Google is reportedly planning to release the second generation of its 7-inch tablet – the Google Nexus 7 by July of this year according to reports from Reuters.

The Nexus 7 which was Google’s first entry to the now highly competitive tablet market has received mostly positive feedback from consumers thanks to its very capable Nvidia Tegra 3 chipset that packs a 1.2GHz quad-core Cortex A9 processor and ULP GeForce GPU. However, its most striking feature is its price.

The Nexus 7 was the result of the collaboration between Google and Asus. And unlike other Android tablets from Asus, Google’s influence on the Nexus 7 was not isolated on the software used by the tablet but rather the competitive pricing of the device.

Google was one of the few manufacturers who dared to challenge Apple’s iPad not only in terms of hardware specifications and software but also in the pricing category. With its $199 initial price it’s almost half the cost of an iPad mini of the same capacity and specs. So it’s very interesting how Google will follow this act.

For starters, reports suggest that the new Nexus 7 will ditch the Nvidia chipset in favor of a Qualcomm Snapdragon. Furthermore, the new tablet may also have a higher resolution display and a smaller bezel compared to its predecessor. And of course, in true Google fashion, the release of this new tablet may also coincide with a new Android version - Key Lime Pie.

In terms of pricing Reuters say the Google might choose to sell the new Nexus 7 for $199 at the same time giving a discount to the old model; or they might sell the tablet for around $149 which will effectively kick the old model out of the market. The next generation Nexus 7 is rumored for launch on July 2013.

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We all know that Asus was the company that made Google’s recent 7-inch tablet. The Nexus 7 was one of the first devices in the market that boasts considerable performance without the steep price. And Asus is at it again with a new tablet made for the extremely budget conscious.

The Nexus 7 is currently priced at around $200 and its younger brother, the Memo Pad is priced almost $50 lower. Of course the lower price tag meant it had to throw away some things in terms of performance though.

For starters, unlike the Nexus 7, the Memo Pad is not powered by a Tegra 3 chipset, but rather by a VIA WM8950 chip. Moreover, this device had to make do with a single core 1GHz processor instead of the Nexus’ quad-core Cortex A9 processor. Storage options have also been reduced from the minimum of 16GB to just 8GB.

It is also a few millimeters thicker than the Nexus 7 and its display has been downgraded to an ordinary LCD panel as opposed to the IPS display that the former has. Resolution has also been downgraded as the tablet has a native resolution of 600 x 1024 pixels with a pixel density of 170 ppi. The Corning Gorilla Glass panel is also most likely to be replaced by an ordinary glass panel and battery life is expected to be lower in capacity compared to the Google tablet.

On the other hand, some things that will remain the same would be its Wi-Fi capabilities, Bluetooth, Android Jelly Bean OS, accelerometer, microSD cardslot and its messaging and browser features.

The Memo Pad is expected to be released before the month ends or early to mid-February in the Philippines. 

Last week, Apple and Microsoft took center stage and announced their newest line of products. Apple made headlines last Tuesday when they introduced the iPad mini alongside the 4^th generation iPad, the new iMac, Mac Mini and the 13-inch MacBook Pro with retina display. A few days after, Microsoft stayed true to its promise and released the Microsoft Surface tablet and Windows 8 & Windows RT.

Google was supposed to hold a special Android event Today (October 29, 2011 – PST) in New York City, but was cancelled due to hurricane Sandy. But lo and behold, the power of a hurricane isn’t enough to stop Google from announcing their newest set of Nexus devices to compete head to head with what Apple and Microsoft unveiled last week.

Here is a quick rundown of the specs of each device starting with the Nexus 4, followed by the Nexus 10 and the upgraded Nexus 7.

LG NEXUS 4

The Nexus 4 will be manufactured by LG and is based on the LG Optimus G. It will feature a 4.7-inch True HD IPS Plus capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 768 x 1280 pixels, will have a pixel density of 318 pixels per inch, protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 2.

The phone’s internal memory is set at 8GB or 16GB and there is no expansion card slot. In terms of connectivity, it will have speeds of up to 21 Mbps (HSDPA), Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP and support for NFC.

