Sometimes as a tech journalist, you have to pose the really tough questions: Do cell phones cause brain cancer? Does anyone really need an S Pen? And of course, what dessert will Google name the next version of Android after?
We don’t shy away from these issues at Digital Trends, but the alphabet is really making things tough this time around. We had plenty of suggestions for what Android P might turn out to be, though they were all wrong. While the pumpkin and pecan varieties made the list, plain old pie just never occurred to us. While we’ve seen a little more of what Android Q is all about at Google I/O, the Android developer still hasn’t settled on a name.
As much we love the letter Q — and the Star Trek character for that matter — we are not overly burdened with dessert possibilities that start there. Here’s what we’ve got for possible names so far, with a likelihood score of 1 out of 10 as the lowest and 10 out of 10 as the highest.
Quiche
Likelihood: 1/10
It might be one of the first foods that pops to mind when the letter Q is mentioned, but why would Google go savory now? It might as well pick quinoa or quesadilla, though quiches do at least employ pastry and occasionally have sweet fillings. We don’t think this will be the one. Everyone knows that the best quiches are the Lorraine variety with bacon and cheese in them, which are definitely not desserts.
Quik
Likelihood: 2/10
The chocolate milk Nesquik was originally called Nestle Quik and Google has gone for brand tie-ins before, but no one really calls it Quik so this is a long shot. Also, GoPro has already snagged the Quik name for its video editing software.
Quality Street
Likelihood: 3/10
Brits will be familiar with the Quality Street brand: A box of individually wrapped chocolates, toffees, and other sweets, but it’s probably not well-known enough stateside to be considered. They started in 1936 in England but Nestle acquired the brand in 1988. The purple ones — hazelnut wrapped in caramel — are best, but they’re always swiftly mined leaving you with handfuls of toffee pennies and those green triangles.
Quaker Oats
Likelihood: 2/10
Before you laugh this one out of the list, consider that you can use Quaker Oats to bake oatmeal cookies or put fruit and honey in them. We also think Android 10 Quaker Oats sounds like an awesome post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie.
Quesito
Likelihood: 3/10
These cute pastries look as though they might fit the bill. They’re flaky, sugar-coated pastry treats, but they’re usually filled with cheese and served with breakfast. They can be vanilla-flavored or have fruit inside, so they have to be in with a chance.
Quindim
Likelihood: 4/10
We hadn’t honestly heard of this Brazilian baked dessert before, but at least it is a dessert. Made from sugar, coconut, and eggs, these tasty yellow rings look pretty tempting.
Quince
Likelihood: 3/10
The fruit of the quince tree most closely resembles a pear and is typically made into jelly or jam. It’s often used in desserts, but it’s actually a hard, acidic fruit, so we don’t think it will be the one.
Queen of puddings
Likelihood: 1/10
Terribly British pudding (dessert) of custard, cake, jam (jelly), and meringue that is probably unheard of in the U.S. and so very unlikely to get the nod from Google. It would also make for a stupidly long-winded name, but we bet you want to try it now you know it exists.
Qottab
Likelihood: 1/10
This Iranian pastry or cake is packed with almonds and walnuts and finished with a dusting of sugar, but it’s usually written as Ghotab in English and seems like an unlikely — if delicious — candidate.
Queijadas
Likelihood: 2/10
These are popular Portuguese cupcakes that can be flavored with different things, but we don’t think they’re well known enough stateside to be in contention and pronunciation could be a definite problem.
Qurabiya
Likelihood: 3/10
While these shortbread-style biscuits, usually packed with ground almonds, are a bit better known that our last entry, they’re not that common beyond the Mediterranean and the pronunciation is going to stump most Americans.
As you can see we’re struggling here. Have any suggestions for Android Q? Perhaps Google will bypass it completely and jump straight to the best dessert known to humankind: Rhubarb crumble.
Although Google has not yet revealed the name of the next version, you can now grab the Android Q beta and take a look at how it’s shaping up.
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