The Pixel tablet comes with a charging speaker dock, sold separately for $129. During Q&A today, the Pixel tablet team had more to say on the subject, with some surprising answers.
Google has confirmed that the Pixel Tablet dock does not contain Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or Thread devices, as we assumed in the absence of any previous FCC filings. Even if the radios are disabled at launch, they will show up in regulatory filings. The hope among many was that it would be enabled in a future software update.
Unfortunately no. The speaker doesn’t have a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection and needs to turn on the tablet.
Plus, the lack of a standalone wireless connection allowed Google to make it cheaper. Of course, many think it’s really expensive if it couldn’t replicate the functionality of the $49 Nest Mini, let alone the $99.99 Nest Audio.
Not making the Nest Mini a docking station with speaker allowed us to focus on the best tablet and docking experience together, and also to offer the docking station at a lower price than the clients.
Google says it “went through 60 iterations of the magnet to achieve a grip that was secure enough to hold firmly, while allowing easy twisting with one or both hands to loosen.” Design-wise, the Nest Hub base has been repurposed as it’s “an obvious way to indicate that the device can look more like a hub when you’re not using it”.
We found in our research that tablets often sit unused or neglected, and we thought, “What would it be like if a tablet could turn into a more useful ‘hub’ when you’re not using it?” Hub would be an obvious way to signal that the device can be more “hub-like” when you’re not using it.
The company also reaffirmed that “the sound of the Charging Speaker Dock is comparable to that of the Nest Hub (2nd Gen)” and that “there is a bit of bass” for the Hub Max.
Google gave a good summary of the speaker’s rule when it said the accessory is designed “to make the tablet more useful, so the functionality is about augmenting the tablet: charging it, extending its sound, activating the Hub mode so everyone can use the assistant. »
FTC: We use affiliate links to generate revenue. more.
