Motorola 'Shamu' Moto S, first Android Silver smartphone heading to Verizon?

Motorola and its upcoming devices have been making headlines over the last few weeks. A new smartphone that might be the first Android Silver device to launch has leaked.

When Google introduced the Nexus One in 2010, the company stepped into the smartphone hardware world, rather than just being the creator of the Android OS running on devices from Samsung, HTC, Motorola, and more.

The program was designed to allow Google to create what was marketed as a reference device for Android makers and developers. It shipped with the latest version of Android; the exact specs Google believed provided the best user experience intended with no carrier bloat ware or Android skin. It also came with the confidence of knowing the smartphone would receive regular Android updates whenever Google released them and the OTA (over the air) update would come right from Google and not carriers or manufacturers.

There have been rumors for a couple months that Google has been secretly working on a new series of devices called 'Android Silver.' It was initially reported that 'Android Silver' would signal the end of Nexus smartphones and tablets. Google quickly squashed that rumor.

"People just get excited by concepts and forget why we do things. Android Silver is not something that we are commenting on right now. People have been commenting about Nexus because there is something else and they think that means the end of Nexus. That is the totally wrong conclusion to make," said David Burke, Google's head of engineering for Android and the Nexus program.

Google has never publicly spoken about Android Silver, but many reports claim it will be a program similar to the current Google Play edition devices, which consist of high-end smartphones and tablets running stock Android sold directly through Google.

The first Android Silver smartphone may have just leaked. A new report and accompanying video from TK Tech News provides details on what is being described as the Motorola Shamu, Nexus 6, and Moto S. The tipster claims the device leaked to the site is a Verizon Shamu model. It supposedly is packing high-end specs, including a 2K display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, Adreno 420 GPU (graphics processing unit),13-megapixel rear camera and 2-megapixel front-facing camera. We recently reported that the Motorola Verizon Droid Turbo is also expected to ship with the same Android 420 GPU in this smartphone.

The tipster has also released a video showing off the screen protector that will reportedly ship with the smartphone. The image shows the smartphone's official name will be Moto S. That is where the 'Android Silver' branding comes into play. The handset's screen protector also confirms the Moto S will also feature front-facing stereo speakers, just like the Moto X + 1.

Source: Tech Times