Everyone remember that we heard that the Nexus line of devices would be replaced by the ‘Android Silver’ program, the multi-manufacturer, pure Google experience on carriers? You’ll also probably recall how we all cried and bemoaned the fact that Nexus, the price-conscious Android experience and development platform, would vanish in favor of pricier pure experiences? Yeah, that was a rough month before Google I/O, until we got the exact word on Nexus: that it won’t be going away anytime soon. And that Android Silver might actually be the dead idea? Well, since we haven’t heard anything about the whole Silver line of devices in a while, want some fresh news?
Silver is NOT dead. Not in the least, actually. TK of TK Tech News recently posted on their site about the continued existence and likely release of the Silver program, as well as the next Nexus device this fall. The best part is that something like ‘less than two weeks’ is how long we’ll have to wait to see the new Android and Nexus device(s). That is astounding news, but wait, sadly there’s more.
Galaxy Nexus, pure Ice Cream Sandwich, Android 4.0, Google Wallet, earliest updates. Two of those things were lies when the device launched on Verizon Wireless a little over two years ago. The Verizon Galaxy Nexus did NOT come with Google Wallet support, and it had its updates delayed months after the GSM and the Sprint variants got theirs. That annoyed a good many people, especially given how necessary some of the updates might have been to the experience and usability of the device.
Now, apparently, the new S phablet line, with the first device to be known as the Moto S, will launch exclusively on Verizon, with an AT&T release after two months of that madness. The specifications look to be expectedly high-level, with a Snapdragon 805 and QuadHD screen, sized at a huge 5.9 inches diagonally. There are also two Nexus devices, one at 5.2 and one at 5.9 on the roster to launch this fall. Motorola was reportedly holding out for sales report and customer reaction to see whether to get rid of one of these sizes entirely, though.
TK goes on to say that there are devices from both Motorola and HTC that are supposedly part of Silver, or a new set of Google Play Edition devices. The Moto S will also NOT have Nexus branding on the back, regardless of what we might have seen before now. Similarly, the Nexus version of the Motorola device will not have the Motorola logo in that comfortable dimple on the back. The 5.2-inch device is also interesting, since it was supposed to be the Droid Turbo, but Motorola sources have told TK that it is not a Motorola device.
This means that another manufacturer could’ve been building a device, and killed it. The Nexus 6 name has also been, according to a source within Google, pursued avidly by Google for licensing purposes. As the story over at TK Tech News develops (which it still is) we will keep you posted over here. Let us know your thoughts on these developments so far.