Apple will be unveiling the iPad Mini at an event on October 23. It seemed like that would be the last big tech announcement of the year before we head into the holiday season. Turns out Google isn’t going to let Apple have the last word as the company has just announced an Android event for October 29.
Yesterday afternoon, Google began sending out invites for an Android event in New York City. The invitation simply says, “The playground is open.” If you recall, this was the same slogan Google used when they put a Nexus 7 ad on the Google homepage.
What does it all mean? The slogan is obviously referring to Google’s Nexus brand of Android products. Google’s current lineup consists only of the Nexus 7 and Galaxy Nexus. That lineup could expand to include a lot more devices if the hints from the invitation are any indication. In fact, there’s already a few rumors floating around that LG and Sony are both making Nexus smartphones for Google.
As for tablets, it’s looking like Google is going to stick to their guns. It’s already pretty much confirmed that Google has a 32GB Nexus 7 planned for the holidays. Beyond that, there’s the persistent rumor that Google will also start offering a $99 tablet. There’s also the interesting rumor that Google is working with Samsung to craft a 10-inch Nexus tablet.
The Android operating system might be getting a few upgrades as wel. Cult of Android points out that the invitation’s background looks a lot like the Google Now feature on Jelly Bean. We could be in for further Jelly Bean refinements, or announcements of more devices being upgraded to the operating system.
Google will be live streaming the event via their Android YouTube channel. You can be sure that we’ll be covering all the big announcements as they’re made.