With the help of the Soli radar sensor present on the Pixel 4 smartphone, Google envisioned that users would be able to change tracks, turn the volume up or down with the help of gestures in the air. However, everyone thought it was odd to use gestures when the phone is right there in their hand. Also, the sensors were not always able to capture the correct command hence this feature was rendered useless.
As a result, the Pixel 5 was announced but without these sensors and it made total sense. However, it seems like Google is working on a new smart device with a larger display than a smartphone equipped with Soli radar.
According to an FCC listing, spotted by AndroidPolice, an interactive device named A4R-G4CVZ is in the works and while not much information is available there, it is clear that this new gadget has Google's new radar-based Soli technology and supports Zigbee.
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While the listing strips out most of the identifiable information about this new gadget, it does give ample hints that this device uses a 14v power supply which rules out the scope of portability. The listing also states that this device comes with support for 60GHz frequencies used by Google’s Soli radars.
With portability removed out of the equation, this internet-enabled device could be a new Nest Hub-like gadget that remains stationed in your drawing room, kitchen or a desk. It also makes sense for a smart home gadget to come equipped with gesture controls rather than a smartphone.
Changing tracks by just waving in front of the display even when your hands are dirty due to cooking could be the best use case for this technology.
With the limited amount of information we have at hand, we can only assume that this could be a Nest Hub or a next-gen Nest smart display from Google that could be announced along with the upcoming Pixel devices that we’ve been hearing about.
