Nexus 8 Confirmed as HTC Nexus 9 as Google Sets iPad Killer Release Date on October 2014

Google's Nexus 8 blueprint will reportedly transition into the HTC Nexus 9 stock Android tablet and release date of what is touted as the search giant's iPad Air killer is seen to happen anytime in October 2014.

Killer device maker

According to The Wall Street Journal, Google and HTC are indeed working on the upcoming flagship tablet that in earlier reports was described as a high-end device that is designed to take on Apple's iPad Air and iPad Mini, specifically the slates' 2014 refresh.

The report seems to confirm the swirling speculations that from Samsung and Asus, which respectively manufactured the Nexus 10 and Nexus 7, Google is tapping Taiwan's HTC for its lone tablet challenger against the industry-leading iPad from Apple.

It appears that Google's decision to switch is largely due to HTC's solid track record when it comes to producing impressive hardware - inside and out. It should be recalled that the HTC One M7, which came out last year, and M8 consistently won raves from tech experts with some even calling the handset as the best Android smartphone.

But will HTC's relative success with the M7 and M8 smartphone necessarily extend to the Nexus 9?

Ben Wood of CCS Insight is on side of optimism despite the concerns that HTC is considered a newbie in the tightening global tablet market competition. Google, the analyst told CNET, is hopeful "that HTC's legendary hardware prowess will help make the new Nexus tablet stands out from the crowd.

Killer specs and features

And beside the fact that the Nexus 9 will roll out from HTC's production lines soon, the device can also count on other major come-ons and chief of them is NVIDIA's 64-bit and dual-core Tegra K1 processing chip.

In recent reports, Tegra K1, which NVIDIA developed under the name Project David, has been practically as the powerhouse that will bring the 8.9-inch Nexus 9 into life.

The chipmaker claimed on its press releases that 'David' is beastly on its processing capabilities while easy on the device battery. On this, Nexus 9 users are seemingly assured of a powerful mobile computing that at the same time will last longer than usual.

Also, Google's tablet contender is assured of displaying the next Android build once it comes out of the box - Android L. The mobile operating system, reports said, will be introduced alongside the Nexus slate on October 16.

Likely to follow that event shortly is the actual Nexus 9 release date that could coincide with the Halloween 2014, which some Android watchers hope would also unleash the Nexus 6 or Nexus X smartphone.