Hasta La Gadget!

It would appear that amongst the software and hardware releases Google has detailed this week is their first giant iPad competitor in the Google Nexus 10. At first glance the differences might not be abundant to an everyday average user other than the obvious Android vs iOS and feel of each device. As it turns out though, these two tablets, for the first time, create a battle between the iPad and an Android-toting tablet made not just by a major manufacturer, but Google as well.

Google’s first full-sized Nexus tablet

Some might argue that it was the Motorola XOOM tablet that Google first gave their highest attention to as it was indeed presenting a very vanilla look at Android 3.0 Honeycomb (made for tablets specifically). This means that Motorola provided the hardware, sure, but it was Google that took care of the entirety of the software, with no additions from Motorola as would otherwise be standard. But because the name of the device was no Nexus, it never was truly a Nexus family device – not by today’s Nexus standards and expectations, anyway.

Here with the Nexus 10, Google and Samsung are coming in full force. Unlike the Motorola XOOM, this device is branded with Google first and foremost. Samsung certainly put their work on in the hardware, but this is Google’s show. This is the closest Google has gotten to having the same control over a full-sized tablet the way Apple does with the iPad.

Legal considerations

Samsung clearly had practice with the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and the Galaxy Note 10.1 given the form-factor here. It’d be silly to assume that Google didn’t take into account both that Samsung built the Galaxy Tab 10.1N to avoid Apple wrath (the 10.1N being the precursor to the 2) and that this move effectively worked. With a tried and true – and legal – design on the books, Google must have seen this as an opportunity to work Samsung’s ever-evolving design sensibilities into their own Nexus family.

AirPlay vs Wireless Display Mirroring with Miracast

One of the most interesting additions the Nexus 10 adds with Android 4.2 is wireless display mirroring with Miracast technology. This update will eventually be on all new Android devices as it comes standard with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean+. Have a peek at our SlashGear 101: How does Android 4.2 Jelly Bean wireless display mirroring work? guide to see what it all means. Basically it uses a wireless standard technology that’ll be working on many, many devices in the near future.

With the iPad you’ve got AirPlay support which is quite similar to what Miracast offers, and like Miracast, it’s limited to devices that are compatible with it specifically. At the moment there appears to be more adoption of AirPlay out there in the 3rd party device world than there does Miracast, but given the adoption and promises we’ve heard around Miracast over the past few months, we’re expecting it to take hold very, very fast.

Display

With this Nexus 10 device from Samsung, Google brings a warrior to the battle and hits Apple right where it hurts – directly in the display. Of course it’s going to be all up to the end user deciding which unit has a “better” display, but the facts are these:

10.055 inches at 2560 × 1600 pixel resolution for 300 ppi PLS
9.7 inches at 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution for 264 ppi IPS LED

Apple brands their display as “Retina-quality” while Google says they’ve got the “highest resolution on the planet.” Apple’s “Retina” qualification was created by Apple, of course, while Google’s claim goes this far: if you’re considering every display on the planet, there certainly are a handful of units (smartphones, each of them) that have a higher number of pixels per inch : but when you consider the fact that this tablet has more pixels overall at 300 PPI, it does indeed have the most. If you had several HTC J Butterfly smartphones merged into 10.055 inches of screen space, Google would be beaten – HTC’s smartphone monster has 440 PPI and indeed the sharpest panel.

PLS stands for Plane-to-Line Switching, and was created by Samsung to be the next generation after IPS. It’s also known as “Super PLS” and is supposed to cost less to produce while providing better image quality, viewing angles, and brightness than previous generations – of course we’ll just have to see about that when the device hits our review bench.

Size, System, Cameras

The iPad 4th gen is 7.3 x 9.5 x 0.37 inches and comes in at 1.44 or 1.46 pounds depending on if you’re working with 4G LTE or not. You’ve got the new Apple 9-pin dock Lightning connector on the iPad while you’re using iOS 6 and a battery that Apple says will last you 10 hours for video playback. The cameras you get on the iPad 4th gen are a 5 megapixel rear-facing shooter capable of 1080p video and a 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera for video chat.

The Google Nexus 10 by Samsung comes in at 1.33 pounds pounds (wi-fi only) and is 10.39 x 6.99 x 0.35 inches across the top, side, and thick. The Nexus 10 connect with standard microUSB and has a microHDMI port as well, works with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and Google says it’ll have 9 hours of video playback. The back-facing camera on the Nexus 10 is 5 megapixels strong with 1080p video capabilities while the front-facing camera is a 1.9 megapixel machine made for video chat as well. Both devices have Bluetooth 4.0 and wi-fi capabilities, while the iPad currently has versions on the market with 4G LTE capabilities as well.

Apple has boosted the processing capabilities of the iPad 4th gen over its predecessor with a new chipset by the name of A6X. This chip only exists in Apple products and has been detailed as Apple’s top of the line model surpassing even the iPhone 5′s chip. The Google Nexus 10 comes with the Samsung Exynos 5250 with dual-core A15 Eagle CPU and Quad-core ARM Mali-T604 GPU – that’s the same as the Samsung Series 3 Chromebook we reviewed – rather powerful indeed; though again, we’ll see once we bring on the full review

Both Apple and Google currently have smaller devices like these on the market as well, Google’s being the Nexus 7 (made by ASUS) and Apple’s being the iPad mini. Have a peek at them as well if these 10-inch tablets are too rich for you blood.

Cost

The iPad comes in many different variations, and now that the iPad 4th generation is out, there are also iPad 3rd gen units floating around out there in the wild without Apple to sell them directly. Thusly the following list must suffice:

$499 for 16GB
$599 for 32GB
$699 for 64GB

The iPad 2 is also in your local Apple store and its prices essentially match that of the Google Nexus 10. The specifications, on the other hand, are far less grand than either the Nexus 10 or the iPad 4th or even 3rd generation devices. The Google Nexus 10 is about to be for sale (or already is, depending on when you’re reading this), for the following prices.

$399 for 16GB
$499 for 32GB

Each of these units are wi-fi only, while it’s expected that mobile data connected iterations will be out in the future. Google just released the Nexus 7 with wireless data, so it’s likely that the Nexus 10 won’t be far behind. The iPad 4th gen has 4G LTE connectivity units out right now that are the same prices as listed above +$130 USD regardless of internal storage size.

Wrap-up

We’re not going to choose for you, of course – it’s up to you: but given the prices, the displays, the wireless technology, and of course the operating systems, it’ll have more to do with your preference than anything else. With these manufacturers creating the devices, it’s certainly not a question of hardware build quality – and with the software on both devices being evolved to the point they’re both at, it’s also not about which system is more mature. Stick around for our full review of the Google Nexus 10 in the near future and check out our full review of the iPad 3rd Gen right this minute – and of course we’ll have the 4th gen on the way as well.

Nexus 10 vs iPad 4th Gen is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google undoubtedly upset the tablet market almost overnight with the Nexus 10: that record-setting 2,560 x 1,600 resolution, Exynos 5 Dual, Android 4.2 and all-important $399 starting price just tilted price-performance balance in a different direction than we’d seen even a week ago. But how does it stack up against its competition? We’ve included full details of the devices in a chart after the break; initial appearances suggest that pure performance hounds may like the Nexus 10 the most, although it doesn’t have the most diverse options for cellular data or storage. We’ll know the real tale of the tape once the Nexus 10 reaches our hands.

Continue reading Nexus 10 vs. the competition: fight!

Filed under: Tablets, Apple, Samsung, Google, Amazon

Nexus 10 vs. the competition: fight! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 15:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

It’s time for Google‘s mobile OS to get another boost, with Android 4.1 turning to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with a new set of features galore. This update is largely improving upon what was revealed with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, effectively making it more of a “full” update than an incremental one – unless of course you consider that and this as increments, of course. This software will be working on the Google Nexus 10 from Samsung and the LG Nexus 4, tablet and smartphone environments alike.

Photo Sphere / Keyboard Gestures

Photo Sphere will allow you to snap photos in every direction, making no less than an amazing Street View sort of situation that you can share with your friends around the world – traveling in space! This update also brings on Gesture Typing – a feature that’s been around with 3rd party apps for some time now, perfected to a new degree by Google itself.

This update also brings on additional dictionary items in your speech-to-text archive and is improved in its anticipatory abilities with keyboard suggestions as well. Photo Sphere may well be used in the future to help Google create one gigantic Street View map of the world – we’ll have to wait and see. Would you participate in something as wild as that?

User Logins

Next and perhaps most important is user logins – this feature is only available on tablets at the moment, but may be expanded to smartphones in the future. With this feature you’re able to have the basics, first: those being your own backgrounds, homescreens, and widgets. You’ll also have your own apps, games, and individual high scores, too! This feature does not require you to shut the device off – only that you go back to your lockscreen: simple!

Wireless Display

Android 4.2 adds wireless display to your device – no longer will you have to rely on your smartphone’s manufacturer to add this as a value-added feature: you’ll have it on every Android device running Android 4.2 or higher. You’ll need a wireless display adapter to your HDMI-enabled TV, but once you do – instant mirroring! This feature also works with another tiny item calls Daydream – this effectively being a screen saver that shows photo albums, news from Google Currents, or weather.

Notifications

Your notifications have been expanded to a degree, now allowing you to take action on each of them with a simple tap. If you’re late for a meeting, this alert will be able to connect you to your contact with a simple call button. You can email everyone in the meeting too – this being just one example of the many different situations you’ll be able to take action on.

Google Now

Google Now has been boosted with several different items and updates, starting with weather. The weather readout wont just tell you what the weather is right in the moment, but as a forecast for your day as well. If you’re at a train platform, it’ll see which train you’re likely taking and will tell you when it’ll be arriving. This update also adds popular photo spots nearby, is able to track your packages, and brings you information on movies, too!

Stick around in our giant Android portal for more in-depth details as they arise with this software update and the devices that carry it. Android 4.2 Jelly Bean will be unleashed on the Nexus 4 as well as the Nexus 10 and will likely be making its way to the rest of the Nexus family soon. As for carrier devices – we just do not know – wait and see!

What’s new in Android 4.2 Jelly Bean? is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

While Apple encroached on the 7” tablet territory that the late Steve Jobs once declared that tablets in the “tweens” (meaning the 7” category) are basically DOA – Dead On Arrival, one raised eyebrows and questions as to whether Steve would have approved of such a move or not. Well, Samsung and Google has hit back at Apple’s bread and butter tablet, their iPad, by introducing the Google Nexus 10. Running on the latest version of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, the Nexus 10 will clearly go up head to head against the iPad, sporting a whopping resolution count of 2560 x 1600 pixels (300ppi), clearly kicking Apple’s vaunted Retina display.

As for the other hardware specifications, the Google Nexus 10 will come in 16GB and 32GB flavors, being Wi-Fi only in the process. Underneath the hood, you will find a rather beefy dual-core ARM Cortex A15 processor that is accompanied by 2GB RAM, touting a 5-megapixel shooter at the back, while up front, you have a 1.9-megapixel camera which ought to be good enough for High Definition video calls if you’re into that sort of thing. All of the Google Nexus 10 weighs in at 604 grams, regardless of memory capacity, and you also have microUSB, micro HDMI and a pair of NFC chips to go.

The battery life of the Nexus 10 has been rated at 9 hours of video playback, sporting a set of front-facing stereo speakers, not to mention the advent of Google Play in Europe this coming November 13th. The Nexus 10 will come in 16GB and 32GB flavors, retailing for $399 and $499, respectively as it arrives in the US, the UK, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan first.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Rumor: The Nexus 10 Will Have a 2560×1600 Screen, Android 4.2 Preview with the Google Nexus 4,

Google just took the lid off a 32GB Nexus 7 tablet, and dropped the price of the 16GB model from $250 to $200. The bigger version is $249. More »