Google Nexus 7

                                          Google Nexus 7

Google is officially in the tablet hardware business. Google is mere minutes away from kicking off its yearly I/O conference and perhaps the biggest news of the show, the announcement of the Nexus 7, was spoiled by the Google Play Store. Here is the Google/Asus Nexus 7 in all its glory.

Both 8GB and 16GB models pack a 7-inch 1280×800 HD display (216 ppi) back-lit IPS display covered in “Scratch-resistant Corning glass”. A Tegra 3 SoC powers Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) and Google promises the 4325 mAh battery should provide up to 8 hours of use. There’s NFC, GPS and a 1.2MP front-facing camera.

Contrary to the leak early today, ICS’s menu bar is still intact with a row of icons positioned above it. You can see Jelly Bean’s slightly tweaked interface in the video below.

Design
Yep, the Nexus 7 is yet another black tablet (unless you got one with a white back at Google I/O) in the long line of black tablets. Yet, it does its best to break from the cookie cutter mold of most slates. Chief among those efforts is a rubbery, leathery, grippy back texture, similar to what we saw on the Acer Iconia Tab A510, but with both "Nexus" and "Asus" embossed on it. It may not look like much, but the inclusion of this seemingly small bit of design panache makes the tablet one of the most comfortable I've ever held.

Then there's the bezel. Held in portrait, the right and left side bezels of the tablet are refreshingly thin, while the top and bottom are thicker than what I usually find on 7-inch tablets. While the thicker bezel design can be useful as a place to rest your thumbs while holding the tablet, they are a bit too thick for my tastes and make the tablet feel needlessly long.

Speaking of holding, the Nexus 7 is noticeably lighter than the Kindle Fire and thanks to its beveled bottom and painted silver trim, actually looks thinner. Or at least sleeker. There's definitely some kind of slimming illusion going on, as I wasn't the only one to think it much skinnier than the Kindle Fire. Turns out, it is thinner, but only by 0.04 inch.

Pricing is inline with the rumors. The 8GB will go for $199 with the 16GB hitting at $249. For a limited time, buyers will get $25 in Google Play store credit with the purchase. Google is taking pre-orders now with shipping expected in 2-3 weeks.

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