Rumor: Is This The (Buttonless!) Nexus 3?

This story is about as shaky as they come, but we figured we’d pass along the details for anyone out there lookin’ to get a quick fix of Memorial Day mobile news.

Here’s what we know:

  • According to TechHog, the device up above is the one floatin’ around in the Android team’s labs as the mobile hardware test design for Ice Cream Sandwich
  • As you can see, this device appears to lack any sort of button on its face. The latest tablet build of Android (Honeycomb) ditched all hardware buttons in favor of on-screen navigation controls; is the mobile build taking the same route?
  • Some are referring to it as the “Nexus 3”; according to the guys over at Droid Life, the name “Nexus Prime” is also floating around.
  • This handset, they say, is made by HTC — but HTC isn’t alone in their hopes to be the manufacturer behind the next Nexus. According to the original tipster, LG also has something in the works
  • An unspecified party has supposedly asked TechHog to removal details/photos, and they’ve complied

To be honest, the whole thing rings up a bit strange. From the questionable source and blurry photo to the take down request (which almost never, ever happens in this industry; companies generally play dumb and publicly ignore leaks, as acknowledging them legitimizes them), I wouldn’t get too attached to this device just yet.