Google Nexus 7″ Tablet Now Released – Live Details and Video
As reported yesterday, the highly anticipated launch of Google’s first tablet has now occurred.
Shipping in July from $199 is Google’s Nexus 7 Tablet, in conjunction with Asus, here are all the final specs and initial impressions.
Size: 7″
Display: 1280×800 IPS Display with Corning glass protection
CPU: Tegra 3 Quad Core
GPU: GeForce 12-Core GPU
RAM: 1GB RAM
MEMORY: 8 or 16GB on board memory
OTHER: NFC Support, 9 hour battery life, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, 1.2MP Front facing camera
As you can see, Google have not gone for all out dominance with the spec list on their first foray into Tablet hardware, but instead are concentrating on the hotter end of town. The Kindle Fire end of town more predominantly.
Google want a Tablet in every house hold and within reach of all who may find the $450 – $800 price range just too out of reach for the average Uni Student, Housewife or School Kids.
What you are getting is a solidly built, light and fast (seriously fast) tablet with a great screen and excellent graphics capabilities what with its 12 Core GeForce GPU and Quad Core CPU and all.
Here is some hands on feedback from the team at Engadget:
” The tablet feels good in the hand. It’s a bit on the chunky side — 10.45mm thick — just fractionally thinner than the Fire but, at 340g in weight, noticeably lighter than the 400+ gram tablet from Amazon. The biggest difference between the two, however, is the screen quality.
That IPS panel looks great from all angles, showing good brightness and good contrast even in a brightly lit room. We’ll need some more time to see how that compares to other competing 7-inchers, but it’s certainly a screen that is aiming higher than its price point.
Performance too is aiming high, not besting the latest of superphones like the Galaxy S III or the HTC One X when doing things like launching apps or panning around websites, but still very quick and very responsive to most tasks — much more so than the Fire in most cases.”
Google Australia have advised the 8GB model will sell locally for AUD$249 ($50 more than US), however Aussie purchasers will receive a AUD$25 voucher for the Google Play store upon purchase. This is a nice move as it gives real value back to the end user to get loaded up on a heap of games or books right away. Great to put a few away for Christmas presents we would dare suggest!
Google’s First Tablet – The “Nexus” Tablet Revealed
As reported earlier by the team at Gizmodo Australia, this is the widely rumoured Google Nexus Tablet.
A highly reported and anticipated product, as it marks the first time Google have put their name to a tablet, following in the name sake of the Nexus family of Google branded mobile phones.
It is also an important step for the online Giant to be putting its name to Hardware as aswell as Software, a move towards integration of the two Worlds as we are also seeing from Microsoft with the Surface tablet and of course Apple.
Pricing is expected to be at the USD$199 price point for the 8GB version and possibly around the USD$250 price point for a 16GB model.
Full specifications and pricing will be detailed at Google I/O 2012 running from June 27th to 29th in San Francisco.
Here is what we do know so far though, courtesy of some leaked benchmarking screenshots:
We are anticipating the Nexus Tablet to be the World’s first launch of the new Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system which combined with the Quad Core Tegra 3 processor and A9 GPU, will be a real screamer.
The tablet is also anticipated initially to launch in wifi only models, with 3G or LTE variants coming online later in the product’s lifespan.
Certainly we are anticipating this to be a landmark release for Google, and also Asus who will be the manufacturing partner.
We will bring you more up to date news on the release once confirmed at I/O in the next day or two.
Flipboard For Android Officially Released
The long awaited flipping news reader made famous on the iPlatform and first released on the Galaxy SIII, is now available to one and all right from the Play Store.
It doesn’t seem all that long ago the App was calling for Beta Testers, but no more Beta testing, we are now Gold and Live!
Flipboard has to be the most eagerly awaited App release on Android and is a gorgeous and stylish way to read your favourite news and Social Media sites on your phone or tablet.
So what are you waiting for, get downloading or hit the scan below.
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Leaked Prior to I/O 2012
Well there you have it, straight from the, err, Android’s mouth! As snapped by an avid Android fan on Google’s very own hardware site is a Galaxy Nexus soon to be sporting Jelly Bean.
