Samsung nears deal with Google TV

Google TV was the biggest thing that didn't happen at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show. Released with a lot of fanfare in late 2010, it immediately hit resistance and most television manufacturers quickly scrapped plans to include it in their 2011 sets.

The system probably won't have much of a presence at the 2012 CES either, but it looks to have found an ally with one of the largest names in TV.

Samsung president Boo Keun tells Reuters that the company is in "last stage" talks with Google to launch a Google TV device. The big question is whether the technology will be integrated into one of the company's sets or if this will be a standalone set-top box, along the lines of Logitech's Revue (something the company's own CEO has dubbed "a big mistake").

Whatever form the alliance takes, it's unlikely Samsung will debut the product at CES. Keun says the company plans to unveil it at a separate event later in the year.