In this paper we investigate numerically the hydromagnetic boundary layer flow and heat transfer characteristics of a nanofluid using three types of nanoparticles (copper, aluminium oxide and titanium dioxide) having various shapes (spherical, cylindrical, arbitrary, etc) by considering three kinds of base fluids (water, ethylene glycol and engine oil) over a nonlinear inclined stretching surface, taking into account the effect of convective surface condition. Using similarity transformations, the governing nonlinear partial differential equations of the physical model are transformed into non-dimensional ordinary differential equations which are solved for local similar solutions using the very robust computer algebra software, Maple 13. The numerical simulation is carried out to investigate the role of the pertinent parameters on the flow and temperature fields as well as on the rate of heat transfer and on the rate of shear stress. The results show that the addition of nanoparticles to the base fluid may not always increase the rate of heat transfer. It depends significantly on the surface convection, type of base fluid and nanoparticles. The finding of this study will open a gate for better understanding of nanofluid characteristics.