It will have a rear 8MP camera capable of capturing images with a maximum resolution of 3624x2448 pixels and will have autofocus, touch focus, geo-tagging, face detection, photoshere and LED flash. The phone will be powered by a 1.5Ghz Quad-core Krait processor – Qualcomm’s APQ8064 Snapdragon chipset with Adreno 320 GPU and will run on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

The Nexus 4 will also have an accelerometer, gyro sensor, proximity sensor, compass and barometer. It will also have A-GPS with GLONASS support, HTML 5 support for the browser and active noise cancellation with dedicated microphone. This device will be in direct competition with Apple’s iPhone 5 and other Microsoft Windows Phone 8 devices like the HTC 8X and the Samsung Ativ S.

SAMSUNG GALAXY NEXUS 10

Created by Samsung for Google, the Nexus 10 will directly compete with the 4^th generation iPad and the slew of Windows 8 tablets. It is expected to be available by November 2012 and will sport as the name implies a 10.1-inch Super PLS TFT capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 2500x1600 pixels, will have a pixel density of 299 pixels per inch and will be protected by a Gorilla Glass panel.

Just like the Nexus 4, this device will not support card expansions and will have an onboard internal storage of either 16GB or 32GB. It will have of course support for Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n with Wi-Fi direct, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, USB 2.0 and NFC.

There’s a 5MP camera at the back capable of capturing images with a maximum resolution of 2592x1936 pixels. The camera also features geo-tagging, touch focus, autofocus, face detection and a LED flash. There’s a 2MP front facing camera for video conferencing and the back camera can capture videos at 1080 pixels at 30 fps.

This tablet will run Android 4.2 Jelly bean and will be powered by a 1.7Ghz Cortex A15 Dual-core processor – Exynos 5250 chipset and Mali-T604 GPU. Sensors available on the tablet include an accelerometer, a gyro sensor, a proximity sensor and a compass.

NEXUS 7 HSPA+

Google also unveiled an upgraded version of the Nexus 7 tablet. This time the device will have additional connectivity options, HSPA+ connection to be specific. Specs-wise this new version of the Nexus 7 will share almost identical features as the original Nexus 7, namely: the 7-inch IPS LCD capacitive display, Nvidia Tegra 3 chipset with the 1.3 Ghz Quad-core Cortex-A9 processor and ULP GeForce GPU.

Google has also announced that they will be slashing the prices of the existing Nexus 7 tablets with the 32GB version now at $249 and the 16GB version at $199 while the 32GB HSPA+ version will retail for $299 once it’s released next month.

So, which Nexus device caught your eye? Tell us by leaving a comment below. You can also add us up on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google Plus or subscribe to our blog for more Filipino lifestyle stories about gadgets, technology, fashion, travel and food.

Hello everyone. The tech world is once again buzzing with news tidbits, rumours and leakages especially now that the big three are preparing their respective events for this month to announce their latest goodies just in time for thanksgiving and of course cyber Monday. So in this week’s edition of Tech Tuesdays on TFL, we’ll be talking about the big three – Apple, Microsoft and Google and the events that they will be hosting in the coming days.

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HOST: Apple

DATE: October 23, 2012

VENUE: California Theatre, San Jose, California

What to Expect: Apple’s event tomorrow will likely feature the announcement of either the 13-inch MacBook Pro with retina display or the iPad mini which most people would probably expect. For several weeks now, numerous rumours and leaked images of parts and components of the alleged iPad mini has surfaced on the Internet which made the announcement of the device even more sensational.

Based on reports, the iPad mini will have a 7.85-inch screen, 3G and 4G cellular connectivity, at least 8GB of internal storage, a lightning connector, a battery rated at 4490mAh and will run iOS6. Prices are expected to start at $320.

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HOST: Microsoft

DATE: October 26, 2012

VENUE: New York City

What to Expect: Microsoft has sent out invites for its October 26 event in NYC where it will be officially announcing the launch of Windows 8 and probably Windows RT. The launch was already announced back in September by Microsoft’s Head of Windows Steven Sinofsky.

