Ever since Google told use that they were planning another Nexus device to pilot Ice Cream Sandwich, we’ve waited patiently (think: spamming F5 on Google’s blog every 5 minutes) to see what’s in store for us next. Rumor has it that Google has narrowed it down to just a few big players, including one “big surprise”. And what a few big players they are.
We continue to see a few devices rise from the dozens, so we have to assume that there is at least some truth to the rumors. Among these supposed prototypes are a Samsung device with a dual-core 1.5GHz OMAP4460, and HTC with dual-core 1.8 Ghz Krait Snapdragon MSM8960 (/drool), a Sony Ericsson with dual-core 1.2 GHz Scorpion MSM8x60, and an LG with dual-core 1.5 GHz OMAP4460. Rumor also tells of a “rather svelte” “really big surprise” with an Intel CPU, which is interesting because it would be Intel’s first foray into the Android market. That said, could they be any more vague?
Still, any one of these devices would make for an excellent phone. This author has his eye set on the HTC device for more than a few reasons, the largest of which being its unreleased Krait Snapdragon processor. This CPU delivers up to twice the density of any chip previous to it, while its 28nm draw does far more with less power. Many would argue that these processors won’t be ready in time for a release this year, but sources tell us that HTC is working around-the-clock to make this a reality. Certainly, a device such as this has the potential to be the next “developer phone”, a la the Nexus One. HTC’s stance on rooting just makes it all the more appealing.
As to the “big surprise”, it had better be a doozy. We’ve seen Android released on so many devices (phones, watches, TV’s, etc), that Google would have to release an iPhone to truly catch this author off-guard.
[via androidandme]