Google Nexus 7

At the Google I/O yesterday, as expected, there were a lot of new releases. One of those was the launch of Google Nexus 7 tablet. This is the first tablet being launched directly by Google. The Mountain View company partnered with hardware manufacturer, ASUS, to bring this inexpensive tablet. The tablet has very impressive hardware encased, especially considering the low price tags of $199 (8 GB) and $249 (16 GB).

Generally, the tablet is being placed as a strong competitor to the Kindle Fire. The Fire has a similar price tag but for out dated hardware. The hardware in the Nexus 7 includes a NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30L quad-core processor running at 1.2 GHz. That's the same processor being used in the high-end ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity priced at approximately $500! It has a 7-inch screen with 1280 x 800 IPS LCD, which gives it the ability to display crisp quality at wide angles.



Tim Stevens of Engadget got his hands on the Nexus 7 during the Google I/O and did a video review of the product.

The device, at initial glance, is so impressive that I started considering whether I should drop my initial plans of buying the ASUS Transformer Pad and instead go for the Nexus 7. The first drawback of the Nexus is its small size for a fully functional tablet. Another is the maximum storage capacity of 16 GB with no additional memory card slot. Although, the processor and the RAM in both devices are identical!

Therefore, if only it had more options in terms of storage and screen size, I would have seriously considered buying the Nexus 7 over the Transformer. For 16 GB storage, Nexus 7 is costing $249, while the same internal storage in Transformer is costing approximately $370. The Transformer has a 10.1" screen and also the option of a keyboard dock, converting it into a laptop.

For users considering getting a tablet for fun and convenience, the Nexus 7 would be a must-buy!