Nest will become Google’s core hardware group

Google’s acquisition of Nest might be for something other than smart home gadgets. Sources speaking with TechCrunch claim the search giant has plans to use Nest’s hardware experience to create a device that “make more sense for the company.” TechCrunch stops short of revealing what those gadgets might be, but one would assume they’d have access to Google’s Play store. The more gadgets that have access to Google’s suite of apps and content, the better.

Google today sold Motorola to Lenovo for $2.91 billion. While many speculated that Google would release phones after it bought Motorola in 2011, it didn’t happen — Motorola remained a partner like other Android OEMs. Recently, Google acquired Nest, and TechCrunch has learned that Google has big plans for the team behind the connected device company. Google will keep the Nest group intact inside the company. The new division will still work on hardware devices, but not necessarily thermostats or smoke detectors. In fact, Google would like Fadell to work on gadgets that make more sense for the company. Will it be a phone or a tablet? It’s unclear for now.