For Google's Nexus lineup of phones and tablets, it's all about the back-to-back titles. We've seen Google sort of lean on some companies more than others when it comes to releasing new devices with that particular branding on the back. In the tablets department, it's Samsung and ASUS that have been bearing most of the work. For smartphones, LG's got the title for now, with Samsung taking back-to-back years before that.

Many of the devices that Google has launched for the Nexus product family line have been memorable for one reason or another, sometimes good and sometimes bad. Just like any other device, really. But, if we're being completely honest with one another, it's generally the first Nexus smartphone that most people remember with the fondest memories. The handset that started it all so many years ago, that helped us propel us to where we are now, and has led a lot of people out there chomping at the bit to get a true successor.

We're still waiting for HTC's follow-up to the Nexus One. I know I am. Every year since the release of the N.O., I've had my fingers crossed that HTC would get the gig all over again, and we'd get to see their effort in pushing the Nexus brand, and Android along with it, to the next level. Instead, we've gotten release from Samsung, twice, and smartphones from LG, twice. Seems like a missed opportunity, doesn't it?

And, let's face it: it's not just HTC missing out, but a lot of different companies have been skipped.

I do want a Sony-branded Nexus, because I think the company has managed to show the world that they can create some truly beautiful devices. I think Sony needs some work done when it comes to their proprietary software, so giving them a chance with the Nexus brand, and stock Android, could really take off. I know a lot of people out there that want the same thing.

That desire for a Sony Nexus pales in comparison to how badly I want HTC to take another shot at it. Or, more accurately, how badly I want Google to let HTC take another shot at it. I've been waiting a long time, and if a very, very small detail in a recently released changelog is any indicator, that wait may be finally coming to an end.

We know that getting excited for any kind of unfounded rumor or leak can lead to disaster, especially one that's just a name or single detail, but I can't help myself with this particular rumor. As Alex reported just a little while ago, there's been evidence found for a Nexus device, made by HTC, codenamed "flounder." The codename follows suit with previous devices, so the possibility is certainly there.

There are obviously no details here. Not much to even chew on, really, but I can't help but be excited about this. This is one of those rumors, reports, or leaks that really forces you to get excited about the future -- even if it's several months from now. With even the tiniest suggestion that HTC could indeed be making the next Nexus smartphone, I'm now invested. I want this to happen.

It should be noted that, while I want this to be a smartphone and I'm holding out hope that it is, it's perfectly possible that it's a tablet. In fact, HTC has confirmed that a tablet is on the way this year, and the fish(y) codename for this device doesn't guarantee a smartphone by any means. (The Nexus 7 was a "grouper.") I've just got to hope it's a phone. Not a phablet, either. A proper smartphone, please. Make the successor to the Nexus One, HTC!