Google is wading into the streaming stick fray with a new device to round out its smart TV offering.
The new Android TV streaming device is said to have an entirely revamped interface that puts content front-and-centre, as opposed to the various streaming services, which is a possibly controversial choice. That means that popular TV shows and films dominating the dashboard could lean towards ‘favouring’ one streaming service over another, so Netflix or Disney+ content could be sprawled all over your screen, with other services taking a back seat. If the dashboard simply focused on the icons for the individual streaming services, there would be more of an equal footing.
Google is also looking into a rebrand for the new dongle, with rumours that it’s bringing it under the Nest brand for smart home and entertainment.This will be an entirely different device to Google’s Chromecast and apparently has nothing to do with the patent spotted in March for a remote control that looks like it’s being paired with a new Google Chromecast Ultra.
Google cancelled its I/O event as well as the online-only event that was arranged to take its place. The tech giant has since announced a June event for Android 11, but we’re still waiting on the reveal of its upcoming product lineup, including the Pixel 4a. [SlashGear]
This post originally appeared on Gizmodo UK, which is gobbling up the news in a different timezone.