The reveals from Google I/O just keep rolling out. Google has now announced its least-kept secret product announcement of the conference: the Nexus 7 tablet.
The tablet has a screen that is 7-inches diagonally, the exact same size to a Kindle Fire. The screen resolution, though, is 1280 x 800, slightly higher than the Fire’s 1024 x 600. It weighs slightly less than the Fire at 340 grams (11.99 oz). Nexus 7 will be running on a Tegra 3 quad-core processor and features a 12-core GPU. It has all of the standard features that modern tablets should have, including a front-facing camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC support. Google also claims that the battery in the device will provide up to 9 hours of video playback and 300 hours of standby time.
The device will come already running Google’s new mobile OS, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The catchphrase of Google’s announcement of the device is that Nexus 7 is “built for Google Play.” The tablet interface highlights content foremost, with surprising integration such as Google Translation inside of some news reader apps. Nexus 7 is also the first device that will ship with Mobile Chrome as the standard browser.
The Nexus 7 will be priced at $199. Again, this is the same price as Amazon’s Kindle Fire, which is undoubtedly the device that Google hopes the Nexus 7 will compete with. Purchasing Google’s new tablet will provide users with a $25 credit for Google Play, a digital copy of “Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon,” movie, an eBook copy of the latest Jason Bourne novel, and some Conde Nast magazine subscriptions.
The Nexus 7 is now available for pre-order through Google Play starting today, and will ship sometime in mid-July.
