Samsung executives have said that they are currently exploring the use of Android in a TV.

While Sony and Google were showing off their new offering Logitech was revealing a new "Companion Box" which is small set-top box that will sit alongside the Companies Harmony line of products.

What Logitech is banking on is that consumers buy the Harmony box which is the first the Company has ever produced as an additional peripheral.

Other vendors involved in the project are Intel and Adobe who will deliver a combination of software and components that let users search TV the way they now search the Web.

Google claim that consumers will also be able to  use their large screen TV to access more visual applications on the Internet, like Flickr or YouTube. 

Google TV will allow viewers to watch "Underbelly," for example, while simultaneously looking at Twitter to see what people were saying that moment about Underbelly.

Like Google Internet search, viewers will be able to call up a search box on Google TV to seek out a specific piece of content, whether it was scheduled for broadcast on a TV channel like the Seven Network, or was video available on a website like YouTube. 

The search box will allow viewers to search out specific episodes of a particular TV show, or even to seek out snippets of video showing a particular character, such as "Sesame Street" episodes showing Elmo.

Analysts claim that Pay TV providers like Foxtel who yesterday announced a deal with Microsoft and their Xbox Live service have been attempting,  unsuccessfully to make TVs more interactive for decades, and to bring more Internet content to living room televisions. 

While analysts said it's far from clear that Google and its partners will succeed, CEOs representing the six other companies most involved in Google TV said the technology has progressed to create the right conditions and their partnership is strong enough for a compelling marriage between television and the Internet to work.

"It really is a big deal, said Sir Howard Stringer, the CEO of Sony, which plans to begin selling Sony televisions equipped with Google TV this year. "I can't stress that enough."

Beside's Intel's Atom chips, Google TV will feature software that will include the latest version of Adobe's Flash 10.1 software, and Google's Android mobile operating system and Chrome web browser.

The device includes a remote control as well as webcam specifically designed for the TV.