Less than a month after Google’s Android creator Andy Rubin confirmed the company would put out Nexus devices every spring and fall, a tech blog claims a new Nexus smartphone is indeed on tap for a Thanskgiving launch.
Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) declined to comment on tech blog Boy Genius Report’s report that the search engine is indeed working on a super-thin smartphone, possibly called the Nexus 4G.
Though it declined to say where it came by its intel, BGR said Google mobile fans can expect a device running Google’s Android “Ice Cream Sandwich” operating system, which incorporates holographic widgets and other perks from the Android 3.0 “Honeycomb” branch for tablets.
The handset will use only software-based input buttons, shedding the customary four physical buttons most Android handsets feature. Google executives have indicated this is another carry over to Ice Cream Sandwich from Honeycomb.
The phone may be powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz or 1.5GHz OMAP 4460 or ultra low-power 28nm Krait-based Snapdragon chip. The device’s display allegedly boasts a large-sized 720p HD screen, likely above the standard 4.3 inch screen for most high-end smartphones today.
This screen will support 1080p HD video camera through the 5 megapixel rear camera, accompanying a 1 megapixel front camera for video chat. While a 5 megapixel camera seems dated by today’s 8 megapixel standards, BGR said the shutter could boast “class-leading image quality in addition to superior low-light performance.”
As the name implies, the new Nexus 4G will come with 4G LTE radio. No word yet on who is making this device. However, BGR guesses this device could be supported by AT&T (NYSE:T) when it appears this fall, marking a break from Google’s cozy dealings with T-Mobile and Sprint (NYSE:S).
This Is My Next published fine piece that debates the specs.
Google launched its first Nexus phone, the Nexus One, exclusively from its Webstore in January 2010, promising a device that offers the so-called “pure Google” experience. That is, a phone free from handset maker user interfaces and carrier applications known as bloatware.
That phone didn’t sell well, but Google launched a superior Nexus S handset as the first Android 2.3 “Gingerbread” device featuring near field communications support from T-Mobile last December. Sprint followed up with the speedier Nexus S 4G phone in May.
The Nexus S 4G, and by extension the Nexus brand, could get a boost from Google Wallet, the mobile payment service the search engine is launching first in New York and San Francisco this summer. This NFC-based service will let shoppers tap and pay for goods using their Nexus S 4G handsets at select retailers.