The Nexus 7 and Jelly Bean were easily the most notable announcements from Google I/O, last week. Immediately following their unveiling, we went hands-on with Google’s first tablet, but that wasn’t enough and was more of a teaser. While our full review is still a day or two away, we wanted to bring a more in-depth look that we weren’t able to capture while at the conference. Through this walkthrough, we look not only at the device itself, but also a look at Jelly Bean in its tabletish-phone form.

We hope you enjoy. 

Overview:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Gallery:

Video: Google Nexus 7 Overview and Jelly Bean Walkthrough is a post from: Droid Life

You have had 3 days now to order the Google Nexus 7, did you? We have been using our units from I/O off and on, and are so far more than impressed. It feels like the perfect size, plus it has enough power to be the ultimate gaming machine thanks to that Tegra 3 processor inside. The screen is beautiful, Jelly Bean is beyond awesome, and the build quality makes it feel like something that should cost much more than $199.

Have you seen enough yet to dive in and make the purchase? Are you waiting for more reviews? Let us know.

Friday Poll: Did You Order a Nexus 7? is a post from: Droid Life

The Nexus 7 tablet is finally official and available now in the Google Play store. It’s $199 for the 8GB version, $249 for the 16GB version, and ships in mid-July. You can order now and be one of the first in the world to use Jelly Bean (Android 4.1).

It’s as you probably expected it to be on the spec front. The device is powered by a Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 7″ HD display, NFC, 1GB of RAM, and runs Jelly Bean. It looks like a solid option at that price.  

Click here to view the embedded video.

Play Link

Cheers to everyone who sent this!

Nexus 7 Tablet Unveiled – Starts at $199 for 8GB Model, Ships in July is a post from: Droid Life

Since specs leaked for Google’s Nexus 7 tablet last night, the storage situation has been brought up more times than we can count. Rumored to come in 8GB and 16GB models, many are wondering if the tablet will have a microSD card slot to expand those seemingly minimal amounts of space. The short answer – probably not. 

If you look back at the last few Nexus releases, you won’t find an SD card slot anywhere. The Nexus S didn’t have one, nor did the Galaxy Nexus. Why is that? The Android team has decided that this is the route they would like to go. Dan Morrill, an Android engineer, explained it when the G-Nex dropped, basically saying that they chose to have only internal storage because they wouldn’t have to partition anything off, leaving you with the full amount of storage to play with and a “better experience.” That doesn’t mean that Ice Cream Sandwich or other builds of Android don’t play nicely with expandable storage, but that for Nexus devices, Google has decided against it.

Whether you agree the logic of that being better or not is probably something we could debate for days, however, this seems to be the way things are. Toss in the fact that Google’s products in general function in the cloud and I’d say you better get used to storing things elsewhere. Oh, it also doesn’t sound like there will be a rear camera on the device, so you likely won’t be filling this sucker up with high-res photographs. There is a front camera for video chatting and that’s about it.

You can store your documents and work files in Drive, look at photos in Google+, listen to music through Google Music, and check your email through Gmail.

Nexus 7 Tablet, Will It Have a microSD Card Slot? Probably Not. is a post from: Droid Life

Is that a picture of the Google Nexus 7 tablet that will be unveiled this week at I/O? According to Gizmodo Australia, it is. They reportedly obtained all of the details of the device through a training document and are as follows:

• 7″ IPS display with 178 degree viewing angles (1280×800 resolution)
• 8GB and 16GB storage options, priced at $199 and $249
• 1.3GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor
• 1GB RAM
• Jelly Bean (Android 4.1)
• NFC with Google Wallet loaded
• 1.2MP front camera
• 9 hours of battery life

Sound about right? It certainly matches up to the handful of leaks we had already seen a number of times over the last couple of months. I am a bit surprised to see the $199 version at 8GB instead of 16GB, but to keep the price down, they had to make a cut somewhere. With so much cloud storage floating about, that really shouldn’t be that big of a deal. Who knows, maybe Google will toss in free Google Drive storage to those that purchase this new Nexus.

We will know it all in 3 days.

Via:  Gizmodo

Cheers Tyler!

Google’s Nexus 7 Tablet Details Leak in Full Only Days Before I/O? is a post from: Droid Life

According to the newest report out of DigiTimes, Google and Asus’ Nexus tablet has already begun its journey from the factories and is on its way to San Francisco for the official unveiling at this year’s Google I/O. Once it is shown off to all of the press and developers in attendance, the tablet is said to be ready for purchase shortly after in July. And yes, it is being reported that the price will be set at $199.

Due to the low price, Google has opted out of a back-facing camera, but the tablet will feature a front-facing shooter for video conferencing or whatever purpose you may need it for. It will remain WiFi-only and come pre-loaded with Google’s Chrome for Android browser.

