Google announces Nexus 7 tablet at Google I/O; ships in July

By Salvador Rodriguez

June 27, 2012 12 AM PT

As expected, Google on Wednesday revealed the Nexus 7, an in-house-developed Android tablet that is now available for purchase.

The 7-inch-screen tablet will run Google’s latest Android OS, Jelly Bean, and will feature a 1,280-by-800 pixel high-definition screen. Google said the Nexus 7’s video “looks stunning.”

The Nexus 7 runs a Tegra 3 quad-core processer and a 12-core GPU. Google called the device, which is built by Asus, “super thin” and said it weighs only 340 grams. Google’s Hugo Barra said the device fits in one hand.

The device is available for purchase online from Google Play and comes with 8 GB of storage for $199 or 16 GB for $249.

The purchase also gives you $25 in credit for the Google Play store, a copy of the movie “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” the eBook “Bourne Dominion,” and subscriptions to various magazines, including Popular Science.

It ships in mid-July and is available to customers in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia.

The Nexus 7 has a battery life of nine hours of video playback, but it can last 300 hours on standby.

It will also feature a front-facing camera, and comes with Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth and NFC.

The Nexus 7 will also be the first Android device to come with Google Chrome as its default Internet browser, a change users have been calling for.

Google made it clear it is going after hard-core video gamers with the Nexus 7, saying tablets aren’t just for casual gamers. The company’s demonstrators showed off the game “Horn” to demonstrate the Nexus 7’s capabilities as a “serious gaming device.”

However, other content from Google Play will be showcased in the Nexus 7. Barra said the Nexus 7 will feature your content “front and center” when you use it.

And Google also updated its Maps service for the tablet. The Nexus 7 will be able to access Google Maps offline and will also run a feature called “Compass Mode,” so you can see inside places and look around.