14 DAY TRIAL // Google is getting serious about hardware. There have been several reports of Google working on several devices for the home, like an entertainment hub or a "personal communication device." It's becoming clear that these are not just disparate devices but part of a bigger strategy at Google.
More evidence of this can be found on plans to expand the Googleplex campus to include facilities for hardware testing.
Plans revealed by Mercury News indicate that Google is working on several buildings at its headquarters, one being a radio frequency testing facility. These facilities are isolated from outside electromagnetic interference for testing purposes.
Google's entertainment device will rely on WiFi and BlueTooth to connect to the web and to other devices, and it must be tested to ensure that it doesn't interfere with other devices using wireless communications.
This type of facilities also come in handy when building phones, but Google's acquisition of Motorola doesn't mean that the two companies will start working together, at least not any time soon.
Google is also working on a lab dedicated to "Project X," likely part of the series of technologies and devices developed and researched under Sergey Brin's leadership.
The biggest building project at the Googleplex at the moment though is a "Google Experience Center," a facility that will act as part museum, part conference room that will able to house as many as 900 people.
The Experience Center won't be open to the public, instead it's designed to house big clients, partners and so on. It will be the place Google uses when it needs to impress someone, pitch an idea or win a customer. It could be used to reveal new products or updates as well.
Google is spending $120 million, €90.9 million on these and other construction projects around the campus.