It seems that if you wanted to get your hands on Google’s Nexus 7 tablet in an official capacity in China, you might be in for a wait. According to reports (via Digitimes), it seems that China has yet to approve the tablet for import. Based on what their industry sources from Taiwan told them, the reason China has yet to approve the import of the tablet and why they might be giving Google such a hard is because, “The China government’s negative attitude is interpreted as a response to Google’s announcement of withdrawing from the China market in March 2010, the sources pointed out. It is difficult for the Nexus 7 to enter the China market, even though sale of Asustek’s marketing network there, the sources indicated.”
At the same time, the delay is boosting local manufacturers as they are able to churn out tablets just as cheap, if not cheaper, and offer them to China’s massive population. When asked to comment on the issue, Google declined. No word on when we might see the Nexus 7 tablet in China, but for those living in China you might have to result in alternative methods of importing the device, such as through Taobao.
If you read Engadget frequently, you’re certainly no stranger to Google’s Nexus 7 tablet that has captured our attention — and our hearts. Poweramp, one of the highest-rated music players (and one of the most downloaded, from what we can tell) on the Android Play Store, is launching an update that offers Jelly Bean compatibility, and what better way to celebrate the occasion than to give away a trio of Jelly Bean-running Nexus tablets? Also, Poweramp offers a 15 day free trial, so it’s definitely worth taking a look-see. Enjoy, and good luck!
The Asus-manufactured Google Nexus 7 already ships with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean right out of the box, and if there is one particular, glaring shortcoming about this tablet, it would be the lack of a camera located at its back. In fact, the only camera available on the Google Nexus 7 would be the front-facing one which shoots those vain portrait shots at 1.2-megapixels resolution. The thing is, it is not capable of High Definition video recording – not without the help of a mod from the good people over at XDA Developers, of course.
This particular mod would allow the webcam to record video in 720p – which is equivalent to High Definition, although it is not quite Full High Definition (1080p) just yet. If it is of any consolation to you, you are able to enjoy a rather visible improvement compared to 480p videos. Do you think that with this particular mod, you will be making far more use of the Nexus 7 to shoot home videos than normal?
To the delight of live event crowds everywhere, the ASUS-made Nexus 7 sidestepped the primary camera route, only furnishing the slab with a 1.2-megapixel front-facer. While it didn’t take long for app-makers to tweak their wares especially for Google’s statement tablet, users over at XDA Developers have dug a little deeper to unlock the shooter’s 720p recording potential, removing the previous 480p cap. There are several (relatively simple) ways to get it done — visit the source for the full instructions.
The developers at Vector Unit have released a new game by the name of Beach Buggy Blitz, and to celebrate said release in the TegraZone, NVIDIA and SlashGear are teaming up to bring you a set of THREE Tegra 3 quad-core processor-toting tablets. You’ll have the opportunity to get your hands on a Transformer Prime TF201 tablet/keyboard dock combo or one of two Google Nexus 7 tablets! With these lovely beasts you’ll be able to rock out on Beach Buggy Blitz all night long!
We had a bit of a hands-on look at the game just yesterday that you can witness by heading to the post entitled Vector Unit brings Beach Buggy Blitz to TegraZone and hands-on. Once you’ve experienced the excellence, head to the TegraZone and download the game absolutely free! Or if you’re currently without a device that works with an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, you’ve got another option.
We had a lot of fun with the last tablet giveaway working with our NVIDIA Tegra Hub – so much fun that we’ve decided to do it again, right here and now! You’ve got the chance to win one of three Tegra-toting tablets (listed above and below) – all you’ve got to do is follow these simple steps!
2. Select your favorite Tegra-toting device or NVIDIA TegraZone game from our ever-expanding [Tegra Hub] and comment on the Facebook post with a link (from the hub) along with some select words on why you love it so much – or why you want it so much, if you wish!
3. Sit back and wait for the end of the contest, and hope you get picked!
This giveaway starts on Friday, September 7th, 2012 and runs until Friday, Sept. 14th at midnight. We’ll pick a collection of our favorite entries and from that set we’ll choose three winners at random – we’ll announce the winners on Monday, September 17th on Facebook and right here in this original giveaway post!
Competition is open to residents of the US only, over the age of 18. One entry per person. Family members of NVIDIA, ASUS, Google, Vector Unit, and SlashGear/Android Community are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified Android Community forum post; entries left in the comments section of this or any other post will not be recognized.
The winners will be contacted by an Android Community/SlashGear staff member ON FACEBOOK upon being selected and will be expected to respond to that staff member; they will be expected to respond within 24 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected.
Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winners agree that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to Android Community, SlashGear, NVIDIA, and Vector Unit.
Prizes consist of two 16GB Google Nexus 7 tablets and a Transformer TF201 Prime tablet and keyboard combo. There are no other alternative for prize winners unless this prizes become unavailable, in which case Android Community reserves the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value. Giveaway provided by SlashGear/Android Community. Prizes provided by NVIDIA and Vector Unit. Any questions regarding this giveaway should be directed to giveaway [AT] slashgear.com.
