Courtesy MSNBC / Google(MSNBC) -- Just as Google's developer conference was getting started, details of
the company's rumored Nexus 7 tablet emerged. As previously reported,
it is a 7-inch tablet powered by a Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core
processor that will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and come in 8GB
($199) and 16GB versions ($249). You can order today, but it ships in
mid-July.
The display is true high-def — 1280x800, so a bit better
than 720p — and there's a front-facing 1.2-megapixel camera and
microphone for video chatting, though there's no rear-facing camera.
(That's okay -- do you really take pictures with tablets?) It also has a
micro USB port, GPS, near-field communication and both Wi-Fi and
Bluetooth. There's no mention of an SD card slot for expanding the
memory, however.
Not surprisingly, it was built by (and even
branded) Asus, the manufacturer that had already made the most headway
with quad-core gamer-friendly Android tablets. (See our video on the
Transformer Prime below.)
Clearly, at a starting price of $199,
the Nexus 7 is positioned to compete with the similarly 7-inch Kindle
Fire, rather than taking on the 9.7-inch iPad (and the 10.6-inch Surface
tablet from Microsoft). And because, with all of those tablets, content
seems to be the biggest incentive, Google is playing up the Play store,
even granting early buyers $25 in Google Play credit and "some great
free content" including "Transformers: Dark of the Moon." Even if you
don't think any of the "Transformers" films is truly "great," it is nice
to see Google aggressively pushing content, even adding TV shows and
magazines to their lineup. Tablet buyers need a reason to buy a tablet.
