Slashdot Mirror


Google's Own Nexus Tablet Leaks Into the Wild

lukehopewell1 writes "Days out from Google's I/O conference, training documents have been issued to resellers all over the world detailing Google's new Nexus tablet. It's a 7-inch device with an optimized Tegra 3 chip inside and it's going to be the first device to run Jelly Bean, the new version of Android, that, among other notable features, will see Google manage device updates. The device will be priced at $US199 and is aimed as a direct competitor to Amazon's Kindle Fire."

6 of 224 comments (clear)

  1. Sad... by mystikkman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Sad that even Google is afraid to take on the iPad in it's territory. Almost all the 10" Android tablets have seen dismal sales, HP Touchpad was sold in a firesale,
    Playbook's having a tough time and Amazon and Google are forced to play in the sub $200 territory. All of these devices are oriented towards only consumption. Maybe Microsoft Surface will get traction by doubling as a device that you can actually do some light work on, but lets see what price it launches at.

    1. Re:Sad... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      All tablets are "oriented towards consumption". You have neither a keyboard nor even a stylus; you have all the input capabilities of a kindergartner's finger-painting. The iPad is not an exception to this, despite the sweet-ass picture you made in that game of Draw Something.

      Most people are more or less okay with this and know what they're getting into when they buy the thing. When I buy a hamburger, I don't complain that it isn't steak.

    2. Re:Sad... by TummyX · · Score: 4, Insightful

      When I buy a hamburger, I don't complain that it isn't steak.

      Exactly. When you buy a bicycle, don't complain it doesn't have A/C and triple exhaust!

      People who won't buy a tablet until it has a keyboard don't actually realise what they want is a normal notebook because they can't envision the use-case for a tablet (at least until they own a decent one).

    3. Re:Sad... by tripleevenfall · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I don't think it is an issue of capability. You can watch movies on all these things. You can check email and surf and post on twitter.

      The problem is that there is no innovation going on here on the Android side. The Android devices all are trying to be "Well it's no an iWhatever, but it's good enough and it's a bit cheaper". Where is the 10" screen tablet at a similar price point and hardware specs? That's really all it would take, and yet we still have none.

      Now a few years later we have moved on from "meh" copies of Apple to trying to copy Amazon? This doesn't make any sense to me.

      People want an iPad with Android on it. That's all. It's really just that simple. Why shuffle the deck chairs? Give people what they want.

    4. Re:Sad... by blind+biker · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Most awesome typo ever.

      It wasn't a typo.

      In other words: wooosh!

      --
      "The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
    5. Re:Sad... by nahdude812 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The problem is that there is no innovation going on here on the Android side. The Android devices all are trying to be "Well it's no an iWhatever, but it's good enough and it's a bit cheaper".

      I'm curious what you think innovation looks like. There's a dozen form factors with focus on various improvements such as better cameras, brighter screens, longer battery life, better performance, lower prices, detachable physical keyboards with their own supplemental battery supply, SD and MicroSD card slots, USB ports, dongle-less micro HDMI ports, and more.

      Where is the 10" screen tablet at a similar price point and hardware specs? That's really all it would take, and yet we still have none.

      Wait, so "innovation" in your mind is "the same thing only different"? That's not innovation, that's knockoff-ism. And you're not looking very hard if you haven't found an Android tablet that offers similar specs. Transformer Prime is the same price point, with added features, better battery life, better performance, thinner, lighter, and some interesting other bonuses. Also the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is so much the same thing that Apple has been suing Samsung over it.

      People want an iPad with Android on it. That's all. It's really just that simple. Why shuffle the deck chairs? Give people what they want.

      And they have it several times over, plus other options that try less to be an iPad and do a commendable job of being their own thing, often for a lot cheaper.