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If not a Nexus 5, what's planned for the Google Play 'night out'?

A media event in New York promises music and more to do with the Google Play store, but it's unlikely to reveal any long-awaited Nexus hardware. So what gives?

Eric Mack Contributing Editor
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Eric Mack
2 min read
The team behind Google Play is playing with our heads. Google

Last week, Google sent out invitations for a "night out" event in New York on October 24 with folks from Google Play and music from Capital Cities. The instant speculation was that the event could be the long-awaited reveal of the Nexus 5 and Android KitKat, but almost as quickly as that gossip caught fire, it was quashed. Word spread that there would be no hardware introduced at the mysterious soiree.

OK, so what gives?

Others have speculated that we could see a new streaming service that includes video from YouTube very soon. That could be true, but we're pretty sure it won't happen at this event in New York. It wouldn't make much sense to do that at a Google Play-branded event, anyway.

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So, what else? We could see the iOS version of Google Play Music that's been expected, but that would also be pretty weird for Google to base a media event around.

What seems most likely to me is that we'll see the KitKat-ready version of the Play Store software -- which has already leaked out for download -- featuring new slide-out navigation but few other bells and whistles. Perhaps the big unveil will be some impressive new content offerings through the new Play store, which could also dovetail with more rumors that KitKat will come with a new focus on the big screen, as in TV screens.

Put this together with recent word of Google TV getting rebranded as Android TV, and all those cheap Chromecasts out there, and there's a decent chance that tonight we'll see Google unveil its latest master plan for taking over the living room and everywhere else that we demand to be entertained.

We shall see later today. CNET will have staff at the event in New York, so be sure to check back for the big news. But I've got dibs on any KitKat bars that might be floating around.