Google Unveils Nexus 7 and Nexus Q: Its challengers to the iPad and Apple TV

The Nexus 7 – a much-rumored Google-branded tablet computer – finally came out of wraps at the company’s I/O developer conference in San Francisco on Wednesday. The 7-inch Nexus tablet runs on Google’s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS, which was also unveiled alongside the tablet at the same event.

Key Features:

Manufactured bin partnership with Taiwanese computer maker Asustek, the Google Nexus 7 comes equipped with a front-facing camera, a NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, a 12-core GPU, an accelerometer, an electronic gyro, dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth. In addition, the new tablet has support for near field technology (NFC), which lets users to make payment for purchases through their mobile phones. Google Play will pump some innovative apps and tools to make it easier for users to download television shows, movies and digital books.

Google has plans to release the Nexus 7 in July, with an affordable price tag of $199.

Google’s entry into the tablet arena had long been rumored. While Google’s Android OS runs on a great number of tablets from several different manufacturers, it had previously totally dependent on its manufacturing partners for the hardware. On the other hand, Google’s biggest rival Apple produces hardware as well as software for its iPad tablet on its own.

Google also introduced the world to a spherical entertainment device called the Nexus Q, which the Internet search giant dubbed as a social streaming device.

The $300 Nexus Q aims to challenge entertainment set-top boxes, such as Apple TV, Roku and Boxee. The $300 Nexus Q sit alongside the TV to allow users to access and play music and video purchased on a Google smartphone or tablet.

Commenting about the announcement of new Google products, Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey said, “They have to make people feel like it is a company that’s warm and inviting and lets you curl up with a book or watch TV.”

During the conference, Google executive Brin also announced that developers would be allowed soon to purchase a pair of the prototype its futuristic Google Glasses for $1,500, and added that the glasses would be made available to the general public in less than a year.

Read the review of Google Nexus 7 and its position vis-a-vis the Apple iPad and Kindle Fire here.