Every tech rumor must be taken with a grain of salt because nothing is ever really truly final until the actual product comes out. In this latest round, the spotlight is on HTC, its rumored Nexus tablet, and what appears to be a keyboard cover for said rumored tablet.
It's only a matter of time before an official announcement is made for the next Nexus tablet but for now tech enthusiasts will have to make do with news of an official range of accessories for the tablet. Upleaks earlier tweeted that the HTC tablet will have a magic cover as well as a keyboard folio but Android Police adds weight to that story by revealing information about the keyboard folio.
The released picture of the reported keyboard folio is simple. One side of the cover is reminiscent of Apple's smart cover, segmented to fold into a triangle to support the table when it is propped up.
When not being used, the tablet will nest into a case on top of the keyboard, while the segmented side of the cover will fall flat on top of the screen. Also like the Apple's smart cover, magnets on the segmented flap will automatically lock the screen when it is covered and wake the screen when the cover is removed.
To work with the tablet, the keyboard is reported to be using Bluetooth 4.0 technology, with the pairing process initiated by an NFC chip. It will also have a 450mAh battery included but the keyboard may be charged through a port located in the cover's hinge. An indicator is also placed on the other side of the hinge to notify users of the keyboard's pairing and charging status.
Measuring at around 228 x 320 x 5 mm, the keyboard is thin so it won't be a clunky addition to the tablet, if ever. However, given the keyboard's size, it will also mean a layout that is more cramped than the usual, most especially that it includes a standard QWERTY keyboard with additional Android function keys. The keyboard folio is also rumored to come with polyurethane and leather options.
With an official keyboard cover coming to HTC's rumored Nexus tablet, it sounds like Google is keen on pushing tablets as more of productivity devices. However, this also raises questions about how the new Nexus will co-exist with the Chromebook laptop due to a possible overlap between the two.
