Google still hasn't announced a new Nexus smartphone, setting the technosphere on fire with rumors as to what the search giant has planned in terms of upcoming smartphones. If one new rumor is correct, then there is, in fact, a Nexus 6 handset in the works, and it should release in September.
The rumor comes courtesy of Android Police, which states that it has received information concerning a smartphone being developed by Motorola codenamed "Shamu." Apparently Shamu will feature a 5.9-inch display with a yet-unspecified resolution and a fingerprint sensor similar to phones like the Apple iPhone 5s and Samsung Galaxy S5. It's unclear if Shamu is an independent Motorola project or the next iteration of Google's Nexus lineup; the specs and timing do lend the possibility some credence.
According to Android Police, Shamu is being developed with all major U.S. carriers in mind, a change from previous Nexus handsets that wouldn't work on some carriers (Verizon, we're looking at you).
Remember, there has been no confirmation regarding a Nexus 6 smartphone, and given the number of rumors that have already surfaced, it's best to treat this one with a healthy dose of salt. One thing, however, is certain: Google hasn't scrapped the Nexus lineup.
Head of Android engineering and the Nexus program at Google Dan Burke told ReadWrite in June that Nexus is still alive at Google and a key component in developing new Android versions. Google is expected to release Android L, the latest version of Android, sometime in the fall, most likely through a new Nexus device.
"When we are working, there are sort of two outputs. We're building a Nexus device and we're building the open source code. There is no way you can build the open source code without the phone or tablet or whatever you are building," Burke said.
"You have to live and breathe the code you are developing. You can't build a platform in the abstract, you have to build a device (or devices). So, I don't think can can or will ever go away. And then, I think Nexus is also interesting in that it is a way of us explaining how we think Android should run. It is a statement, almost a statement of purity in some respects. I don't see why we would ever turn away from that, it wouldn't make sense."
There was also fear that Google would drop Nexus in favor of a new high-end program dubbed "Android Silver." Although no details about Silver have come out, it's clear that it will have no major effect on Nexus, which is targeted at budget consumers who don't want to pay $800 for an unsubsidized phone.
There's also talk of a Nexus 8 tablet hitting shelves around the same time as the Nexus 6.
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