Google is set to invade your living room as the company puts its finishing touches on technology that lets software developers build applications for televisions in much the same way as they do for smartphones.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google is planning to unveil an Android-based 'Google TV' at the Google I/O conference, which open in May, San Francisco. Intel and Sony are also involved in the platform, which is rumoured to be open source, in keeping with the Android operating system. “(Google) hopes the move will spur the same outpouring of creativity that consumers have seen in applications for cellphones,” reported Wall Street Journal.

The Wall Street Journal is also predicting that we may see a Google TV toolkit within the next couple of months, with products based on the software appearing as early as this summer. Apparently, Google has already built a prototype set-top box, but it is still under consideration whether the technology will be incorporated directly into TVs or other devices.

Google TV software is being designed to provide users with an entirely new interface for TVs that lets them perform internet functions like search while also pulling down web programming like videos or music from particular online services.

Google has also reportedly been testing a new television programming search service with Dish Network, which would search for content across the internet as well as Dish programming.