Google nixes Nexus, announces no new Android tablet

Google's hardware event today was arguably as noteworthy for what wasn't announced as what was. While it launched a pair of new smartphones, a new Chromecast streamer, an Amazon Echo competitor, and a budget-priced VR headset, none of them carried the Nexus name. Nexus has long been synonymous with the search giant's forays into hardware, branding a slew of Android mobile devices and a pair of media streamers, but that string has apparently ended. According to The Verge, Google has halted using the name for new products, with nothing Nexus-related on the drawing board. The Pixel brand now takes over the Nexus role, at least when it comes to smartphones, though Google has dubbed its more recent streaming devices as "Chromecasts" gave the VR glasses the cutesy Daydream View moniker, and abandoned fancy titles altogether with the Google Home smart speaker and Wifi router.