In June this year, Google unveiled its Nexus 7 tablet which directly launched the company into the mini-tablet market. The tablet has been a success so far with Google claiming that it has flown right off the shelves, with the 16 GB version going out of stock in both U.S. and U.K.
When Google launched the tablet, many analysts speculated that since it lacked the option of 3G connectivity, the tablet is going to be a failure. Despite such adverse premonitions, the sales seem to have been fairly handsome so far. However, the lack of 3G does make Nexus 7 an undesirable option for a potentially large numbers of users. (more…)
Google is readying a Nexus 7 3G version, adding cellular connectivity to the 7-inch ASUS-made tablet, according to insider whispers. The new model will be officially launched in around six weeks, MoDaCo‘s tipster insists, with hardware identical to the currently shipping Nexus 7 bar the new radio.
Although the Nexus 7 was widely praised for its $199 sticker price, dramatically undercutting rivals such as Apple’s iPad, the absence of a 3G/4G version left some mobile tableteers frustrated. Instead, only WiFi/Bluetooth models were offered, able to tether to smartphones and mobile hotspots, but otherwise unable to connect while on the move.
According to the source, ASUS is currently ramping up production of the new model. Demand for the $199 tablet has been strong, seeing Google forced to freeze new orders shortly after the slate went on sale.
Pricing and availability for the 3G Nexus 7 have not been confirmed, and nor is is clear whether Google and ASUS will opt for 3G connectivity such as HSPA/HSPA+ or 4G like LTE. We wouldn’t be surprised to see a roughly $50-70 mark-up in return for the cellular modem, however.
Many of you have already heard the rumors that claim Amazon will be revealing a new Kindle Fire next week at a press conference, and when it does, most were expecting to see a larger tablet on offer, similar to Apple’s iPad. A new report is shedding some doubt on that, as CNET‘s anonymous sources claim that Amazon will be announce two new 7-inch Kindle Fires next week. One of these will be only a slightly updated version of the original Kindle Fire, while the other will be a tablet with more beefy innards.
We don’t know too much about either of these new Kindle Fires at the moment, but CNET’s source claims that the lower-end model will come with a reworked user interface. Its price is still unknown, but the person – who has supposedly seen both of these new tablets – says that it will sport a price that’s lower than the original Kindle Fire’s $199 tag. If that’s true, then Amazon should have no problem getting these to fly off the shelves, regardless of the fact that it will only offer a slight improvement over last year’s model.
This unnamed person gives us a better idea of what to expect in the higher-end model, but still doesn’t delve into specifics. This particular Kindle Fire will come with a faster processor working under the hood, along with a camera, more memory, physical volume controls and an HDMI port. This one seems poised to become one of the Nexus 7‘s main challengers, but without knowing any pricing information, it’s difficult to make that call.
Still, this new rumor suggests that Amazon is more than happy to stay in the 7-inch market, and now it has some solid competition to go up against. If this is all true and Amazon slaps a sexy price on these new Kindle Fires, then it shouldn’t have any issue competing and raking in the cash. Keep it here to SlashGear, because we’ll reporting straight from Amazon’s press conference on September 6 with everything you need to know.
There are a lot of great ways to get your Engadget news, including our fine selection of apps and our tablet magazine Distro — plus the good ‘ol World Wide Web, of course — but we’ve been shocked to see just how many of you have been consuming our wares daily on Flipboard. Shocked and, well, flattered. The service finally hit Android in June and, in the month after that, our overall Flipboard subscribers jumped and surpassed one million. That’s a huge number on its own, but that’s not all. We’re very proud to say that we’re the first to hit one million subscribers, making Engadget the biggest single property on Flipboard!
We’re so happy about that we want to give a little something back. So, we’re picking up a Nexus 7 and will be sending it to one lucky reader. To enter, all you need to do is sign in and comment below. The full rules are below, so make sure you give those a skim before commenting.
If you’re a Flipboard user with feedback on the Engadget experience there, or a subscriber who would like to sponsor us on Flipboard, email us: flipboard [at] engadget [dot] com!
Amazon has just announced that the Kindle Fire has joined the Kindle Touch on the out-of-stock list, presumably forever, a week before the company’s mysterious product announcement. Jeff Bezos has teased that the company’s got an “exciting roadmap” ahead, which we’d expect to include at least one touchscreen e-reader and a vastly revamped 7-inch tablet, designed to better compete with Google’s similarly sized budget offering.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
It seems that if you wanted to get your hands on Google’s Nexus 7 tablet in an official capacity in China, you might be in for a wait. According to reports (via Digitimes), it seems that China has yet to approve the tablet for import. Based on what their industry sources from Taiwan told them, the reason China has yet to approve the import of the tablet and why they might be giving Google such a hard is because, “The China government’s negative attitude is interpreted as a response to Google’s announcement of withdrawing from the China market in March 2010, the sources pointed out. It is difficult for the Nexus 7 to enter the China market, even though sale of Asustek’s marketing network there, the sources indicated.”
The Asus-manufactured 
