Pixel 3 and 3 XL will undeniably be the stars of the upcoming Google event next month but the tech giant might also have a few products to strengthen its portfolio of Chrome OS products. The cyber disclosure army has spotted two new keyboards from premium accessories maker Brydge which might be designed for Chrome OS machines.
Codenamed Wallaby, the first keyboard out of the two spotted on Brydge’s Shopify page is a “wireless keyboard for tablet”. From its appearance, the keyboard looks similar to the clip-on Brydge keyboard with a trackpad similar to the ones available for iPads. This suggests that Google could be working on a Chrome OS tablet to pit against the iPad and Surface Go.
While there is not much information about the compatibility of this keyboard for any Chromebook or Chrome OS device, it is placed under the category of “for Hooli”. For all of you not aware of the reference, Hooli is a company loosely inspired by Google in the popular TV show Silicon Valley. Another factor – besides the clear Chrome OS interface in the images – which makes us believe that the keyboard is for Google is that the shopping portal already has separate categories for the iPad and Surface Pro.
This alleged Chrome OS tablet in the image also features the fingerprint scanner on the top left side of the frame. This was earlier dug up by Chrome Unboxed earlier this month when it discovered a commit in Chromium source code, hinting at fingerprint authentication added to the OS, with a demo GIF showing how to enroll.
Apart from the clip keyboard, another keyboard was seen on the shopping site. This was a shorter, more compact keyboard without a trackpad, labeled “wireless desktop keyboard for Chrome OS desktop” and codenamed Goanna. This hints that beside the tablet, Google could also be prepping for a desktop with Chrome OS. These pages have been taken down, as of now.
The mystery behind Hooli remains unsolved and we hope to learn more about Google’s plans at the October 9 event. We wouldn’t mind a Gavin Belson cameo to introduce the new products.
