After smartphones like the Nexus One, Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus, the search engine giant has dived into the tablet market with the Google Nexus 7. And needless to say, this flagship device from the company also marks the debut of v4.1 of the Android platform, dubbed Jelly Bean.
As the name suggests, the slate offers a multi-touch real estate of 7 inches that renders clear visuals in HD 1280 x 800p resolutions. As was speculated, the device acquires multitasking properties from the quad core Nvidia Tegra 3 chipset and employs a 12-core GPU under the hood. This should ensure a decent graphics performance, faster navigation and even better gaming on the move.
At 340 grams, the Google Nexus 7 tablet claims to be lighter than most others flooding the market. Its front panel sports a webcam, allowing users to engage in video conferencing over the internet. Moreover, the slab is also pre-loaded with songs, eBooks as well as movies and comes with $25 credit, allowing users to purchase content from the Play store for a limited time.
“Nexus 7 with Tegra 3 delivers a premium experience at a price consumers will absolutely love. We’re thrilled to work with Google as they create an innovative device that redefines the tablet market with quad-core performance, great battery life and the best of Google,†stated Michael Rayfield, general manager of the Mobile business at Nvidia.
The Jelly Bean platform that is built on top of Ice Cream Sandwich, features an even more intuitive interface and Voice Search and allows users to make calls or send emails directly from notifications. Additionally, the company has also introduced Nexus Q, a device which can be plugged into speakers and TVs to stream music. Users can control it using an Android smartphone or tablet.
The Google Nexus 7 price and release date have been announced. It is currently up for pre-order for $199 (approx. Rs. 11,300) through Google Play in countries like the US, Canada, the UK and Australia. The Nexus Q can be pre-ordered in the US for $299 (approx. Rs. 16,990). Both devices will start shipping in the US in mid-July.
