Google And HTC Team Up For Nexus 9 Tablet

Google Inc. has been quiet about plans for its upcoming devices, but now that the iPhone 6, 6 Plus and Samsung Galaxy Note 4 have all launched, the Mountain View, California-based company is coming out of the woodwork with a new device of its own.

The search giant has seleted HTC Corp. its next tablet, a 9-inch diagonal device that may be called Nexus 9, according to The Wall Street Journal. Development of the tablet has long been underway as engineers from HTC have reportedly been frequenting the Googleplex headquarters in recent months.

HTC is more known for its smartphones, and its HTC One (M8) has received several accolades for its design, which includes a 90 percent metal body; but the tablet market is still quite new for the Taiwanese manufacturer. In recent years, Google has employed Asus to produce the Nexus 7 2012 and 2013 edition and Samsung Electronics Co. to produce the Nexus 10 tablet. Google is supposedly be veering away from Samsung as a manufacturer in particular because it believes the Korean company has been creating a monopoly of sorts among Android device makers, and wants to give other device makers a chance at some spotlight. Additionally, the Nexus 10 has not done quite well on the marker; however, Asus' Nexus 7 models have sold quite well. The manufacturer saw a significant increase in profits with the release of the Nexus 7 2012 edition.

Neither Google nor HTC have confirmed the collaboration, but reports as early as June have suggested that the companies have been working together on the Nexus 9. Tech pundit Paul O'Brien received an anonymous tip last Thursday that indicated that an HTC-made Nexus 9 might launch on Oct. 16. The device has been referred to by its code name, "Volantis" for some time, and is expected to include a NVIDIA Logan 64-bit (Tegra K1) chip, an 8-megapixel rear camera and 2GB RAM, in addition to the Android L operating system, which Google showcased at its I/O conference in June.

Google is known for launching new devices in the fall, between mid-October and mid-November; last year, the Nexus 5 smartphone launched on Oct. 31. Reports also indicate that Google is working with its old subsidiary Motorola on a new smartphone, which may be called the Nexus 6. Rumors suggest that device may include either a 5.2-inch display or a 5.9-inch display. The latter is reportedly a device Google has code named “Shamu.”