Hasta La Gadget!

Though the system called “Google Now” will be implemented on a vast array of Android devices over the next few years, right this minute its incredible voice recognition and search powers sit only on the Nexus 7. You’ll have Google Now on the Galaxy Nexus once it’s released from the legal locker some time in the next few weeks, and software updates are being reported by Samsung to be coming to current model Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S models soon as well, but for now it’s just this wonderful tablet. Let’s have a peek at the voice search capabilities of the Nexus 7 right this second.

What you’re about to witness is Cory Gunther of Android Community having an 8+ minute look at the Google Nexus 7 working specifically with the Google Now system embedded in the heart of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Those of you used to working with Siri, Vlingo, or any number of other voice-activated search software on your smartphone or tablet will be surprised at the response time here with Google Now on the Nexus 7.

Google Now’s response voice is what Google is calling the first natural-sounding voice for such systems on a mobile device, and this app ecosystem will be coming standard with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean builds. When you get your Nexus 7 straight from the Google Play store online, you’ll already have this functionality built in as well.

We’ve reviewed the Nexus 7 in-depth if you’d like to have a look and see if it’s all worth it, and don’t forget to check out the Nexus Q as well. Together they make a fabulous combination for whatever HDTV venue you’re working, living, or playing at!

Have a peek at the timeline below to see all kinds of Nexus 7 action as well!

Nexus 7 voice search abilities take the cake is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Nexus 7 may not have a dedicated camera for pictures, but it does feature a front-facing camera for video conferencing. It’s perhaps understandable that Google didn’t include a dedicated Camera app, but it’s a bit of a party pooper for those fascinated with funny camera effects. Fear not, friends, as Paul O’Brien of MoDaCo has published a Camera app for the Nexus 7 to the Play Store.

You don’t need root, and the app doesn’t require any special permissions either – just download, install, and you should be good to go. It will give you access to the various face effects added in Ice Cream Sandwich, plus 720p video recording if you’re desperate enough to use it with the 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera.

Still, you’ll have to one of the lucky few who received the Nexus 7 at Google I/O. The final versions of the tablet are expected to ship to customers later this month, and those in the UK will even have the option of walking into a retail store to purchase one. While you’re waiting, why not check out our Nexus 7 and Jelly Bean reviews?

Google Nexus 7 gets Camera Launcher app is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

In the following hands-on blood-spewing experience with this next-generation first person shooter from the same folks that brought you Shadowgun, you’ll see zombies. You’ll see so many zombies that your head will explode. We’ll be showing off this game Dead Trigger THD, developed by Madfinger Games in collaboration with NVIDIA for their Tegra 3 quad-core processor, on the newest device to utilize that architecture, the Google Nexus 7 tablet.

If you’ve played Shadowgun, you’ll feel right at home with Dead Trigger. You’ve got essentially the same controls, the graphics are extremely similar, and the amount of fun you’ll have here is at least as high as it’s been in that non-zombie game. Here you’ll have a host of new weapons, a much more terrifying environment, and zombies. Understand this if you understand nothing else: there’s lots of zombies in this game. Lots of once-dead people who are now out to eat your brains.

You’ll see water and fluid effects like you’ll find nowhere else, similar to what’s been shown in the THD (Tegra High-Definition) version of Shadowgun. You’ll also see variable lighting as well as volumetric fog and some excellent rag doll physics all around. And lots and lots of blood.

NOTE: also be sure to have a peek at the tablet in this post in our Google Nexus 7 Review. Then have a peek at this game in the TegraZone and/or the Google Play app store right this second for the impossibly inexpensive price of $0.99 USD. It’s impossible not to grab. Grab it right now.

Dead Trigger THD zombie-killing Android FPS hands-on is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google fans know the Nexus 7 is filled with magic Android sap and tufts from Sergey Brin’s beard, but those with more mundane interests probably want to see silicon too. Thankfully iFixit has done the honors, tearing down the 7-inch tablet and praising its repair-potential versus Apple’s iPad along the way.

“Plastic opening tools make cracking the Nexus shell like cutting through butter, thanks to its retaining clips around the perimeter of the device” iFixit writes. “One millimeter. That’s the difference in thickness between the 9.4 mm glued iPad and the 10.4 mm retaining-clipped Nexus. That’s the difference between being able to open a device and service all of its internals, and not. That’s the negligible difference between extending the life of your device through repair, as opposed to tossing it in a landfill.”

Inside, meanwhile, there’s a 4326 mAh battery – slightly smaller than that of the Kindle Fire, though Google’s runtime estimates are longer – and minimal adhesive keeping it in place. Twin speakers and twin microphones also nestle inside, though the Nexus 7 does fall prey to the trend of gluing the LCD to the glass, which saves on thickness but does mean that, if one breaks, both have to be replaced.

Overall, though, Google and ASUS’ design decisions earn it a score of 7 out of 10 for repairability, with the easy access, standard screws and access to most components getting a thumbs-up from the teardown merchants. There’s more on the Nexus 7 in our full review.

Nexus 7 gets teardown treatment is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google’s Nexus headaches may not be limited to the Apple attack on the Galaxy Nexus, with Nokia now suggesting that the new Nexus 7 tablet infringes patents the Finns hold. Exactly which out of Nokia’s broad patent portfolio have been allegedly infringed by the ASUS-made tablet has not been confirmed, but a company spokesperson told The Inquirer that Google and ASUS “should simply approach us and sign up for a license.”

“Nokia has more than 40 licensees, mainly for its standards essential patent portfolio, including most of the mobile device manufacturers” the spokesperson explained. “Neither Google nor ASUS is licensed under our patent portfolio. Companies who are not yet licensed under our standard essential patents should simply approach us and sign up for a license.”

Although unconfirmed, it’s looking likely that the patent(s) in question surround 808.11 WiFi technology. The Nexus 7 is currently WiFi-only, with no cellular option, and much of Nokia’s patent portfolio unsurprisingly covers wireless systems.

ASUS has declined to get involved with a comment, saying only that “at the moment, ASUS will not be providing any response/comment related” to the allegations. Google is yet to comment.

Whether Nokia would chase an injunction, as Apple has done with other Android hardware, is unclear. With no tablet of its own, there’s no direct competition to be damaged by Nexus 7 sales, and the Finnish company would probably prefer licensing fees as it tides itself over until the arrival of Windows Phone 8.

Nokia: Nexus 7 infringes our patents is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.