In today’s obligatory unveiling video of the new Android statue for Google’s lawn full of statues of desserts, a new Google smartphone has appeared. This may very well be the next-generation Nexus device as it does indeed have the word Nexus written on it – though in a bit of a cut with what may […]
Well, would you look at that. In Google’s unveiling video of the new Kit Kat statue of Android, a mysterious Nexus phone appears in the hands of a Googler taking a picture of said Kit Kat statue. It doesn’t look like any Nexus phone we’ve ever seen, the Nexus logo is horizontal, the camera seems significantly larger and the size and finish looks completely different from the Nexus 4.
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We always enjoy Google’s new statues for each version of Android, however the one posted just now for KitKat / 4.4 may have a bonus treat. The Googler in the green shirt is holding a device that reads Nexus on the back, however compared to the woman conveniently holding a Nexus 4 just inches away, it’s clearly not the same. The word Nexus is spelled out in a different direction, the camera seems different, and it looks bigger than the Nexus 4, but it appears to have an LG logo on the bottom. The video is embedded after the break, you can catch a glimpse of the mystery unit about 38 seconds in. It’s certainly curious timing for a new device to pop up, right after the old one dropped in price and is out of stock for at least one version.
Update: Well, you could have seen it in the video but Google has suddenly yanked it from YouTube, adding even more intrigue to the situation. We’ve contacted the company for a statement and will let you know if we hear anything.
Update 2: One of our commenters linked another video of the unveiling that also shows the device. It’s taken from behind the people shown above, and while we can’t get a clear look at the screen you can get a better idea of the phone’s dimensions. Whoops! It looks like that one’s gone now too.
[Thanks, Mike and everyone else who sent this in]
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google, LG
Source: YouTube
After “a whirlwind trip to Asia” visiting Android partners, Google’s SVP Sundar Pichai has just confirmed — by way of the above photo — that the next version of his mobile OS is called KitKat aka Android 4.4. The exec shared this geeky nugget on both Google+ and Twitter, while his company has updated the Android developer site with a page chronicling Android’s milestones so far. Details are light at the moment, and Google teases its upcoming release with just the following line:
“It’s our goal with Android KitKat to make an amazing Android experience available for everybody.”
Pichai also announced that there are now over one billion Android device activations, surpassing the 900 million mark back in May this year. This is well ahead of the end-of-year target that Chairman Eric Schmidt predicted back in April. Just to recap, here are all the previous dessert-based names that contributed to these figures: Cupcake (1.5), Donut (1.6), Eclair (2.0), Froyo (2.2), Gingerbread (2.3), Honeycomb (3.0), Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0), and Jelly Bean (4.1-4.3). Naturally, it’s “K” after “J” now. More after the break (pun intended).
Update: We’ve added Nestle’s wacky promo video as well.
Update 2: Go ahead and grab the kids, because you’ll now find a short clip of the KitKat statue’s unveiling. So… is anyone gonna break off a piece of that, or what?
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google
Source: Google+, @SundarPichai (Twitter), Google, BBC
Nestlé in Japan releases unique flavored KitKats seasonally, a tradition that they have been doing for a long time. You can probably find Maccha Kitkat (green tea flavor) outside of Japan. But the variety of the flavors you see here in Japan is a whole different world.
A few months ago, we talked about the fact that Nestlé in Japan makes regional and seasonal KitKats and we heard that news was pretty interesting for those who don’t live in Japan. Today we introduce the 2013 summer flavors – all sold for a limited time only:
– Nestlé KitKat Mini Passion Fruit
– Nestlé KitKat Mini World Assort: an assortment of 2 popular flavors from the past: Orange and Hazelnut
– Also, Nestlé has released 3 products that taste better after putting them in the freezer:
1) Nestlé KitKat Mini Cookies & Cream
2) Nestlé Aero Mini Chocolate Mint
3) Nestlé Crunch Mini Caramel & Vanilla
If you have a chance to visit Japan, get some unique flavored Kitkats. They could be a great and inexpensive Japan “omiyage” (souvenir).
In Japan, the culture of gift giving is very important, and nowhere is that as commonly seen as when people take trips. It is very important to come back with a souvenir (“omiyage”) from where your trip took you. Different food and other goods from overseas trips for the folks back home are important, but so are different regional foods from different regions in Japan.
Usually this means small specialty items only available in different regions of Japan. But big companies are …
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