Now that we are getting closer to launch and have a better sense of what this device will offer consumers, are you starting to become more excited for it? At that $199 price point, we definitely are.

Via: DigiTimes

Google’s Nexus Tablet Already Shipping, Will be Unveiled at I/O with Market Availability Beginning July is a post from: Droid Life

Is this the first publicly posted camera shot from the upcoming Google Nexus 7 tablet? It could be. According to EXIF data for the photo, the device is made by Asus and is certainly called “Nexus 7.” The legitimacy of the photo is also backed a bit by the fact that the photo appears to have been taken on Google’s campus and that the man responsible for it is friends with all sorts of Googlers. Yes, you could fake this stuff, but we have seen phones outed like this for years now.

Most of the tech world is fully expecting this device to be announced at Google I/O next week and then released shortly after at around $199. So far, we saw the Nexus 7 appear in a benchmark, cruise through the FCC, potentially show itself through leaked press images, and get the nod from an anonymous Asus rep.

Everyone ready?

Via:  Picasa | The Verge

Cheers Tio!

Nexus 7 Tablet Takes Photo, Posts It to Picasa for EXIF Viewing Fun is a post from: Droid Life

At this year’s Computex event, a representative of Asus confirmed the partnership with Google in creating a Nexus “7″ tablet that is to be ready for shipment by the end of this month. Further details such as Jelly Bean and the Tegra 3 were not confirmed, but with Google I/O taking place in the same time frame, it’s hard to see this as coincidence. This may not be official, but it is giving more cred to the previous rumors that mentioned the same thing.

Via: Android Authority

Cheers Ryan!

Anonymous Asus Rep Confirms Nexus 7 Tablet, Ready in Time for Google I/O is a post from: Droid Life

Is this the Nexus tablet that we will see at Google I/O this year? The 7″ tablet is said to have a Tegra 3 quad-core chip inside and will sell for reportedly under $250. The folks over at Phone Arena have come across some alleged press image drafts of the front and back of the unannounced tablet and a few rumors to whet our appetite until launch. 

The tablet will have an all-white front with a two-toned grey and black back piece. What looks even more interesting is the earpiece cut-out on the front of the tablet. The tipster to Phone Arena says that this tablet will launch with Android 4.1, which we have already heard is going to be named Jelly Bean. The way things are going, Android 4.1 is sounding like a feature-packed upgrade that isn’t a complete overhaul, similar to the jump from Android 2.0 to 2.1. Rumors are starting to get bigger and juicer. Do you like the styling in these images?

Via: Phone Arena

Rumored Press Images of Google’s Nexus 7 Tablet Leak, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Reported By Another Source is a post from: Droid Life

Ahh yes, the anticipation continues to build. After hearing rumors that Google and Asus’ “Nexus” tablet would be unveiled at Google I/O next month, our excitement started to bubble. Then yesterday, a device produced by Asus with the name Nexus 7 and running Jelly Bean popped up at a benchmark site causing that glee to turn into a steady simmer. This morning, an FCC filing for the Asus MeMo Pad 370T surfaced, which you may remember as the $249 CES device that started this all, causing this whole Nexus tablet saga to go full rolling boil.

I’d say that the stars are aligning quite nicely for Google and Asus to “wow” the world next month at I/O. Get your checkbooks ready.

Via:  FCC | Engadget

Asus MeMo 370T Stops by the FCC, Is This Our Nexus 7 Tablet? is a post from: Droid Life

We have essentially pencilled in a Nexus tablet debuting at Google I/O next month, but a benchmark that appeared over at Power Board today may have told us much more than we thought we knew. The Tegra 3 is there, but clocked at 1.3GHz. Asus is the manufacturer. The 768×1280 resolution simply screams 7″ display. The name of “Nexus 7” also fits that bill. But what else do we have? 

Apparently via the app or website, we get some extra details that this benchmark page won’t show you. The OS as “android,” the model name as “Nexus 7,” the hardware codename is “grouper,” the Android build is JRN51B with the “J” signaling Jelly Bean, and the numbering scheme has been updated to Android 4.1.

“os”:  {

“android”:  {

“model”:  “Nexus  7″,

“hardware”:  “grouper”,

“manufacturer”:  “asus”,

“device”:  “grouper”,

“brand”:  “google”,

“display”:  “nakasif-userdebug  4.1  JRN51B  359483  dev-keys”,

“version_sdk”:  “4.1″,

“board”:  “grouper”,

“version_code”:  “1″v

So why are we believing this random benchmark? Everything seems to line up. Sure it could be some incredible work by a troll, but most trolls aren’t this good. For those wondering, Google likes to name all of their phones as fish, such as “maguro” for the GSM Galaxy Nexus or “toro” for the LTE version. They also start Android builds with the first letter of the version of Android which we are seeing as a “J” here. For example, the new G-Nex ICS build is IMM76K for “Ice Cream Sandwich.”

