For several months, rumors have been pointing toward a new Google Nexus tablet supplied by HTC — possibly in conjunction with the release of Android "L" — and a new report from Android Police suggests that there could be a high-tech cover to go along with it. The cover is said to have several creases on on side so that the tablet can be propped up at one of a number of angles (similar to Apple's Smart Covers, among others), while the other side would have a full QWERTY keyboard. The keyboard cover has been front and center at every Microsoft Surface launch; with Android, though, not so much.

The keyboard apparently pairs over Bluetooth 4.0, which would eliminate the need for a finicky pogo pin connection with the tablet, and a 450mAh internal battery would be used to keep it powered. On one end of the hinge, a Micro USB port is presumably used for recharging. As AP points out, the existence of a first-party keyboard case suggests that Google is going to put a bigger emphasis on productivity with this tablet than they have with previous Nexus slabs — but it raises some new questions about the relationship between a productivity-focused Android tablet and a touch-focused Chromebook laptop.