[Samsung Galaxy Exhibit 4G] Bloodflame:
Should note that these are just rumors, and should be taken with a grain of salt. Nothing has been confirmed by Google.

That said, 4.3 has definitely been spotted in the wild (even before this years I/O) and there's even official Android documentation which refers to it. So from that information alone, we know 4.3 is imminent. July or August definitely seem plausible. As far as features go, we know the camera has a slightly updated UI (APK is already available from the Google Play Edition of the HTC One) and there's been numerous references to Bluetooth low-power enhancements. As Jelly Bean has been all about performance (ie, Project Butter), I imagine 4.3 will continue pushing the Android system to be more fluid overall. I wouldn't expect any major UI changes...yet!

As far as 5.0 in October? That could go either way. Might end up being 4.4, or could very well be 5.0 (or even 4.3 could be delayed that long - who really knows?), and it would be late October to early November, as that's how history teaches us.

Since I feel like speculating (pretty much this whole post has been speculation already, but just bear with me). this is how I envision the current developments over in Mountain View. 4.3 and 5.0 are both being developed side-by-side. 5.0 would inherit any new features and performance tweaks from 4.3, yet 5.0 goes beyond that with it's own features and UI upgrades. More specifically, I see the card UI becoming a more integral part of Android (yes, right down to the framework). Think of how the Glass UI is, and imagine it on a bigger scale. The Settings menu will be completely overhauled with cards, sliding menus, and up buttons (think the way it works in Gmail, Currents, and Earth). Somehow, I believe there will be a new launcher based on cards, too (think Glass, once again). And speaking of the up button? Well, expect to see that

everywhere

, including the launcher (maybe to trigger an app drawer, or notifications, or quick settings, or all of them? Who knows). Currently, the up button is here and there, but it's not constant. And even in the apps it's present in, it's not 100% consistent in it's UI - but it will be. In 5.0, you will rarely not see an up button. In 5.0, expect app switching to seem more transparent, especially due to the cards UI. The Play Store and other recent app updates have already started this trend. When you switch from the Play Store to Books, Movies, Music, or Magazines, it doesn't feel like you've really switched applications, except maybe from a little hint by the animation type. So there's another thing - animations will adapt to this seemlessness of app switching. I don't mean in the way of the Recents menu, but just when one app opens another app. However, since I'm on the topic of the Recents menu, I think it will seem more like an app itself, as it will be based on cards as well. Heck, maybe that's something a constant up button can trigger. Or maybe a new gesture could open it. You know how in 4.2 when the Quick Settings were added, they made it so a two-finger swipe down would go right there. Well, they could do a two-finger swipe up from the bottom to get to Recents. Why not? The way Android is now, you could do a single swipe from the top or bottom for Notifications and Google Now, and a two-finger swipe from the top for Quick Settings, so it only makes sense to expand that two-finger option to the bottom as well. Recents seems like the perfect candidate. The entire design language will be given new emphasis with Google leading by example. I wish I had to skills to do a video mockup of what I vision in my mind, because what I see is magnificent.

As far as new hardware goes? Well, the Nexus program seems up in the air at the moment. With new releases of Google Play Edition phones, as well as Moto X developments, it's really hard to say where Nexus will go, if the brand even lives on. I like to speculate on what the next Nexus would be, and it seems like this year, it would look a little something like this: made by Sony, based on Xperia Z's winning formula, but beefed up a little. Quad-core 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 (likely 8974), 2GB RAM (maybe more?), minimum 1080p, 4.8" - 5" IPS+ display (the bigger the screen, the smaller the bezel. Don't expect the physical device to be much bigger than a Nexus 4, if even by just a few millimeters), and it would definitely inherit the Xperia's waterproof body. Throw in a 12+ megapixel camera, 2+ megapixel front camera, LTE, 16GB and 32GB options, and there's your winning design. HTC and Samsung have definitely outdone themselves with the One and S4 respectively, and even LG has done great with the Optimus G Pro, and the upcoming G2 looks nice too, but I really feel like Sony has been the most innovative with their 2013 flagship, which is what Google looks for when selecting their Nexus hardware partner. This is what makes me believe Sony will be next to shine in the Nexus spotlight, if there even is another Nexus this year. EDIT: They should also partner with XDA to made an XDA Developers Edition which comes with 64GB, a pre-unlocked bootloader, and pre-rooted out of the box - but that's just wishful thinking. Of course, something of that sort would also be void of any warranty and would be sold exclusively through XDA, but once again, just wishful thinking...

tldr; Android 5.0 should be pretty cool, and if there's a new Nexus, it will be awesome too :cool: