Hasta La Gadget!

This week Google ramps up to their release of the next-generation Nexus 7, they’ve made time to sing the praises of the one that’s already out. Speaking highly of the 7-inch tablet as a machine that’s effectively changed the speed at which Android tablets are being sold, Google asked ASUS Johnny Shih to stand up and wave for a quick “well done!” THen came the big jump.

Noting that the ASUS-made Nexus 7 currently accounted for a cool 1/10 Android tablets sold in the present day, Google made one thing clear: they weren’t about to stop selling it. Noting that the company was very excited about how well the tablet had done up unto this point, they made clear that they’d be moving into the future with a new model.

“We are very excited to talk about both the new Nexus 7 and all the developments in Google Play.” – SVP of Android, Chrome and Apps, Sundar Pichai

Soon after this big pump-up of the original, the Nexus 7 2 (aka the New Nexus 7) was introduced by Google’s Hugo Barra.

“We’re announcing the new Nexus 7. Here it is.” – Hugo Barra, VP, Android Product Management

Stick around here on SlashGear all day long to catch the rest of the news on the Nexus 7 as it runs into the future full steam, massively sharp display and all. Hit up our Nexus 7 tag portal for more!

Nexus 7 commands 10 percent of Android tablets as Google sings praises is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

A healthy stream of leaks in the last several months indicated that the latest version of Jelly Bean was right around the corner, and at its press event today Google pulled back the curtain on Android 4.3. Unsurprisingly, the latest software will debut on the new Nexus 7, which was also announced on stage. In addition to shipping with that tablet, the software will be available as an over-the-air update for the Nexus 4, Nexus 10, Galaxy Nexus and first-gen Nexus 7 today. No word on when the larger world of Android devices will receive the latest version, though.

The new software adds a restricted profile feature, which lets parents control what content children can view. According to Hugo Barra, who demoed the OS on stage, apps act differently depending on a given user’s restriction settings, and the new feature also blocks in-app purchasing (we know how disastrous that can be for unwitting toddlers). Beyond that, the newest version of Jelly Bean adds Bluetooth Smart technology, and there’s support for OpenGL ES 3.0, enabling improved details in graphics. A Unity game demo showed us how 3D objects can cast shadows on themselves, along with the ability add lens flare.

Perhaps the sweetest feature of all, though, is Netflix streaming in 1080p — that in and of itself could leave non-Nexus owners more than a little jealous. This goody comes thanks to a new set of DRM APIs to take advantage of HD content on the Nexus. Also on board are Bluetooth AVRCP, dialpad autocomplete, and easier text input. Click through to the source for more info from the Android dev blog, and make sure to follow along with our liveblog.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Google

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Source: Android Developers Blog

When we reviewed the Nexus 7 last summer, we said it was the best tablet $200 could buy. A year later, that still might be true if it weren’t for the fact that there’s a new Nexus 7 in town. One that’s a bit better specced and a bit more expensive than the OG model. Today Google took the wraps off an updated version of its smaller tablet offering, this one also made by ASUS, which takes everything you know and love about the original and makes it just a little bit better. For one, the already-solid screen has been bumped to 1,920 x 1,200, giving the new Nexus a pixel density of 323 ppi. The 7-point touch IPS panel sports glass that’s not only scratch resistant, but also fights off fingerprints and smudges (we’ll believe that one when we see it). Of course, putting a stunning display on a device is pointless if you don’t have the horsepower to serve up lots of smooth, high-quality content. So, Google gave the CPU a bit of a bump, moving to a 1.5GHz quad-core S4 Pro from Qualcomm that comes paired with an Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB of RAM. Oh, and all those wonderful new components should be well utilized by Android 4.3, the exciting (if incremental) OS update released alongside Google’s new tablet.

Filed under: Tablets, Google

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Source: Google Play

It seems like just 10 weeks ago that Google was reporting a total of 900 million Android activations. Well, now the company’s back, once again outdoing itself with some fresh figures. Today, we’re hearing that more than 70 million Android tablets have been activated to date. Meanwhile, Google has surpassed 50 billion app downloads in the Google Play Store across all Android devices, and there are now more than a million applications available in the store. Additionally, the company claims that in the first half of this year, one in two tablets sold worldwide was an Android product. With no way of confirming that figure ourselves, we’ll stand on that tablet activation figure, as it represents a pretty sizable jump for Google: at the end of 2012, tablet activations were still somewhere below 40 million. That’s all for now as far as stats go. We’ll leave you to gawk at that super tempting new Nexus 7.

Filed under: Tablets, Google

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By this point Google’s new Nexus 7 is a foregone conclusion; hell, you can already preorder it from Best Buy. But if you’re into official announcements—and are curious what Google serves for breakfast—you can watch the drama unfold live here, starting at noon Eastern, nine Pacific.

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