Google is working on a number of new things in their AOSP code base, Android Q for sure, as well as new devices to show off the new software. Two new device codenames have appeared in AOSP, and they may be the much anticipated Google Pixel Watches.
Spotted by developer Till Kottman, the same developer who ‘solved’ the Google IO 2019 puzzle this morning, Kottman took to Twitter to link to the AOSP commit labelled ‘Update CtsWindowManagerDeviceTestCases for chin devices’ which lists the devices which he believes refer to watches. This belief is further shored up, as pointed out by 9to5Google who note that those working on the commit in AOSP are from the Wear OS team.
The commit for ‘chin devices’ mentions Walleye as well, the codename for the Pixel 2 (Taimen is the Pixel 2 XL), however another commit in AOSP referencing ‘Chin Devices’ also mention Wear OS, so exactly what the phone is being mentioned for isn’t clear.
Google’s hardware codenames have to date all been piscine in origin, at least to date and while Salmon is quite a well known fish, Medaka however isn’t quite as well known. The Medaka is apparently a Japanese rice fish from East Asia which lives in rice paddies, so it certainly fits.
Google has announced new hardware at their ‘Made by Google’ event in October for the past three years, so if these are new watches we likely still have a fairly long time to wait to see what these are. Whether they contain the new technology that Google just paid $40 million to Fossil group for, if these are indeed watches is something we’ll just have to wait and see.
