LG will update its Google TV line of HDTVs with Android 4.2.2: Jelly Bean in the third quarter of 2013, the company announced during the Google IO conference today.
Currently, the Google TV-equipped sets like the 47GA6400 and 55GA6400 (the catchiest of product names) are running Android 3.0 Honeycomb.
With this new update, LG Google TV owners will have the ability to download new apps that require the newest version of the Jelly Bean software, as well as experience a slicker user interface.
Controlling LG Google TV sets will be easier in a few months, as the South Korean manufacturer plans to release a free remote control app to turn Android smartphones and tablets into a remote.
The LG remote app will also act as a two-handed, touch-sensitive game controller for apps, which the company claims is ideal for more complex games.
Broadcasting better TV app compatibility
The LG TV update to Android 4.2.2 will also be a boon for game developers who are looking to make their apps compatible with the Google TV software.
LG, showcasing its televisions with the newest Android operating system at Google IO, said that this latest version of Jelly Bean supports the Android-based Native Development Kit (NDK).
"Smartphone apps designed using the NDK will run on Google TV with little to no modifications," said the company in a press release.
"With NDK compatibility, users can now play more games on a bigger LG Google TV screen. This level of compatibility makes it easier for developers to enter the burgeoning Smart TV app market."
Don't throw away that LG-produced Magic Remote Qwerty just yet. The new Jelly Bean update won't be ready for its over-the-air broadcast until, as we said, later this year.
Just as the operating system download comes to the U.S., LG plans to introduce its first Google TV-equipped televisions outside of the States with a debut in LG's home market, Korea.
