Nexus 5, Tablet, Chrome OS, Android 4.4 (Kitkat)

Supposedly these are screen shots (Phandroid) of Android 4.4, or Kitkat.  What most folks are waiting for are the Nexus 5 and this new Android OS that will be the heart and soul of the device.  I am very excited to see this released but even more excited for this to happen on another device: Nexus 7.

I'm not sure I'll be getting a Nexus 5 if at all (I did get a new iPhone 5s and awaiting my Galaxy Note 3) but I do have a device that will certainly be capable of running the newest and greatest Android with the 2013 Nexus 7.

what's important to me is the future of Android years down the line.  We are still seeing a cat-and-mouse game between Android and iOS as far as trying to out-feature each other with new UI designs and with certain notable features like Google Now and Siri.

While I'm interested in new experiences like mobile UI, I don't have as much interest in Siri or Google Now since I'm not so busy or so socially inept that I need someone to remind me of my schedule, travel plans, or which restaurant to go to just because a coupon happens to pop up on my screen or have my device tell me this place has been frequented by my friends.

I'm interested in see where Google takes Android and Chrome OS.  I can't help but believe that Kitkat could be the last Android that is so independent of the Chrome experience.  Independent apps will always have a place on Android but I'm loving the in-browser experience that is provided by Chrome.

If anyone has tried Chrome-based apps, you'll know what I'm talking about.  Since the early days of webapps, and even today, I've always wanted to be able to runs simple apps from just the browser.  Even office suites which isn't so simple.  And while with Google Docs and other services, we have been able to do just that, I'm seen more innovative and creative use of the modern Web framework.

I like to see this take place on Android tablets as well.  When I'm in Chrome, I want to be able to access more apps from there when possible without having to switch out of it.  I don't know if today's tablet processors are ready to take on that task.  But with Chromebooks, you can see that Google is working on that experience.

I don't know if Google will bring that experience to Android or add some Android elements to Chrome OS but, if and when it does, Android tablets will have something more unique to give users as far as mobile experiences goes.