Hasta La Gadget!

Google has demonstrated some of the high-performance games owners of the new Nexus 7 tablet will be able to enjoy, as well as a new version of Currents, the company’s news app. Currents has been updated specially to suit the Nexus 7 slate, complete with page formatting to suit the 7-inch screen together with instant translation.

As for the games, Google played titles Horn and Dead Trigger on the big Google IO screen, demonstrating the capabilities of the Tegra 3. That includes the sort of graphics you might usually expect to find on a regular console or PS Vita.

We’ve already seen those Tegra 3 abilities on other Android tablets, but Google is particularly pushing the Nexus 7 as a content consumption device. The tablet’s HDMI output means that you may be able to replace your PS3 or Xbox 360 by hooking the slate up direct to your TV.

More on the Google Nexus 7 here.

Google demos Currents for Nexus 7 plus Horn and Dead Trigger is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week the Nexus 7 tablet from Google has been revealed as coming at an amazing $199 including a release date of Mid-July and availability for purchase starting today. This device has a 7-inch HD display, brings on no less than the ultra-powerful NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, and is the first device that will get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. This tablet will likely be shown off later today for participants at Google I/O.

This device was revealed this week to the throngs of users working at and enjoying the 2012 edition of Google I/O in California. Have a peek at our I/O 2012 portal to make sure you’ve got all of the information we’re dropping all week long. Also have a peek at the timeline and gallery above and below to see everything there is to see on Jelly Bean as well as the Nexus 7 too!

Nexus 7 priced and dated is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Here’s an interesting little tidbit from the Nexus 7 reveal: the tablet will be the first device that will ship with the Google’s Chrome as the standard browser. It will replace the default Android browser, so it looks like Google is finally going to throw some weight behind the mobile browser on future devices. It does raise an interesting question though: does that mean Google is going to ignore Flash content completely?

Naturally, you’ll still be able to download other browsers that do support Flash, but currently Chrome has no Flash support. Instead, the browser relies on HTML5 support for video playback. The company didn’t confirm if Chrome would be the default browser on Jelly Bean for all devices or for other devices going forward, but it’s an interesting change nonetheless.

The Nexus 7 features a 1280×800 IPS display, a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8 or 16GB of storage, a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera, Bluetooth, WiFi b/g/n, and NFC. Google say the tablet is good for up to 9 hours of HD video playback, with the 8GB version costing $199 and the 16GB version prced at $249. The tablet should ship for delivery in mid-July.

Google Nexus 7 runs Chrome as default browser, shuns Flash is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’ve seen Google take Maps indoors, with interior schematics and even photos, but the Nexus 7 tablet brings a new twist to that familiar nav experience with 360-degree venue photos. Engineering Director Chris Yerga demonstrated the new feature within a local San Francisco bar called District, moving the device to show us how the compass and gyroscope work to provide 360-degree views based on your current direction and angle — it’s a pretty slick effect. There’s also offline map viewing that expands the Google Labs map caching to include entire cities, which should definitely come in handy for navigating beyond your comfort zone (and mobile coverage area). Naturally, there’s also an updated YouTube app, letting you take full advantage of that 7-inch display with video preview grids and HD playback, with a familiar Play store-like interface. Stay tuned for a closer look at these apps and more in our Nexus 7 hands-on.

Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012’s opening keynote at our event hub!

Continue reading Google modifies Maps, YouTube for Nexus 7 tablet (video)

Google modifies Maps, YouTube for Nexus 7 tablet (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 13:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google has been detailing its next-gen Android 4.1 Jelly Bean platform at the I/O keynote today. But when can we expect this latest update to arrive? The company has announced that Jelly Bean will be arriving on the Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus, and Motorola XOOM in mid-July with the SDK available to developers starting today.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is expected to bring a smoother, faster, and more delightful user experience through Project Butter, which involves implementing VSync, triple buffering, and touch responsiveness.

Jelly Bean will also bring new NFC and notifications features as well as an app called Google Now that helps plan your event and activities. Whether its setting an appointment, planning your flight, bus route, or checking sports scores, Google Now will automatically give you the information you need.

For more details on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, be sure to check out our posts for Google I/O 2012 and look out for our event wrap-up.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean available in July, SDK today is written by Rue Liu & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.