Rumors about the next-generation Chromecast started popping up late last week, but apparently the Chomecast 2 isn’t the only bit of hardware these rumors were referring to. It looks like Google is also working one a Chomecast Audio, which goes by the codename Hendrix. As the name implies, this streaming dongle will be dedicated entirely to audio and music, and will supposedly allow users to synchronize all of the speakers in their house, among other things. That’s pretty much all there is to say about it at the moment, we’ll just have to wait until Google’s hardware announcement event next week to learn more.
We told you earlier today about the 2nd generation Chromecast, scheduled to be launched later this month. We also mentioned that Google is planning to launch something called “Chromecast Audio,” although details were unclear until now. Thanks to several sources familiar with Google’s plans, 9to5Google has learned that Chromecast Audio is indeed a second Chromecast device targeted specifically at WiFi-enabling the speakers in your home, launching alongside the 2nd generation device. Not to be confused with Google Cast for Audio, which is Google’s platform for making speakers and other audio hardware directly compatible with the Chromecast, “Chromecast Audio” is a second Chromecast scheduled to be made official at Google’s September 29th event alongside many other announcements. Sources have also informed us that the device goes by the codename “Hendrix,” which makes sense given it being audio and music-focused. As seen in the image we published earlier today, this device can plug directly into any speaker by way of 3.5 mm headphone cable, and it appears Google might plan to include one with the device.