Nexus 7 Deals Arrive as Nexus 8 Rumors Continue

Rumors suggest that Google has a new Nexus tablet coming later this year, a device that’s being called the Nexus 8 or Nexus 9. While all the details are still slowly starting to emerge, including more rumors about the HTC Nexus tablet, we’re also starting to see more and more deals on last years popular Nexus 7.

Not only has the Nexus 7 nearly vanished from the Google Play Store, but more and more deals keep offering the impressive Android tablet at a discount. Today Woot.com has the 2013 Nexus 7 factory refurbished for only $129, and a deal yesterday from Newegg delivered the tablet to buyers for just $102.

Read: Nexus 8 Rumored Along with Two New HTC Tablets

While deals are expected for an aging and year old tablet like the Nexus 7, the more important thing at hand is the new Nexus 8 or Nexus 9 that is reportedly coming this fall. We’ve continued to hear bits and pieces of news, but this week the HTC Flouder (rumored as Google’s new Nexus tablet) has been spotted passing a few hurdles before the eventual release date.

It has been called both the HTC Flounder or Volantis, which are codenames, and will hopefully be released later this year as the all new HTC-made Google Nexus 8 or Nexus 9 tablet. These names have been rumored for months, and now we have a few more details that suggests a Nexus tablet is coming sooner rather than later.

All devices that get released need to pass a series of tests before coming to market, and one of those is the WiFi Alliance. Along with Bluetooth certifications, FCC clearance, and more. Today the HTC Flounder just passed through WiFi, meaning one more step before an actual release has been achieved.

The image you see above is the WiFi certification for HTC’s new tablet, which gives us a few pretty good clues. For one this is a tablet made by HTC Corporation, and it’s running Android L. Google’s unreleased version of Android that’s only available for limited beta testing.

It’s being categorized as a tablet by HTC and the WiFi Alliance, and it is running “aosp” which is stock Android directly from the Android Open Source Project. This clearly shows a stock Nexus-like device from HTC running a version of Android that’s yet to actually be released. These are all good signs that the Nexus 8 or Nexus 9 is indeed real, and could be coming sooner rather than later.

Read: Nexus 8 Details Emerge in Huge Leak

What we can actually expect to be announced and released as the Nexus 8 or Nexus 9 is still a mystery, but the biggest leak and the most details are what’s being linked to above. As far as we know Google and HTC are preparing an 8.9-inch stunning tablet that will be able to compete with current Nexus devices, the iPad Air 2, and the new iPad Mini 2, being perfectly sized and offering impressive specs for buyers.

The 8.9-inch HTC Nexus 8 (9) tablet is reportedly running a beautiful 2048 x 1440 full HD display, and will be powered by NVIDIA’s latest Tegra K1 processor, or a powerful new Snapdragon 805 Quad-core from Qualcomm with 2 or 3GB of RAM. Like most Nexus devices it will come in multiple storage configurations, and possibly two different colors as well. That could also explain why more than one model number was listed in the WiFi certification found today.

At this point the new Nexus tablet is still somewhat of a mystery, but with each new leak or additional info that is provided the picture gets more clear. We’re expecting Android L to debut sometime this fall in late October or early November, similar to Android 4.4 KitKat in 2013, which will likely debut on a new Nexus 6 and/or Nexus 8 tablet.

Last but not least we’re seeing “LMP” listed in the firmware version, which could be a hint at what Google will call its next version of Android. Each release gets a number, and a name. Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, Android 4.4 KitKat, all in numerical and alphabetical order named after deserts. Android 4.5 or 5.0 L could be Lemon Meringue Pie. At this point the name doesn’t really matter, it’s the tablet that has prospective buyers excited.