When the idea about Android Silver came up in early April, it was feared by most as the initiative that would wrest back control from manufacturers who tinkered too much with Android back to Google. At the same time rumors were rife that because of Silver, the mothership would be abandoning the Nexus line of devices even if it has grown its own loyal fanbase. Well, Nexus fans can keep their hopes up somewhat.
In an interview with the folks over at ReadWrite, head of engineering for Android and the Nexus program David Burke put to rest all of the rumors. He said that people should still expect a Nexus device to come out when Google releases a new named Android version – for instance with the release of Android L later in the year. “People just get excited by concepts and forget why we do things. We are still invested in Nexus,” Burke said.
“People have been commenting about Nexus because there is something else and they think that means the end of Nexus. That is the totally wrong conclusion to make,” Burke added. For those who are unfamiliar with how Google pushes its Nexus line, it usually announces a new Nexus device every time a new version of Android is released – manufactured by Google’s partners, which include Samsung and LG. To date, we have heard rumors of a Nexus tablet called Volantis to be manufactured by HTC.
The Android Silver program was rumored to put the initiative for Android back into Google’s hands. It would select high-end devices – coming from a required spec sheet – from manufacturers who would install Android with little to no “non-Android” features installed. You may remember Google’s irritation with Samsung’s TouchWiz and see the logic behind this movement. From all the rumors, it looks like we will be seeing Android Silver devices by next year.
VIA: Slashgear
