Two sharp-eyed code divers have found references to the Nexus 6 smartphone and Nexus 8 tablet buried deep in an unexpected place: code for Google's Chromium browser.
Florian Kiersch and Carsten Knobloch found the names in the Chromium code review tracker as long ago as two weeks.
According to XDA Developers, the reference to the Nexus 8 was actually removed two weeks ago and replaced with "Nexus 6," though the site also says the phrase is incidental to the code in which it was found.
In other words, the purpose of the references is shrouded in mystery, but it may indicate that these are the official names of Google's next Nexus gadgets.
The Nexus step
The Nexus 6 is thought to be a possibly 6-inch flagship phone produced by LG - a stripped down LG G3, some say.
The Nexus 8, on the other hand, could be an HTC- or Asus-built 8-inch tablet that's a slight upgrade over the Nexus 7.
Some expected it to arrive in April, though that obviously fell through.
Both may have been recently glimpsed in the Chromium issue tracker under the names "Molly" and "Flounder," respectively, though it's impossible to know for sure exactly what those referred to.
The point is Google's next Nexus devices are almost here, and all signs indicate that Google will have a double whammy up its sleeve this time around.
Hopefully we'll learn more this summer, even as early as June's Google IO.
- Who needs a new Nexus when you have the Samsung Galaxy S5?
Via BGR