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The FCC can be a great tipster for predicting the future of electronic devices and they just gave us a solid glimpse at what appears to be a brand new… something from Google. It looks like a Chromecast on steroids, has an Android TV styled remote (with Google Assistant button), and is adorned with a giant “G” Google logo in several places.
You can even download the user manual (PDF link) which shows a nice graphic of the remote:
And full specs:
But wait: no USB Type-C? Hmmm… That’s odd.
There’s plenty to gush at here, but it’s worth noting that this submission is not by Google. Instead it was submitted by “Shenzhen SEI Robotics Co., Ltd.” and they’re calling it a ‘4K ATV Stick’. Google has outsourced production of their Chromecast/ATV devices in the past, so a difference in the submission company name doesn’t nix the possibility, but the charging cable, and power brick look cheaply made; this is less likely coming directly from Google and more likely a budget manufacturer leveraging Google partner branding.
If you need further evidence, read through their “literature” to find some tidbits sure to give grammar nazis convulsions (powerful or power full?).
But then why the big G everywhere? Great question. Probably a partner breaking Google branding rules, but perhaps – just maybe – something more.
Google TV or Android TV?
Google initially launched Google TV in October 2010 but it has since been discontinued. It was eventually replaced with Google Chromecast (2013) and Android TV (2014) – two products that help fill the space – but the Google TV branding has been long gone. Could it return?
It’s quite possible considering Apple and Google tend to navigate their strategy in parallel. Years ago Apple moved away from having iThings and began to rebrand a lot of their products as Apple “Fill in the blank” (including Apple TV). Google followed suit- take a look through Google’s apps in the Play Store and you’ll see what I mean. In a home where consumers own Google Home and Google WiFi, two of Google’s newest products, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Google circle back, bundle hardware features/services (maybe even YouTube TV), and return to using the Google TV name.
Now that the Nexus Player has sunk into the abandoned device abyss, we have to think Google has something big planned for the biggest screen in everyone’s house.
What’s your TV running?
What type of TV do you have and what set top boxes or dongles do you have connected? Own an Android TV? Fire TV? Chromecast? Something else? Nothing at all? Let us know why you love or hate your TV setup and what it would take to switch to a newly released “Google TV” solution.
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