what.com.es/next

Tons have been talked lately about whether YouTube’s video about how to get into Google TV is hoax or reality. Well, it is still not clear if it is hoax or reality. Some people claim that it is an amazing hoax while other people are conceited to have got a Google TV account.

Anyway, I believe that even if *this* Google TV is hoax, it will be a reality soon. Looks like, after social networks revolution, IPTV (TV over Internet) is the next big revolution and such player as Google won’t be out of this business.

Evidences? Friis and Zennstrom, the Skype and Kazaa guys, have recently launch Joost a new TV service based on peer-to-peer technologies. There is another new TV service called Babelgum, which combines social networking with TV viewing experience (web 2.0 with IPTV 1.0 ;-). Both, Joost and Babelgum are available only as a closed beta. There is also Apple with its Apple TV presented in last MacWorld Expo, a mixture between TiVo and an Internet computer. Even Bill Gates has been talking about this revolution lately while the brand new Windows Vista is more TV-oriented than ever (will Microsoft come next with Zune TV?).

Is there anybody out there who thinks that Google is not going to launch a “Google TV” service? What comes next? Only time will tell.

Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis are the creators of Skype and Kazaa, two of the most important (both but particularly the former one) Internet initiatives of the last years. Both products were a combination of new technologies and new defined protocols plus the needed new applications that together are part of new revolutionary services. Well, they did it again.

Joost, formerly Venice Project, is now a reality. It is also a new software application plus its relevant technology wrapping it that makes a new service but that’s from the technical boring side. Joost is, as said in its site:

A new way of watching TV that provides the best of both, the Internet and TV worlds.

They are still in beta phase looking for beta testers under application (and approval). You could also get into Joost by invitation. Look forward to watching it. What comes next? Only time will tell.