If you're in the market to buy a new Android TV-equipped device, your options are – limited – to say the least. Google isn't currently selling any Android TV gadgets of its own, but that could soon change according to a new FCC filing.
Spotted by Ausdroid, a gadget from Shenzhen SEI Robotics Co., Ltd. recently filed a new listing for a "4K ATV Stick" with the FCC. There are a number of pictures that accompany the listing, and they show a Chromecast-like HDMI dongle with a large Google "G" logo plastered on the front.
The dongle uses HDMI 2.0 for its connection to a television set, and it comes with a USB cable that can either connect directly to your TV or to the included 5V/2A power supply. An Amilogic S905X processor with 2GB of RAM is powering the gadget, and there's 8GB of eMMC storage for storing apps/games. There doesn't appear to be an ethernet jack for using a wired Internet connection, but you will find Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.1. In other words, these are essentially the same specs found on Amazon's Fire TV dongle that came out late last year.
Android 8.0 Oreo and its refreshed UI for Android TV are present out of the box, and there's also a remote with a dedicated Google Assistant button. Similar to the dongle, the remote also features a very prominent "G" logo.
So, is this the "Pixel Player" we've been waiting for? Google clearly isn't making this dongle itself seeing as how Shenzhen SEI Robotics owns the FCC filing, but the "G" logos on the dongle and remote indicate that Google will likely be promoting or selling it in some fashion.
Google I/O 2018 will officially begin in less than a month, so here's to hoping we learn more about this mystery dongle then.
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