

The Rumors

The Wall Street Journal has just published an article claiming that Google has a few pieces of new hardware in the pipe. Included in this rumor is a revamped (and cheaper) Nexus Q, a smartwatch, and a gaming console. These products will be designed and marketed by Google and at least one of them should be coming out this fall.

Also included in this rumor is some more information on the next iteration of Android, which is said to be currently in development and will start with the letter “K” (and a lot of people think it will be Key Lime Pie because there aren’t many desserts that start with a “K”). According to The Journal, this iteration will be better suited for lower end phones, like the budget phones that are popping up in developing countries. Key Lime Pie (I’m going to refer to it like this or KLP, but remember: it’s not official) will also be directed towards usage on other devices such as kitchen appliances and wearable devices and we can speculate KLP will ship on the rumored smartwatch and, eventually, Glass. Finally, KLP is rumored to ship this fall.

The Wall Street Journal also reports rumors of more hardware coming out of Google’s X Labs, which will be completely separate from whatever they have in store for Motorola, as many of the Google executives have said before. HP is also reportedly working on Android laptop that will take on Windows computers.

As with any rumor, we have to take these with a grain of salt. The Wall Street Journal has had rumors like this come true before, like Google Music All Access. They are a well-respected newspaper that would not report on a rumor from someone without a good amount of credibility, so I think we can put some stock in this.

While these rumors are exciting, I think the big picture is even more exciting. Google has a big plan that they have been setting in motion for a few years, but like any Google project, they either ran into issues, lost focus, or maybe we just weren’t ready for it yet. Before we get into that, though, let’s look at another announcement from this summer.

E3

If you have been rescuing princesses from castles for almost 30 years or the most gaming you do is flinging a bird at some pigs on your cell phone, I’m sure you have heard of E3. This year’s E3 was pretty exciting. We saw dozens of games announced, three console giants go head to head, and Xbox fans everywhere grab their pitchforks and light their torches.

Microsoft kind of screwed up at first with the Xbox One, but they have since fixed that. Regardless of what you think of the console, Microsoft is trying something new and kind of radical with the Xbox One: they are trying to take over your living room.

Microsoft wants the new Xbox to be your one stop shop for media entertainment on your TV. They want you to watch everything through it. Cable, movies, shows, sports, practically anything you can put on a TV screen will be seamless with your video game experience and controlled by your voice. This is the next step for living room entertainment. Microsoft took a large risk doing this, but someone had to do it. All of the pieces have been there for a while with smart TVs and TV show apps like Netflix and HBOGo on consoles. The seamless integration had to come next.

With the PS3, a lot of people bought it for the Blu-Ray player. I don’t see people buying the Xbox One just because cable and video games can be used on one device, but I see people preferring the Xbox One to the PS4 because of the seamless integration and voice control.

Nexus Q and the Android Console: A Match Made in Heaven

Last summer Google announced the Nexus Q, but due to its high cost and low functionality, it tanked so hard that it never went up for official sale and everyone who pre-ordered it got it for free. Recently, Google apps have been updated to not include Q support, so the device is essentially dead. If The Wall Street Journal’s rumor is true, it will make a comeback and it will be cheaper. Hopefully Google has learned from their little ball of a mistake.

If Google does make a second Nexus Q, it will be a great addition to Google’s Android gaming console. These two in unison will be able to do what Microsoft wants the Xbox One to do, if Google does it correctly. The Q will be able to manage media while the console does video games. In fact, these two are such a great match that if I were in charge I would put them in one device (and I would even go as far to speculate as they will be the same device when announcement day comes around). The Xbox One also has something else that Google loves, and I’m pretty sure if you had been inside of Google HQ during the announcement of the Xbox One you would have heard high talk about this.

Google’s Star Trek Dream

We all know that Google loves voice input and voice control. Since the early days of Android, the OS has had great speech to text and it has seen bounds and bounds of improvement. Last year, we saw Google Now announced at Google I/O. At this year’s I/O, we saw voice input in Chrome and even a speech system that understood context (like when you would ask about a landmark and then ask “Where is it?”). Hell, even Google Now’s production name was Majel, which is a reference to the actress who did the Star Trek computer’s voice.

Google wants to continue making more voice activated products that can work like the computer on the Enterprise, and I think that is the direction they are headed. I can just imagine sitting on my couch with my (still rumored) updated Nexus 7, saying, “Google, I want to play a game and listen to Daft Punk,” and my Android powered gaming console will power on while my Nexus Q starts playing Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories through my speaker system.

But they aren’t going to just stop in the living room.

Back from the Dead

Three I/O’s ago, Google announced something that had great potential, but then we heard nothing past that. We thought we would hear more at the next I/O, but nothing. We got the Nexus Q instead. However, two small glimmers of hope popped up over the winter in the famous Android Police Teardowns. One in a Google Now update, the another in the 4.2.2 update.

That’s right. Android@Home.

Today’s rumors say that Key Lime Pie should be able to run on many different devices. Appliances were specifically mentioned. With KLP moving to so many different platforms, it will be easy for those platforms to connect to your phone, tablet, or computer and be controlled by your devices.

The code found in the Google Now update was a card that could control the lights that Google showed off way back when. Like Ron Amadeo said in his APK Teardown, having a full app for just the lights would be dumb, but a Google Now card for each setting could be cool and extremely useful. This ties in with Google’s love for voice control; all you have to do is open up Google Now and say, “Google, turn the lights down,” and your lights will go down.

With KLP on appliances like your oven, you could be driving home and say, “Google, preheat the oven to 350 degrees,” and by the time you get home it would be heated and ready to bake whatever you need. Google wants to keep expanding outwards to new devices and appliances and allow you to control them. Android@Home director Joe Britt told Janko Roettgers from Businessweek in 2011, “In thinking about accessories as devices that surround the phone, we started thinking about how far away from the phone you could migrate. Is a light bulb a potential accessory? Is a dishwasher a potential accessory?” Roettgers also said that the Android@Home team is expanding greatly, even this year, and this can all be seen on various LinkedIn profiles.

Eventually, Google will move on to a system that is like the computer on the Enterprise where you don’t have to speak into a specific device (like your phone) and the system will talk back, if context calls for it. They will have made a real smart house.

Google’s Big Plan

What we see here is how Google plans to integrate itself even further into your life. On one hand, it’s terrifying. They will have access to what you eat, when you are home, what you are doing at any time of the day. On the other hand, it will be extremely helpful. With everything connected, you will have a truly automated home. Your appliances and devices could talk to each other and know exactly what you need when and get prepared for your order.

Think why Google would want to do this. With all of that information about you, advertising to you become so easy that they are no longer a nuisance. Google will give you the exact information on products that you want because it will know you so well, and it will know when you need them. Your refrigerator could tell Google Now that you are out of milk, and Google Now could search for deals through Wallet for milk and give you a reminder when you pass the store on your way home from work.

That isn’t the only reason Google is doing this though. They want to push technology to the limits. Think back to what Larry Page said at his speech during the Google I/O keynote. They want to innovate and make the world a better place. They want to experiment. Google is a collection of really smart nerds who have the money, brains, and resources to change the world, and that is exactly what Google’s plan is.]]>