Google is reportedly set to launch a new product dubbed Google TV that will be an actual hardware box that would connect to televisions and would be powered by Google’s Android operating system.

Google reportedly has sealed partnerships with content providers such as Sony to license content on the new product.

Google TV would allow consumers to access the Internet, including e-mail, browsing (with Google Chrome), chat, stream media, run web apps (including social networking apps), among other features, directly to their television sets with home theater connectivity.

According to a Times report, Google TV would be powered by Intel Atom processors, and the technology will be integrated directly into Sony televisions and blu-ray players.

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Sony Corporation today confirmed it would begin selling 3D televisions starting June 10, 2010 starting in Japan. The company will later offer the 3D capable televisions in other countries but failed to specify when.

Manufacturers are hoping to capitalize on the recent explosion of 3D content, such as the hugely successful movie “Avatar” directed by James Cameron, which has now become the highest grossing movie in history.

Sony will offer up to eight 3D BRAVIA models (with 3 series, the LX900, HX800, HX900), with the LX900 series being offered first starting June 10. The other two series will be available on June 16.

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Despite Sony’s efforts to keep the PlayStation 3 system secure (and it seems until now that has been the case), after more than 3-years after the PS3 launch, hacker George Hotz has posted a blog post claiming he has been able to hack the PlayStation 3 system allowing him to have full read and write access to the system and the processor.

If the hack proves to work, users can potentially use homebrewed apps, similar to the Homebrew channel on Nintendo’s Wii system, and play backed up games.

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Microsoft and Sony are set to add new features to their respective gaming consoles, the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3.

On November 17, Microsoft will let users update their firmware via Xbox Live that will include many useful and much anticipated new features.

The most important Xbox updates include new Twitter, Facebook and Last.fm (with support for only the U.S. and the U.K. users for Last.fm) integration, on demand 1080p 5.1-channel HD video streaming via Zune Video, and a new News section that streams content from various content partners including MSNBC.

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Sony has just unveiled the new PlayStation 3 Slim (PS3 Slim) at a press conference just now in Cologne, Germany.

The new model is also now more affordable as it’s priced at $299 – half of what the original PS3 debuted at.

The PlayStation 3 Slim includes WiFi and two USB connectors (no infrared). The hard drive has also been re-positioned to the front of the unit for more efficient access.

You can also position the unit vertically with a $24 stand that Sony will also be releasing.

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According to a new Nikkei report, Sony is planning to add cell phone functionality to its mobile gaming device the PSP (PlayStation Portable).

The strategic move comes from intensifying competition from the iPhone that is being pushed more and more as a gaming device.

In fact, companies such as Capcom who have traditionally developed console platform games have announced they would also release select versions for the iPhone platform.

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YouTube has just launched [blog post] YouTube Shows today, a section of the site where you can watch full-featured shows. The move comes part of a partnership with major Hollywood studios, including Sony Pictures and CBC, to bring their content to YouTube.

Google has finally reached a deal with the studios given intensifying competition from Hulu (NBC and News Corp owned) that lets US visitors view TV shows in full.

Google acquired YouTube for $1.6 billion in 2006. According to analysts, the site generates about $250 million in total ad revenue annually, and costs Google about $700 million a year in total operating costs. Google has not provided any financials related to YouTube. YouTube remains the top social video-sharing site, surpassing 100 million viewers in the US alone in January 2009.

Sources familiar with a new deal in the works between YouTube and Sony Pictures told CNet the partnership will bring full-length films such as Spider-Man to YouTube.

The news comes as YouTube, the leader in online video sharing, faces intensifying competition from newer rivals such as Hulu (News Corp, NBC joint venture) who provide excellent quality full-length shows. Rival NetFlix also provides a very extensive online film library but requires a reasonably priced monthly subscription fee. Despite YouTube holding the top spot (by a significant margin) as top video sharing site, the company must continously innovate as new competitors with superior products launch.

In related news, Walt Disney last week announced it had licensed content to YouTube as well.

Microsoft today has just announced Amalga Unified Intelligence System (UIS) 2009. The system can be used to aggregate patient healthcare data from existing systems to make the data easily accessible for both professionals and patients via Microsoft’s HealthVault technology (HealthVault was firstly announced in 2007).

The new version includes many new features, including added plugins and IT tools that will lower the total cost of ownership, according to Microsoft.

Microsoft today also unveiled new prototypes of applications aimed at assimilating health care patient data on Microsoft Surface tables. Thirteen hospitals in the U.S. are currently testing the technology in a live environment.

There are various included applications that allow doctors to easily access records, utilize images and video to help in better explaining information to patients. With the multi-touch technology, more than one person can use the device at the same time. Doctors can easily zoom, change sizes, and rotate photos.

Microsoft Surface also features the ‘vision system’ that can identify objects placed on the surface of the display. As an interesting side note, Sony recently filed for a printer patent that uses similar technology as the Microsoft Surface vision system, where gadgets placed on the surface of the Sony printer are identified, allowing the user to print directly from supported devices.

A new app in Microsoft Surface for health care lets doctors know the number of beds available, the status of pending laboratory results (with alerts), the number of patients arriving and with what type of emergency, among other useful information for emergency physicians. Another app includes a patient scheduling and check-in system.

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As people cut back on spending, it seems more of us are staying home and playing video games. According to a report by market research firms NDP Group, Enterbrain, and GfK Chart-Track, video game sales are up 11% in the US, the UK and in Japan. More specifically, video game sales were up 15% in the US, with sales up 26% in the UK. Video game sales were down in Japan by 26% year over year. The drop in Japanese sales can largely be attributed to less games being developed. Japan is a massive market, and a result promoted Nintendo to slash expected earnings by 33% in 2008. Aggregately, video game sales in the US, UK, and Japan totaled 409.9 million units, up from 368 million units in 2007. Console game sales in the US were up 22% from 2007, and general video game software sales were up 36% to 268.4 million units in the US alone. The top video game worldwide in terms of sales was Nintendo’s Mario Kart Wii with 8.94 million sales. The popular video game franchise GTA IV totaled 7.29 million sales.