Now we ask this – are you buying this bit of info? Did someone actually screw up and post an early benchmark that just outed Jelly Bean along with the Nexus 7 name? And seriously, is Jelly Bean really ready only 5 or so months after launch? With it being 4.1 and not 5.0, this would lead us to believe that JB is more of an incremental update and not such a massive change like ICS was.

Via:  Power Board | Android Police

Google’s Quad-core Tablet Outed as the “Nexus 7″ Via Benchmark? Runs Android 4.1 aka Jelly Bean is a post from: Droid Life

Today’s hottest topic has easily been the $199 Google tablet that will most likely be unveiled at Google I/O next month. We are expecting it to be built by Asus, powered by NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor, measure in at around 7″ on the display front, and be sold directly to customers through the Google Play store. It sounds like all sorts of win, however, we still want to know if the Android world is ready to take this step into the tablet realm.

While $199 sounds like an amazing price point, there are some things you need to understand. You have to assume that this won’t be anything close to the quality of an iPad or even Transformer Prime for that matter. NVIDIA has talked recently about their Project Kai which is a platform or package for companies to cheaply make semi-high end tablets using their quad-core processor. The catch here is that they will use cheaper RAM, probably less internal storage, and displays that are miles away from the new iPad’s retina to keep costs down, similarly to what Amazon did with the Kindle Fire.

Are you OK with that? I would assume that if you don’t already own an iPad or other high-end tablet that this is definitely an option. It will be stock Android, tied directly to Google for updates (not carriers), and at a price that will be tough to beat. Are you in or out?

We have kept the poll to a simple “Yes or no,” but we would love to hear your reasoning in the comments.

Thursday Poll: Will You Buy a $199 Google Branded Tablet? is a post from: Droid Life

The folks over at Techno Buffalo have learned from a “trusted source” that Google and Asus will in fact, be unveiling and distributing the new Nexus tablet at next month’s Google I/O. On top of that shocker, the tablet is reported to be running NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 chip, which would meet the Project Kai’s standards for creating tablets that maintain powerful performance while meeting a competitive price point. It’s beginning to look like everyone who was hoping this tab would sell for $200 at market will most likely have their dreams come true this summer.

To top it off, as reported from the source, the tablet is rumored to come with Google’s new Jelly Bean operating system which hasn’t even received too much mainstream attention in 2012, seeing as how most Android devices are still running Gingerbread. Google I/O is literally a month away, so the wait is finally coming to an end.

Via: Techno Buffalo

Google and Asus to Unveil Tegra 3 Powered Nexus Tablets at Google I/O? is a post from: Droid Life

According to the latest rumor out of DigiTimes, some higher-ups down the supply chain are outing Google and Asus to have about 600,000 tablets ship next month, with market availbility starting in July. Of course, Google or Asus won’t comment on such speculation, but this could actually pan out. At the end of next month, Google I/O will be taking place and that would be the perfect venue to launch such a device. At last year’s developer event, Google unveiled the special edition Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, which then went to market shortly thereafter. In the end, this is still a rumor and we’re going to have to remain patient. Fingers crossed.

Via: Pocket Now

Rumor: Google and Asus to Ship 600,000 Tablets Next Month? is a post from: Droid Life

The star of the show at this year’s CES was a 7″ tablet that NVIDIA and Asus partnered to create which would meet a price point of just $250. What made it so desirable is that while meeting such a competitive price, it didn’t sacrifice in the specs department. It had a low power consuming display and naturally, NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 3 chip powered the internals. 

According to a semi-recent announcement from NVIDIA’s VP, they have developed a platform called Kai which is not just hardware, but a platform at which other companies can accomplish the same thing. The goal is to be able to create a tablet more powerful than the Kindle Fire, but be sold at the same price. NVIDIA’s VP said this on the announcement of Kai:

Our strategy on Android is simply to enable quad-core tablets running Android Ice Cream Sandwich to be developed and brought out to market at the $199 price point, and the way we do that is a platform we’ve developed called Kai. So this uses a lot of the secret sauce that’s inside Tegra 3 to allow you to develop a tablet at a much lower cost, by using a lot of innovation that we’ve developed to reduce the power that’s used by the display and use lower cost components within the tablet.

With signs of Google looking to produce a tablet along the same price point and power, could the Nexus tablet be based on the Kai platform and maybe feature a Tegra 3? It’s a stretch, but it is starting to look like the Android tablet market is to become very exciting for consumers this summer.

Via: The Verge

NVIDIA Announces Kai Platform, the Basis for Building Quad-Core Tablets at $199 is a post from: Droid Life