Google announced its new Nexus 7 tablet today. The launch, by Android-Chrome chief Sundar Pichai, was one of the most anticipated Google events of the year, although the features of the new Nexus 7 had already been leaked online.
As reported by cnet.com:
“As expected, the new Nexus 7 is a 7-inch tablet running the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system. The 16GB Wi-Fi-only version will be available for $229.99, with a 32GB Wi-Fi-only model coming in at $269.99. A 32GB 4G LTE (unlocked) version will retail for $349.
“Among the key features are an HD screen (with 1,920×1,200-pixel resolution); front and rear cameras (1.2- and 5.0-megapixel, respectively); Bluetooth 4.0; a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor; 2GB of RAM; HDMI output; NFC; and an Adreno 320 GPU (the same one that’s graphics chip used in the Samsung Galaxy S4). There’s also support for dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and wireless charging using any Qi-compatible charger.”
The other news coming out of today’s event was Google Chromecast. Chromecast will be a small HDMI dongle that connects your devices to the TV. It is essentially Google’s answer to Apple’s Airplay, which is a feature of Apple TV.
According to techcrunch.com:
“The Chromecast is designed first to be a streaming device. It’s supposed to be the easiest way to get YouTube and Google Play and Netflix and Pandora and photos on HDTVs. Think Apple TV, but rather Google TV with another name (because, well, Google TV is already a thing).
“Chromecast is essentially Google’s answer to AirPlay. But it’s available on more than just one platform. It also features group playlists, continues playing the media back while the phone is doing other things, and even streams while the device is asleep. The big downside is that, as of right now, this feature requires the Chromecast device — it’s not available on countless devices like AirPlay. At least not yet.”
This is great news out of the Google camp as they ramp up the competition with Apple, making for some good ole ‘tech wars.’
It’s definitely another step toward the battle for the living room. Check out the video above to see the introduction of Nexus 7 and tell us what you think.
