Hasta La Gadget!

A suspected glimpse of what was at first believed to be a brand new version of the Nexus 7 has instead been revealed to be a tablet made by ZTE. Inside a Google-made promotion for Google Maps exploring Central Park appeared a little-known 7-inch tablet that could very well have been Google’s next-generation handheld tablet. Just this morning, though, the truth has come out.

While the possibility of a new Nexus 7 – probably with a new name, mind you – is still in the mix for this summer season, the tablet in this video is actually a ZTE machine. The ZTE Optik is a black and grey 7-inch display-toting tablet working with Android 3.2 Honeycomb. It’s got a relatively large bezel, as you can see, and comes in at 7.63 inches tall by 4.72 inches wide, with a depth of 0.45 inches.

You’ll find this tablet appearing at right around 0:53 into the video.

In short – this device looked interesting enough to be used for this Google video spot, but it’s certainly a step down – or at least to the side – when compared to the current-generation ASUS-made Nexus 7. The Nexus 7 works with NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor while the ZTE Optik works with a single-core 1.2GHz processor, but the ZTE has a couple of cameras where the ASUS does not.

But here’s the good news, for those of you looking to find yourself a new Nexus tablet in the near future: rumor has it a reboot is on the way.

According to a report released earlier this month, a new iteration of the Nexus 7 is coming with a 1920 x 1200 display, the same NVIDIA processor as it has today, and – what else – Android 4.3, the newest iteration of Jelly Bean. Still no cameras though – you’ll have to rely on your smartphone for that.

BONUS: LG has mentioned that they are also making a mystery tablet as well – you never know!

PSA: Nexus 7 refresh “teased” by Google is actually made by ZTE is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Sundar Pichai has taken on quite the role expansion since he sat in the famed red chair during last year’s D10 conference here in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Back in March, he took over the Android duties from Andy Rubin, and led a significant portion of the keynote during this year’s Google I/O conference. Today, he’ll sit down with hosts Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg in order to discuss the future of Chrome, Android, apps and perhaps the universe as we know it. Join us after the break as we cover every… last… word.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Google

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As Computex approaches, so too do the teasers for devices like this action-figure representation of a device ASUS will be showing off. Here the proof is in the pudding as the letters N6-TE tie in with ASUS common past and the Android toy itself. It begins with the letter N and the toy has the most easily recognizable representation of a pen – this means the device will have a “note” functionality and more than likely a capacitive pen built-in.

As the ASUS FonePad we saw earlier this year (pictured below) worked with a Nexux 7 form factor and the ability to make telephone calls appeared, so did ASUS’ willingness to make said calls on multiple devices. This new N6 machine shows its ability to work as a telephone with the Android toy’s right arm – again, in as obvious a manner as possible showing that it works as a phone.

As this toy teaser is called DROID MARK II, there’s also the possibility that this machine is mean to be the FonePad II, bringing with it a 6-inch display rather than a 7 and, again, some writing abilities. This works well with not only ASUS drive to innovate with feature combinations not yet tried by the competition, but with their willingness to reveal such oddities overseas.

So expect such great combinations at Computex – the big ASUS event itself will be taking place in less than 4 days, starting on June 3rd at 3PM local Taiwan time. That’s 3AM Eastern time, so you’d better be willing to stay up late – or wake up early – on the 3rd, too.

SOURCE: ASUS

ASUS teases 6-inch “Note” Transformer tablet for Computex is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It wasn’t all that long ago that every month offered up yet another Android tablet for review. While Samsung is still producing plenty, the output of Google-powered slabs has generally slowed, replaced by a steady stream of Windows 8 / RT hardware often from the very same manufacturers that were once all about Android. Sony continues to be pretty discriminating with its launches, however: until now it’s released only three Google-powered tablets. The first was the Tablet S, followed by the clamshell Tablet P and the Xperia Tablet S, which improved on the original with a thinner build and improved specifications.

Then there’s this, the Xperia Tablet Z. It arrives with a completely new design, although it should be familiar to anyone who’s already seen Sony’s Xperia Z smartphone. It features the same “OmniBalance” look, uniform thickness and straight edges. The display’s resolution has been bumped up to 1,900 x 1,200, while the tablet runs Android 4.1.2 on a quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro, with 2GB and 16GB of built-in storage — all the while weighing in below 18 ounces (1.13 pounds). Like the Sony Xperia Z smartphone, there’s also water and dust protection, which makes it a relatively unique property in the tablet market. But priced at $499 and up against the iPad and the pin-sharp Nexus 10, is there enough here to protect itself against the tablet competition? Join us after the break to find out.

Filed under: Tablets, Sony

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OUYA is getting closer and closer to it’s public launch next month, and Android emulation service BlueStacks is looking to shake things up at the same time with their new GamePop portable gaming console. It’s a bit different than OUYA, as it uses a subscription for unlimited gameplay, but the price of the console itself is a bit more expensive than the OUYA.

BlueStacks announced that the GamePop console will cost $129, which is just a tad more than the OUYA’s $99 price tag. However, gamers will have to buy all of their games separately with the OUYA, whereas the GamePop will offer a $6.99-per-month subscription for an all-you-can-play buffet of Android titles.

Of course, pre-orders for the new console are ongoing, and from until the end of June, you’ll be able to get the console for free if you’re willing to lay down a full-year subscription on the service, which only costs $83.88. That’s certainly quite the deal if we do say so ourselves, and even though the console will cost more than the OUYA, the subscription model of the GamePop seems rather enticing.

BlueStacks also announced the addition of more games coming to their portable console from three new developers. They weren’t wordy as to what games would making their way to the GamePop, but they did say that these new titles just announced today would cost over $50 if you bought them in the Google Play store, and users will be getting them for free with their subscription.

BlueStacks has already managed to get a handful of popular mobile game developers to partner up with them, including Glu, Halfbrick, and Gameloft. It’s not said exactly how many games will be available at launch, as the team is still working on getting a final count, but it should give OUYA a run for its money. However, we’ll see if the game selection on the GamePop is worth the $6.99 monthly fee. That’s a low price to pay, but that definitely adds up after a couple of years.

VIA: The Next Web

BlueStacks GamePop misses OUYA’s competitive price point is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.