Ausdroid has spotted an application filed with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) which details a 4K dongle to bring Google’s Android TV platform to your television set.
The application comes from Shenzhen SEI Robotics, which already claims to offer an Android TV dongle on its site. The application shows a teardrop-shaped dongle with an HDMI cable, a microUSB charging port, and Google branding on the exterior. There’s also a remote with a built-in mic and a dedicated button for invoking Assistant so you can bark voice commands.
It’s worth noting that there aren’t any other mentions of Google’s involvement in this, and the company refused to comment on speculation about the device – so it’s entirely possible that this isn’t an official product.
However, bundling Android TV into a diminutive dongle seems like a logical next step for Google’s lineup of entertainment hardware. It currently offers three Chromecast devices that can stream Full HD video, 4K video, and audio to speakers from your mobile device.
Its more powerful Android TV platform, which supports a wider range of apps, as well as the ability to surface more content from Assistant, is only available on select smart TVs and set-top-box-style gadgets from Xiaomi, Nvidia, and Razer.
The 💜 of EU tech
The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!
The Nexus Player, which is made by Asus and was launched back in 2014 as a reference device for Android TV, has received its last update as of March, so it seems like it’s time for a refresh. It’ll be interesting to see if this dongle makes it to Google’s roster. We’ll update this post when we learn more.
The Next Web’s 2018 conference is just a few weeks away, and it’ll be ??. Find out all about our tracks here.
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.