In short: Google’s long-expected Pixelbook ‘Nocturne’ and rumored Brydge high-end keyboards for Chrome OS now seem to have been outed in press renders recently discovered by About Chromebooks. The images show two keyboards; one of those is a standard mouse-less design with keys embedded in a sleek slab design. The other is more standard Brydge fare, showing a tablet slipped into slots at the top to enable a more laptop-like experience. In both cases, the matte dark blue coloration matches that of the tablet shown in the latter images and houses both a dedicated Google Assistant key and a “hamburger” key. Meanwhile, there’s only currently one Chrome OS tablet available on the market and the device shown in the images is not the Acer Chromebook Tab 10. That means it could feasibly be the tablet that is predicted to be revealed at this year’s Google hardware event on October 9.
Background:Nocturne has been appearing in Chromium code commits for quite some time but Brydge keyboards are a more recent development. Since first being reported, developers have removed reference to the company from commits and replaced the name with “Wallaby.” The name given for the slab style keyboard is reported to be “Goanna,” with both names harkening back to wildlife found in Australia. That doesn’t really seem to tie into Nocturne but the images seem to suggest that the keyboards are linked to that device. The keyboards both appear to feature a decidedly Pixel-like layout.
Meanwhile, if the images do show Google’s Pixelbook tablet, there are at least a few extra details that can be gathered from the pictures. For starters, the physical power button on the tablet is embedded in a recessed area along the right-hand or left-top edge depending on how it’s held or viewed. The edges themselves are built around a more rounded design, more similar to a high-end Samsung Chromebook than a typical Pixelbook design. A USB Type-C port is clearly visible as well, as are at least three apparent microphone holes – one next to the charging port and two along the same edge as the power button. Finally, the bezels are relatively thick on the pictured device, although that’s not necessarily surprising since that would limit accidental taps or swipes while the tablet is in-hand.
Impact: Although the images do appear to show Google’s Pixelbook tablet, they are obviously geared toward the keyboards themselves. It won’t likely be known whether Nocturne will ship with its own keyboard or if Google plans to sell its own as an add-on. However, the pictures do seem to indicate that there is at least one Chrome OS keyboard on the way for that tablet and another that could feasibly be used with any Chromebook. Brydge keyboards generally connect via Bluetooth so it’s not out of the question that could be the case.
