With weeks of speculations and a bunch of last minute leaks, the word is out and the device is official. Google has announced the Nexus Tablet at its annual Google I/O event.
As the name suggests, the device has a 7-inch screen, with a resolution of 1280×800, and will be powered by the Nvidia Tegra 3 processor with its 12-core GPU, coupled with 1GB RAM. The front of the device has a layer of Corning FIT glass, while the display itself features Asus “TruVivid” technology. The display is an IPS display with 178-degree viewing angle. It has a 1.2MP front facing camera and boasts of NFC. The device weighs 340gms and houses a 4325mAh battery. Google claims that the device will last for up to 9 hours of video playback and 300 hours of standby time.
The device will run on Google’s latest operating system, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The look and feel of the OS is the same as Android 4.0 ICS, but there are many incremental upgrades to the OS.
YouTube has been completely redesigned for the tablet. Google Maps too has been optimized with new information overlays giving you more out of the maps app. The information provided includes traffic details, train information and some news. Google also showed off the gaming capabilities of the device by unveiling Horn, a good-looking 3D game, and Madfinger’s zombie shooter Dead Trigger.
Users prayers have finally been answered and the Nexus 7 tablet will ship with Chrome as the standard browser.
The Nexus 7 tablet is priced at $199 (Rs. 11,339 approx.) for the 8GB variant and $249 (Rs. 14,188) for the 16GB variant. The device can be preordered today and will ship in mid July in the US. No official India launch date or price has been announced.
If there is one device that the Google Nexus 7 tablet can take on is the Kindle Fire. The Nexus 7 cannot only act as an eBook reader and a multimedia device but gives access to a plethora of apps to users via the Google Play store.
Google also introduced Nexus Q, a social streaming and entertainment device that reportedly has been completely designed, and manufactured in the U.S. A sphere-like device, the Nexus Q runs on the Galaxy Nexus’ dual-core processor, and connects to the Google Play store.
The Nexus Q comes with 16GB of built-in storage, and will allow users to push Android content from the Google Play store, apart from YouTube content, to their home TV and speakers. It supports Wi-Fi, Ethernet, micro-HDMI, optical audio, USB, Bluetooth, and NFC connectivity. It can also be controlled via your Android handset. As for the social streaming aspect, Google says the Nexus Q will allow friends to add videos and songs to the user’s Q device, and push their content to the top of the playlist.
Google’s Nexus Q also features 32 LED lights that respond to the content being played by blinking, and changing colour. The entire top of the sphere-like device is a volume control, while a capacitive touch button is present for easy muting.
The Nexus Q is currently available for pre-order on the Google Play store for $299, but for now though, is only available for the U.S.
Enjoy videos of the Nexus 7 and Nexus Q below: