Google's new mystery device probably isn't much of a surprise

Google is about to release something, it seems, except no one seems entirely sure what. As with virtually all modern electronics this device has passed through the American Federal Communications Commission’s certification program with a model number “GJQ9T”. Some excitement was generated because the words “wireless streaming device” were also attached. 

However the internet as a whole does not seem to think this is a new Chromecast. We do know from data on 9to5Google that it has Bluetooth and both Wi-Fi operating on 2.4 and 5GHz, which is hardly a rarity for a product from Google. The prevailing theory is that this battery and mains powered device is likely to be one of Google’s latest security cameras. 

We knew a while ago that Google had accidentally leaked a set of new hardware, which it then officially announced a floodlight camera and a new doorbell. It’s quite possible that this certification covered one of those two products. Probably the battery-powered Nest Cam, as it seems unlikely a floodlight could be easily powered from an in-built battery. 

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We will probably know more once review hardware for these devices starts to arrive, and we can check the model numbers to see what this mysterious new device might have been. Aside from curiosity of course, there doesn’t seem to be a huge surprise here. A new Chromecast may well have been something for people to get excited about, although Google’s existing hardware does all of the jobs asked of it for a very sensible price. 

This has been a big month for Google in general. Products have leaked quite a bit, and we know that new security devices are coming, as well as a new 5G version of the company’s budget phone offering, the Pixel 5a 5G which a new rumour suggests will launch toward the end of August and offer a powerful and affordable new device for people not quite willing to spend the higher price for the Pixel 5 or the company’s also-rumoured Pixel 6 which should arrive this autumn.