Even though Samsung is expected to release Google TVs in 2012, they continue work on their own Smart TV platform. Samsung has just updated the developer platform (SDK) to version 3.0 with support for USB controllers, payments and advertising.

Samsung Smart TVs 3.0
Samsung has announced that Smart TV developers will soon be able to utilize the new features of the SDK 3.0 (software developer kit).


Samsung’s Smart TVs will receive new features

The new platform supports USB controllers, keyboards and joysticks, and allow developers to display ads in their TV apps. Samsung has also implemented a payment module, which allows developers to create premium apps. 

Samsung's developer community has 25,000 registered users from 140 countries, but taken the number of TV apps into consideration most of them are probably inactive.

We are not sure what this means Samsung's Google TV plans but Samsung might choose to run the two platforms side-by-side – like Sony is doing today. The new Smart TV features will be demonstrated at CES 2012.