Nexus 7, the tablet made by Google in partnership with Asus, will launch in India in October this year. The 7-inch tablet is first Nexus branded tablet and hence runs Google's unmodifiedAndroid operating software. It was announced at Google I/O on June 27.
The model with 8GB internal storage is priced at $199. It will be available in the US and three other countries in the coming weeks. The one with 16GB has been priced at $249.
The Nexus 7 announced by Google is powered by a quad-core 1.3Ghz processor. It has 1GB RAM and a 1.2MP front camera. The device runs on Jelly Bean, the latest version of Android that was also announced at Google I/O.
Many companies, including Samsung and Asus, are selling Android tablets since the beginning of 2011 but they have not made much headway against iPad, which continues to be wildly popular with consumers. Google hopes that with its own tablet, it will be able to entice consumers better. Also, the company believes that the Nexus tablet in the market will prompt app developers to write more tablet-specific apps for Android.
Nexus devices are Google branded products. Unlike a customized users interface that Samsung and HTC put in their Android devices, Nexus devices are powered by 'pure' Android and receive updates as soon as Google pushes them out. This makes these devices particularly attractive to power users, who don't want to wait to get latest software updates.
Even though Nexus products are considered to be Google's own devices, their launch is handled by the hardware partner. This means that Google has little say in whether a Nexus product will get launched in India or not. For example, Galaxy Nexus, which is Google's flagship phone, has not been launched in India by Samsung even though it went on sale in several countries last year.
With Nexus 7, Google is not only attempting to take on the iPad but also aiming for Kindle Fire, a 7-inch tablet made by Amazon. In India, Kindle Fire is not sold officially. But there are other 7-inch tablets that may feel the heat once Google's tablet hits the market here.
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