Google Nexus tablet details and pricing leak, no surprises found
Google I/O is coming in a matter of days, and just last Friday I made predictions as to what we would see at the massive developer conference. The first thing on my list was the Asus/Google collaboration Nexus tablet, which has been rumored almost since Asus first showed off their MeMo tablet back at the 2011 Computex. Rumor has it that the original design was scrapped to make way for the Google Nexus tablet, and as you can see in the leaked image above that certainly appears to be the case.
In addition to the image above, Gizmodo Australia supposedly got their hands on a training document with more details about Google’s own tablet. Just as we expected, the base of the system will be a Tegra 3 SOC clocked at 1.3GHz, paired with 1GB of RAM and a 12-core GPU. The 7-inch IPS display is said to have an awesome 178 degree viewing angle, but the resolution is still only 1280 x 800, and there was no mention of AMOLED.
In terms of extras, the tablet should come with NFC for Google Wallet and Android Beam, as well as a 1.2MP front camera. Interestingly, there appears to be no rear camera, GPS was not mentioned, and neither was an SD card slot. The Nexus tablet certainly looks to have more features than something like the Kindle Fire, but it appears that some extras that would be found in perhaps one of Samsung’s tablets have been left out.
Of course, it is possible that leaving out the rear camera and other features was a cost cutting measure, as the 8GB version of this tablet is said to be priced at $199, with the 16GB version at $249. Compared to the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet, Google’s tablet has a lot to offer, but if you are willing to pay just a bit more then you can have a full featured Galaxy Tab with almost endless connectivity. Still, Google’s tablet will have the added advantage of the latest Android software, but that can only go so far.
As you may have noticed in my bio, I am planning to pick up whatever tablet Google releases as my next personal tablet. I have to say, after a year of waiting and few improvements, this modified Asus MeMo seems to have lost a bit of its charm. (In fact, I actually think that the original MeMo with the latest Android updates might have been a better bet.) Still, it does look like a fairly good tablet, and I will more than likely be picking one up as soon as I can after Google’s announcement.
[Gizmodo.au]
