While Apple’s iPhone deviated from its usual summer release last year when the iPhone 4S only hit stores sometime in October, if there’s something we can rely on it would be the Google Nexus series.
Google Nexus 4 bringing physical QWERTY slider?
Expected to rollout sometime in the end of the year just like every Nexus device since the Nexus One, the Google Nexus ‘4’ should arrive in stores just in time for the holidays. This time around, rumors suggest that Samsung may get the honors once again despite building the last two Nexus phone (Samsung Nexus S & Galaxy Nexus). However, as an added twist there is now the possibility that it will feature a physical QWERTY sliding keyboard.
The details come via a patent filing submitted by the Android team and mentions Andy Rubin specifically. As CNET points out, unlike other patent filings this one in particular has a lot of weight behind it:
“But there’s a few hints that the filing is serious business, namely that Rubin’s name is on it and that it went from submission in January to being published this month — much faster than the typical 18-month turn-around time.”
We know that Andy Rubin worked with Danger on the Sidekick’s sliding mechanism. So it may come as no surprise if him and his Danger buddies came up with a new mechanism that might launch in the Google Nexus 4. Would you welcome a QWERTY slider on the next Nexus phone? Or is it slates for you all the way? Sound off in the comments below.
[via]
