Sony today officially announced its next-generation smart TV device, the NSZ-GU1 BRAVIA Smart Stick, making it easier for owners of Sony's 2013 TV line-up to discover TV programming, apps or websites, all on one screen with one voice-activated remote. The BRAVIA Smart Stick features a slim form factor, 8GB of on-board storage, and plugs directly into the MHL port on the back of 2013 Sony BRAVIA TVs, with a USB cable to provide its power source. In addition, the BRAVIA Smart Stick comes bundled with Sony's voice-activated remote control. Priced at $149.99, the BRAVIA Smart Stick is available now at Sony Stores and select retailers nationwide.

Viewers can either type or speak into the included universal remote and search using Google's Chrome browser for cable/satellite providers, the internet and apps. Search is powered by Google search.

Out of the box, the BRAVIA Smart Stick is pre-installed with entertainment apps like Netflix, Pandora, Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, YouTube and more. Viewers can also add video, music, games, social networking and news apps from the Google Play Store.

The BRAVIA Smart Stick?s user interface integrates Google and Sony's BRAVIA apps, allowing viewers to stay in a single menu to launch any of their apps, including BRAVIA apps like the Internet Video Library.

Additionally, the BRAVIA Smart Stick's Picture-and-Picture feature allows viewers to surf the web and watch TV at the same time in two independent windows on the television screen, without interfering with one another.

The BRAVIA Smart Stick's remote control is optimized for ease of use with a a clickable touchpad on one side and a QWERTY keyboard on the other. Additionally, users can simply speak into the remote's microphone to search content, apps, and the web.

The universal remote controls the TV, all of a user?s apps and even connected set-top boxes, and the clickable touchpad works just like a laptop?s, including one-handed operations like pinch and pull zoom control.