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HOST: Google

DATE: October 29, 2012

VENUE: New York City

What to Expect: Google is expected to announce the much anticipated next generation Nexus phone created by LG. Dubbed as the Nexus 4, the device is based on LG’s Optimus G and will feature a 4.75-inch IPS+ panel, a 1.5GHz quadcore processor – Qualcomm’s APQ8064 Snapdragon chip with at least 2GB of RAM. It will also most likely run on Android 4.2 which was first believed to be called Key Lime Pie.

Aside from the Nexus 4, Google is also expected to announce two new version of the Nexus 7, including the previously leaked 32GB version with 3G HSPA+.

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So are you excited with these events? If you are, then you’re definitely not alone. Which device are you most excited about? Tell us by leaving a comment below. You can also hit us up on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google Plus or better yet, subscribe to our blog for more Filipino Lifestyle stories.

Google once again made headlines last week when they opened their developer conference – Google I/O. The conference became the venue where Google announced their latest updates and releases them to the tech hungry public. The news that the conference ushered in was so overwhelming that tech blogs and sites were still talking about the highlights of the event days after it ended. In fact, I decided to split this week’s Tech Tuesdays episode to accommodate all things related to the event.

In the first part of this week’s edition of Tech Tuesdays, we’ll be having a recap on what transpired in San Francisco. So if you’re ready, then let’s begin.

Google Nexus Q

Google is expanding its Nexus line to not only include smartphones and tablets. They will now be offering a cloud based media player known as the Nexus Q.

The Nexus Q is a cloud-connect jukebox that allows users to stream multimedia content such as music and videos using Google play’s music app. The device allows for multiple users to create playlists from different Android devices by queuing them up in Google’s cloud service.

Priced at $299, the Nexus Q features a micro HDMI port, NFC, micro USB, Bluetooth and of course Wi-Fi connectivity. It weighs around two pounds  and will be shipped in mid-July.

Android Jelly Bean

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean went official in Google I/O. Unlike previous Android releases, Jelly Bean will only come as an update to ICS powered smartphones as it is supposed to be just a more polished version of Ice cream sandwich.

Some of the improvements that Jelly bean brings in to Android devices include a smoother and faster UI courtesy of Project Butter, improved notification center with expandable and actionable notifications, improved keyboard behaviour, offline voice recognition and typing, an improved Google Voice search functionality and an updated Google search user interface.

It also brings about new features like USB audio output and HDMI multichannel audio output and the very useful Google Now which automatically adds information feeds to your device like weather information, traffic news, sports features and the like by remembering pages that you visit and apps that you use.

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be the first and only smartphone as of the moment that will pack the latest release of Android while the only other device that will get JB as standard would be the Nexus 7 tablet. OTAs on the other hand will be made available to Motorola Xoom and Galaxy S owners come mid-July.

Google Glasses (Project Glass)

Another announcement that was made in Google I/O was that for Google glasses. Announced by one of the company’s co-founder – Sergey Brin, Google Glasses was first introduced back in April through a YouTube video. By using the reality-enhanced glasses, users will be able to record video, get weather updates and view messages from your friends to name a few.

Google was quite mum on the release date for project glasses, but Brin announced last Wednesday that the company plans to bring the technology to consumers by 2014. Developers will get to experience the glasses in advance as the Explorer edition of Google Glasses will be made available to them in 2013 at a whopping $1,500 each.

Google Nexus 7

The biggest newsmaker in Google’s arsenal for I/O would probably be the Nexus 7 tablet.

The company’s Nexus branded tablet will be made by Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Asus. It will come in either an 8GB or 16GB version, will feature a 7-inch back-lit IPS display with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels protected by a scratch-resistant Gorilla glass display, a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, a 1.2MP front-facing camera, NFC technology and a 4325mAh battery.

The best thing about the Nexus 7 is probably the price. Pricing starts at $199 for the 8GB version while the 16GB version is priced at $249. Google is already taking pre-orders of the Nexus 7 and will soon ship the tablet in the coming weeks.

And that’s Google I/O in a nutshell. For tech news not (totally) related to Google and its developer conference, stay tuned for part 2 of this week’s Tech Tuesdays