Google’s so-called playground might not officially open until its big Oct. 29 Android event, but we already have an idea of what we’ll find when we get there.
According to a leak from within the company, Google is poised to unveil pretty much everything we expected — the LG Nexus, a Samsung tablet with a Retina-slaying display, and Android 4.2 itself — along with one surprising twist: a 3G-enabled variant of the Nexus 7 tablet.
The mobile Nexus 7 includes an HSPA+ radio, which would allow users to tap into the 3G-plus mobile speeds available on the AT&T and T-Mobile networks. The slate will also pack 32GB of storage space, doubling up the current 16GB maximum.The Next Web reports that a non-3G-equipped 32GB Nexus 7 will also be available.
We’ve already covered the LG Nexus 4 and Samsung Nexus 10 in detail, and this leak doesn’t add anything new to the conversation. In a nutshell, the LG Nexus 4 is a quad-core smartphone with a striking resemblance to the LG Optimus G, while the Samsung Nexus 10 rocks a 10-inch, 2,560 × 1,600 resolution display powered by Samsung’s powerful new Exynos 5 Dual processor. Both run the newest build of Google’s operating system, Android 4.2, which is also slated to show up on October 29.
In addition to an upgraded Gmail app and several new security features, the leak reports that Android 4.2 adds a widget that allows users to tap into the Play Store from a home screen. The new build also adds “Tablet Sharing,” a fancy term for multiple user profiles.
It’s going to be a busy week for technology. Both Android and Windows Phone 8 have big unveilings set for Oct. 29, Apple’s prepared to pull back the curtains on the iPad mini tomorrow, and Microsoft’s Modern-styled future kicks off with Windows 8′s Oct. 26 launch.
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