Despite several leaks of the upcoming Pixel smartphones , the announcements expected at Google’s Oct. 4 event remain shrouded in mystery. However, a Google executive may have teased a long rumored change to the tech giant’s smartphone repertoire – a combined Android and Chrome operating system.
We announced the 1st version of Android 8 years ago today. I have a feeling 8 years from now we'll be talking about Oct 4, 2016.
— Hiroshi Lockheimer (@lockheimer) September 24, 2016
Google’s Senior Vice President of Android Hiroshi Lockheimer shared a tweet Saturday, alluding that the Oct. 4 launch will be the biggest since the induction of Android in 2008. Pundits immediately connected the teaser to a 2015 report from the Wall Street Journal , which detailed Google’s plans to “fold” its Chrome operating system into Android, creating an all around software, compatible with smartphones and tablets, but also laptops.
The project is codenamed “Andromeda,” according to Android Police , and may roll out 2017. Although not much is known about the possible new system, it is likely other Google launch claims coincide with the Andromeda reports.
Rumors surrounding Google’s HTC-made Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones suggest it may feature a software with some sort of custom overlay and not pure-Android as was seen on Nexus smartphones. The devices are expected to run Android 7.1 Nougat instead of the initial Andorid 7.0 version, which rolled out to Nexus devices in August.
The updated version is expected to include such features as a new Pixel launcher, the Google Assistant artificial intelligence software and support for Google’s virtual reality platform, Daydream.
The Pixel smartphones are expected to be premium devices with high-end prices, rivaling the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy flagships. Google may also announce Chromecast Ultra and Google Wifi at its Oct. 4 event.
