Some pleasantly unexpected news landed on our laps today in the form of a possible Nexus device. While Nexus is nothing new, it’s been speculated for months now that the Nexus line was to be replaced by a new program from Google called “Android Silver”. However, the cancelation of the Nexus program was all but confirmed by Google, so while this bit of news may be a bit surprising it’s not completely unwarranted or (necessarily) false.
According to a report from Android Police, we may be looking at a new collaborative device between Motorola and Google, codenamed “Shamu”. There aren’t a ton of clues that lead us to believe that this mysterious device has anything to do with Nexus, but it does mention that “Shamu” runs on a Google kernel and, as mentioned in our news article, Google has a tendency to name their Nexus devices after aquatic wildlife.
So we’re going to take the chance that this rumor might blossom into truth and run with it for a little while, just to see what opinions we can come up with.
Aside from Shamu supposedly being a Motorola-made device, we are also led to believe that the phone will feature a massive 5.9-inch display and a fingerprint sensor. If Shamu is indeed a Nexus device, I think it’s a great idea to let Motorola have a shot at it given their recent successes with the Moto X and, more specifically (and unexpectedly) the Moto G. Motorola has been making quite a name for itself lately, and a chance to make one of the budget-friendly and popular Nexus devices would give it even more of the boost it needs to succeed.
Of course, it wouldn’t be an op-ed by yours truly if I didn’t mention my concerns on the fact that the phone is said to be sized somewhere between a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and a Galaxy Mega 6.3. A 5.9-inch screen, which "Shamu" is rumored to have, is just over an inch under the smallest tablet screen size. This fuels my concern that phones are just getting to be too big. Then again, I think my feelings on this might just be because I have tiny handlets that don’t let me wield anything above the 4.7-inch screen range comfortably. Even then, the Note 3 is rather large with a 5.7-inch display, and aside from its powerful specs I feel that the included stylus is a big saving grace for having a phone that size. I think in order for this Shamu device to really succeed, it’s going to need some really tiny bezels so the phone itself isn’t that big. After all, the Galaxy Mega 6.3 didn’t fare too well - but that might also be because size was the only thing it had going for it. I do have higher expectations of a next-gen Nexus device when it comes to specs and features.
Maybe it won’t be that bad. I tend to get cold feet when I see large screen size measurements - flashbacks of constant phone dropping, either on my face or the floor. Either way, I am excited at the thought that Motorola might get a shot at this. I think the quality of Motorola’s products has been great under Google’s wing, and although Moto is now under Lenovo’s watch, a Nexus device means that Google would once again be involved somehow. It’s also exciting because it means all is not lost when it comes to the Nexus program. I’ve been under the impression that Nexus is done and over with, but if it’s not I could care less whether the size of the device is too big, too small, or whatever. The whole principle behind the Nexus program, in my opinion, makes it worth keeping around.
Readers, what are your initial impressions on this mysterious “Shamu” device? Do you hope that the Nexus program is sticking around? Are the few rumors shown enough to spark your interest in it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Images via Droid Life
