Google Inc., owner of the world?s most popular search engine, today unveiled an updated version of its Nexus 7 tablet as it steps up efforts against rivals such as Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp.
The Nexus 7, which is being made in partnership with Taiwan?s Asustek Computer Inc., will be narrower and lighter with a sharper screen, said Hugo Barra, vice president of Android product management, at an event today in San Francisco.
?It?s a much more comfortable grip and fits easily into your purse or jacket pocket,? Barra said. For the screen, ?having a crisp and bright display makes all the difference,? he said.
Googls says the new line of Nexus tablets boasts a higher-definition 7-inch display screen and a processor that promises to be nearly as twice as fast. Dual stereo speakers have been added for richer sound, and the device?s battery duration has been extended by about an hour. The Nexus 7 will also be the first device to get the 4.3 version of its Android software.
Google, which first unveiled the Nexus 7 about a year ago, is improving its lineup of tablets as it struggles to parlay its success with smartphones to the larger devices. Tablet shipments, benefiting from consumer migration away from personal computers, are expected to grow 68% this year, outpacing a 4.3% increase for mobile phones, according to research firm Gartner Inc.
?Tablets are going to be part of the next era,? said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst with Gartner. ?It means eyeballs and it means accounts and it means knowing what the consumers are doing.?
Positive Reviews
The new Nexus 7, featuring a Qualcomm Inc? Snapdragon processor, on July 30 will be priced at US$229 for a basic version with 16 gigabytes of storage. The original year-old tablet started at US$199 for an 8 gigabyte version.
The announcement comes a week before its Motorola division is expected to unveil the Moto X smartphone in New York. The Moto X represents the first phone Motorola has developed since it was acquired by Google for US$12.5 billion in May 2012, and is central to relaunching the venerable brand into a highly competitive mobile market.
The Nexus received positive reviews last year for its sleek design and intuitive software. The device offers the best value among its rivals, CNet said in a review last year.
?With its excellent design, useful software features, and low starting price, the Nexus 7 is the cheapest way to experience the best that the Android? operating system has to offer, CNet said. ?The Nexus 7 is still the overall best small tablet.?
The Nexus 7 goes up against Apple?s iPad Mini, which is 7.9 inches, and Amazon.com?s Kindle Fire, which also has a 7 inch screen and uses a version of Android without highlighting Google?s own common services, including mapping and movies.
On Wednesday, Android and Chrome chief Sundar Pichai told reporters that, since its launch, the Nexus 7 line alone has accounted for greater than 10 percent of all Android tablets sold.
The company was on track to see 70 million total Android tablet activations in 2013, versus a pace of about 10 million at the end of 2012, he said.
Bloomberg.com, The Associated Press, Reuters
Source: http://business.financialpost.com/2013/07/24/google-inc-asus-nexus-7/
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