Hasta La Gadget!

There are very few good, original movies these days. Most of what hits the silver screens are prequels as well as sequels of a particular franchise, and the audience continue to lap it up regardless. Well, I guess the same can be said of hardware, especially in the consumer electronics realm – narrowing it down to portable devices like smartphones and tablets. From the Samsung Galaxy S, we have seen it “grow” to end up at the Galaxy S4 at the moment, while the iPhone has ended up as the iPhone 5 till today, with whispers of an iPhone 5S or iPhone 6 on the way. The Asus-manufactured Nexus 7 tablet is no different, and it is all set to embrace a next generation model, simply known as the new Nexus 7.

Just what kind of hardware can you expect this sequel to carry? For starters, this 7” tablet is touted to boast of the highest resolution for a 7” tablet in the world – at 1,920 x 1,200 pixels on its 10-point touch IPS panel at 323ppi pixel density. Apart from that, a quad-core 1.5GHz S4 Pro Qualcomm processor would keep it chugging along nicely without any slowdown, where it is accompanied by an Adreno 320 GPU, 2GB RAM, and Android 4.3 Jelly Bean right out of the box. Should you wish to hook up the new Nexus 7, it can do so via NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11n connectivity, with the option of wireless charging capability thrown into the mix. In front lies a 1.2-megapixel shooter, while at the back there is a 5-megapixel camera.

Going on sale via Google’s online store in the US, expect the new Nexus 7 to hit other markets in due time. For those who were hoping that the next generation Nexus 7 tablets will arrive with the same price tags as before, you will be slightly disappointed. After all, better hardware does command a higher price point, does it not? Good thing Google and Asus have managed to keep overall costs relatively low still, where the 16GB model will retail for $229, which is $30 more expensive than its predecessor, but still a whole lot more affordable than the cheapest iPad mini. As for those who want to pick up the 32GB Nexus 7, you will have to fork out $269 for it.

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[ Nexus 7 tablet announced copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

We’ve been seeing a mysterious Android 4.1.2 update mentioned in conjunction with a few unreleased devices in the past few hours, so it’s only fitting that we’re seeing the official release today. Google’s Android Open Source Project lead Jean-Baptiste Queru has posted word that the 4.1.2 release should be available on Tuesday for at least those relying on pure AOSP builds of the mobile OS. While we haven’t seen the update reach our own devices yet, some Nexus 7 owners already report getting 4.1.2 on their tablets with a pleasant surprise in store: in addition to the expected bug fixes and performance boosts, the software lets the home screen rotate to landscape mode on the smaller Jelly Bean slate. We’re keeping an eye out for when other hardware gets the patch, although it’s expected that the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S and Xoom will follow quickly enough.

[Image credit: EETimes]

Filed under: Mobile, Google

Android 4.1.2 goes live, gives Nexus 7 owners landscape home screen originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The stock Nexus 7 peaks at a 1.3GHz clock speed when it’s at full burn. That’s certainly good enough for the $199 price tag, but eager adopters have just hit a new record in trying to wring out even more of a bang for the buck. Courtesy of a custom Elite kernel from XDA-Developers‘ Clemsyn, the Tegra 3 in the mini tablet will scale all the way to a heady 2GHz. You’d be right in suspecting that it leads to some dramatic speed boosts: the Nexus 7 at this pace can put a Transformer Prime to shame in common benchmarks, let alone most smartphones. Reaching the loftier heights of performance does require nerves of steel, however. The Elite kernel is very much a rough build that the creator doesn’t yet trust with the public, and NVIDIA’s processor is already known to get toasty under significantly added stress. There’s hope a refined kernel will make for a safer venture into unknown territory. If you can’t wait to throw at least some caution (and the warranty) to the wind, though, hit the second source link for code that will reach a slightly less melt-prone 1.8GHz.

Filed under: Tablets

Google Nexus 7 overclocked to 2GHz, punches well above its weight originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Aug 2012 00:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to Engadget’s back to school guide! The end of summer vacation isn’t nearly as much fun as the weeks that come before, but a chance to update your tech tools likely helps to ease the pain. Today, we’re leaning back with our tablets — and you can head to the back to school hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back — at the end of August we’ll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides — you can hit up the hub page right here!

Your back may be straining from the textbooks, laptop, gym gear and lunch in that dangling overstuffed messenger, but you’re still gonna want to save room for one more item — a tablet. After all, while you can surf, tweet, play games and watch video from your other devices, there’s nothing like doing it from a simple glass window that sits in the palm of your hand. As the hardware gets more powerful, these devices are rapidly becoming versatile enough to let you justify leaving the laptop at home on less-intensive days, so why not check out our picks of the finest devices you should be using and abusing before, during and after class.

Continue reading Engadget’s back to school guide 2012: tablets

Filed under: Tablet PCs

Engadget’s back to school guide 2012: tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There have been teases here and there that Google’s Nexus 7 was going to get a full, official accessory treatment from ASUS, but actual details have been scarce. Consider ASUS’ cover blown, almost literally. Presentation files finding their way to Nordic Hardware show the known Smart Case-like, $20 Travel Cover that’s already lurking on the ASUS and Google websites, but they also spoil a leather Premium Cover that will reportedly cost $40. As for a cradle to round out the set? While the company had previously confirmed that a dock was coming, we’re now getting a glimpse of the $50 Nexus Dock’s super-simple wedge design and audio output. With the exception of the Travel Cover, the accessory bonanza is pegged by the slides as arriving in late August — just in time for that last-gasp summer vacation.

Update: Nordic Hardware has since taken down its original post “at the request” of an unnamed party.

Filed under: Peripherals, Tablet PCs

Nexus 7 dock and covers leak, promise high style in small sizes (update: source goes down) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 01:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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