In typical Android fashion, the Galaxy Nexus will be the very first to don the latest clothes from Google (still makes us want a Nexus dammit!).
One thing that is a little odd though, is that Google have not made an entire version jump with Jelly Bean. One would have expected Jelly Bean to be Android 4.0, as in previous iterations of the popular mobile OS.
Although, Eclair was 2.0 and Froyo 2.1 and Gingerbread 2.3. It wasn’t until Honeycomb (tablet only) that Android made the jump to 3.0 then Ice Cream Sandwich saw the leap to 4.0.
Details are not yet clear of what to expect from Jelly Bean as leaks have been pretty well contained this time round, however we don’t have long to go as we would anticipate Jelly Bean to be released at Google I/O 2012, this time next week!
There have also been suggestions that Google I/O could also see the launch of the Android/ Google Vanilla tablet codenamed Nexus Tablet. Nexus is widely rumoured to be a Vanilla Jelly Bean 7″ Tablet, manufactured by Asus.
And don’t forget, the only way to follow all the very latest news from Google I/O 2012 is with its very own app, available from the Play Store, or scan below.
Source: Ausdroid, Redmond Pie, Google I/O
Never Miss Your Favourite Shows With IceTV For Android
Don’t you hate that sinking feeling, when you’ve just left town for the weekend and you realise you forgot to program your DVR to record your favourite movie or sporting event?
What do you? Turn around, call a friend? No, if you have Ice TV, simply pull your Android out of your pocket and schedule the recording there and then. It couldn’t be simpler.
Filling a real niche in the market, Australian EPG (Electronic Program Guide) Specialists Ice TV have been at the very forefront of the technology since its inception in digital set top boxes some 6 or so years ago.
Well before the days of Freeview, you could hook your Beyonwiz, Topfield or other brand DVR up to an Ice TV subscription and receive full EPG data to your recorder, which allowed you to schedule recordings in advance as well as receive in depth information on your upcoming shows.
A couple of years ago, Ice TV took the service a step further and allowed Subscribers to log in via the Interwebs to follow, track, edit and record their favourite series. What else to do on a lunch break than to pre-set your next month’s worth of TV… Before TiVo was cool (or ever), Ice TV allowed full series recording, allowing the control even of HD or SD channels, first runs, or repeats.
In the last 12 months or so, the service has been perfected for mobile, in particular, Android! The Ice TV app is available as a free download in the Google Play store and allows access to all your Recordings, upcoming 7 day EPG, and other information you can view on new TV shows as well as old favourites.
There is a plethora of information available via your Android, and from our own testing runs perfectly well on a simple 3G connection, on Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich, above screenshot was from our Samsung Galaxy SIII, but we also tested on an ICS Galaxy SII and Gingerbread and ICS Galaxy Note; as well as our Asus Transformer tablet. The tablet really is an ideal layout for reading all about your favourite shows.
So, if you love to be in control of your TV and not the other way around, best you scoot on across to Ice TV’s website and sign up for a free trial.
Your TV will thank you for it.
Facebook Opens App Store, Mobile Included
Facebook have finally taken the wraps off its long awaited App Store, and is ready with open arms for all web and mobile users to dive right in start clicking.
Accessible via your Web Browser at https://www.facebook.com/appcenter, you are greated with a familiar (to anyone who has used the Google Play Store or iTunes) layout of the most popular highest paying Apps at the top, then a long menu of Genres down the left hand side.
You can choose to then install your App on Web or Mobile, or Play the game live in your browser. You can also filter the lists to your Preference.
When browsing through Mobile Apps, choosing a new game for your phone is as easy as clicking on Send To Mobile
At which point in time a message appears on your mobile Facebook app, advising there is a new App available and it is then installed.
We have had the embarrassing occurrence a couple of times though where the App has only been available on iDevices only – woops!
The Facebook App Store has been in the works for some time, and is the first step in Facebook turning their immense mobile market into actual Commercial dollars and cents.
How long before we start seeing paid apps is anyone’s guess, but for now, go forth and discover, there are over 600 apps available right now!
Look for the dedicated app soon in the Play Store.
