Google wants to beautify your OnHub router with three new cases

By Brad Jones December 8, 2015

OnHub Makers: Make Your Home Internet Look Like Your Home

Google is on a mission to change the way we think about the humble router. Earlier this year the company launched the OnHub, a device intended to remove much of the messy wiring and bothersome blinking lights typically associated with an active Internet connection. Now it’s getting a (optional) facelift.

The company has unveiled three shells for the OnHub which are intended to be placed over the device to give it some added visual appeal. One variant boasts a faux-wood look, while the other two bear a clean two-tone plastic design in white and black, respectively.

The shells remove any trace of technological intent from the typical router aesthetic, looking more like a vase or some other inoffensive home furnishing. However, these aren’t the only re-imaginings of the OnHub that Google is sharing with the world today — and the others are a little more out-there.

The company is also encouraging users to become involved and customize the router to their liking. To get the ball rolling, Google has commissioned artists working with glass, paper, fur, and other materials to crate their own take on the device. Google has named this the OnHub Makers Project.

While these artists have been given the task of starting the project off, it now falls to creative individuals to continue the campaign. Google has made a Maker Packer available for free, which contains 3D files and 2D patterns that will help users create their own unique sheath to hide away an OnHub device.

Of course, the company is also catering to OnHub owners that would rather spend a bit of cash, rather than flex their creative muscles. The three official shell designs will be made available via the Play Store later today, with prices varying between $29 and $39.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…

Mobile

The Google Pixel Fold 2 just leaked. Here’s everything that’s new

Schematics of Google Pixel 2 according to leaks.

Google’s next foldable phone is going to be a screamer, and not solely for good reasons, if the latest leaks are to be believed. SmartPrix (via OnLeaks) has shared alleged renders depicting the Google Pixel Fold 2, and it looks like a mixed bag of regressive design and positive developments.
The biggest change compared to the first-gen Google Pixel Fold is a camera bump that ditches the stretched bar look on the current-gen Pixel smartphones. Instead, we now have a rectangular design with two rows of pill-shaped black outlines, hosting three camera lenses and a bunch of other sensors.
It’s a stark departure from the mainstream Pixel camera bar, and it revives a look that was last seen on the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4 series phones. Looks aside, the side placement also means the phone will keep wobbling if you place it on a flat surface. I’m not exactly a fan of this approach, to be honest.

Another notable change is the side profile. The curved edges of the Pixel Fold have been flattened, a look that will also appear on the Google Pixel 9 series phones, according to leaked renders.
But if you look closely and ignore the ugly camera hump shape, the Pixel Fold 2 looks identical to the OnePlus Open in its leathery black trim. The side rails, those curved bezels, and the front camera placement are all identical.
Even the ridge seems to have been lifted straight from the OnePlus Open, down to its polished metal aesthetics. It’s not a bad thing, as the OnePlus Open is one of the best-built phones I’ve ever used, and the form factor is an absolute joy to handle.
The most progressive change happens once the phone is opened. The thick bezels are gone, and what we see on the Pixel Fold 2 renders are uniformly thin bezels on all sides, a trend that we first noticed on the foldable phones offered by Oppo.

Mobile

Google just announced Android 15. Here’s everything that’s new

Android fans, it's time to start your hype engines. Google just released the first developer preview for Android 15 — kicking off the release of the next big Android update.

This is just the first step in a months-long process of Android 15's rollout, which will see numerous developer previews and betas before the final release later this year. So, what's new, when is Android 15 officially releasing, and should you download it? Here's everything you need to know.
What's new in Android 15

Mobile

Google is launching a powerful new AI app for your Android phone

Google Gemini app on Android.

Remember Bard, Google’s answer to ChatGPT? Well, it is now officially called Gemini. Also, all those fancy AI features that previously went by the name Duet AI have been folded under the Gemini branding. In case you haven’t been following up all the AI development flood, the name is derived from the multi-modal large language model of the same name.

To go with the renaming efforts, Google has launched a standalone Gemini app on Android. Moreover, the Gemini experience is also being made available to iPhone users within the Google app on iOS. But wait, there’s more.