Google Nexus 7: Underneath the hood of the newest (and biggest?) Android tablet

google Nexus 7

In relation to tablets, there’s the excessive-finish iPad and the mass-market Kindle Hearth  and then there’s every thing else. But Google thinks it has something particular: at its I/O builders conference, the company showed off its dwelling-grown google Nexus 7 tablet, a 7-inch, $199 tablet aimed pretty squarely on the Fireplace’s area of interest as a content material consumption device.

The Nexus 7 can be one of the first gadgets operating Android 4.1 “Jelly Bean,” which Google also showed off on the conference. New features embody voice-activated typing, notifications which can be truly informative (you'll be able to call or textual content somebody right from a notification, for example), and the nifty new Google Now service, which goals that can assist you out by planning your commute, suggesting restaurants, sending you meeting reminders, and the like.

What sets the Nexus 7 other than the Kindle Fireplace? It is not simply specs (extra on that in a second); it’s the tablet's integration with Google's suite of providers as well as the Google Play store. Google Play has grown significantly over the previous few months  now you can lease or purchase video (films and TV episodes or full seasons), music, and magazine issues or subscriptions, with prices that match other online media locations like Amazon or iTunes. And in addition to serving up content, the Nexus 7 also works seamlessly with Gmail, Gchat, and all the remainder of Google's services -- the Kindle Fire doesn't have that kind of integration. (In fairness, though, Amazon's retailer has a broader array of music and movies, though Google is working hard to broaden Play's offerings.)

The Nexus 7's specs are fairly spectacular for a $199 tablet, too. Constructed by hardware producer ASUS, it’s acquired an affordable 1280x800 HD screen, a 1.three-megapixel front-dealing with digicam, and 8GB or 16GB of onboard storage, all powered by a quad-core Tegra 3 processor. The true hardware surprise, although, is what’s pushing those pixels: Google opted to incorporate a hearty 12-core graphics processor, with the purpose of creating the Nexus 7 a succesful gaming device. At the demo on Wednesday afternoon, Google confirmed the tablet playing a graphically-intense action game referred to as Horn, as well as a shooter known as Dead Set off  attendees reported no hiccups.The Nexus 7's specs are fairly spectacular for a $199 tablet, too. Constructed by hardware producer ASUS, it’s acquired an affordable 1280x800 HD screen, a 1.three-megapixel front-dealing with digicam, and 8GB or 16GB of on board storage, all powered by a quad-core Tegra 3 processor. The true hardware surprise, although, is what’s pushing those pixels: Google opted to incorporate a hearty 12-core graphics processor, with the purpose of creating the Nexus 7 a successful gaming device. At the demo on Wednesday afternoon, Google confirmed the tablet playing a graphically-intense action game referred to as Horn, as well as a shooter known as Dead Set off  attendees reported no hiccups.

Google also showed off a version of Google Maps that’s been particularly updated for the Nexus 7. The brand new Maps contains 360-degree images of indoor venues, so you can scope out a bar or restaurant before you head out. Maps is built-in with the tablet’s compass and gyroscope, so you may rotate the machine to get a full view of the within of a building  a slick feature. Google has also made just a few other tablet-centric changes to Android 4.1 with the Nexus 7 in mind, including an HD YouTube app and smoother navigation by means of the OS.

What are your impressions of the Nexus 7? Just one other also-ran, or do you think this Android tablet has potential? Share your thoughts (or just inform us how nice your iPad is) within the feedback below.