nexus 7

Google Nexus 4 already sold out at U.S. Google Play store

Well, that was fast.

Just minutes after going on sale in the United States, the new Nexus 4 smartphone from Google and LG was already sold out. Visitors to the Google Play store are greeted with a "coming soon" notice for both the 8GB and 16GB versions of the device.

The phones previously sold out in the United Kingdom in less than an hour. Some customers reported having trouble accessing the store or checking out successfully. Meanwhile, Dutch blog AndroidWorld reported that a planned Netherlands launch was scrapped amid high demand elsewhere.

It's unclear how many units … Read more

Android 4.2 rolling out for Nexus 7 tablet

Android 4.2 is finally here for Google's Nexus 7 tablet.

Anxious owners can install it manually right away or simply wait a bit for the over-the-air update. A post on Google+ today confirmed that Android 4.2 has begun rolling out for the Nexus 7 and the Galaxy Nexus as an OTA update.

As described by blog site Android Police, users can download the 4.2 manual installation package as a zip file from Google. Once you've downloaded the file, you can follow the steps offered by Android Police to update your tablet.

But most users may … Read more

Nexus 7 explodes in China, Asus runs to rescue

The Nexus 7 has been one of the smokin' hot tablets of 2012, and unfortunately for one user in China, that was literally the case.

The user posted the photo above to a forum on Baidu (China's home-grown answer to Google), claiming that the device began smoking while plugged in and charging on its original factory charger. In the process, the guts of the tablet seem to have been totally torched.… Read more

As Nexus 10 hits the marketplace, new life is seen for Android tablet apps

The recent release of new 7- and 10-inch Nexus devices earned some of the strongest reviews yet for Android tablets. And yet along with praise for the high-resolution displays and snappy processors came a familiar complaint: there aren't enough apps.

As my colleague Roger Cheng put it: "Unfortunately, it's software, and not hardware, that continues to be the key problem for Google. Android tablets have struggled to make a real impression with consumers because there is a dearth of apps built specifically for tablets on Android. While the hardware and specs are great for the gadget enthusiasts … Read more

Battery life battle royale: Nexus vs. iPad

With all the hoopla about the relative graphics performance of the fourth-generation iPad and the Nexus 10, it's easy to forget another important performance metric: battery life.

Battery life dictates how long you can actually use the unit before it requires a recharge, so I'd say it's pretty darn important. So important in fact that it gets its own blog post. Here I pit the last two generations of iPad, the iPad Mini, the Nexus 7, and the Nexus 10 against each other in a take-no-prisoners battery blood bath! Or acid bath I guess.

The results The results speak for themselves, but if you need further explanation, continue reading after the chart. … Read more

Prizefight: Apple iPad Mini vs. Google Nexus 7

Apple's iPad Mini and Google's Nexus 7 face off in this classic confrontation for 7-inch tablet supremacy. This is going to be the most hotly contested battleground this holiday season and beyond, so which tablet is your pick?

Apple's iPad Mini brings its top-notch design with the iTunes and App Store ecosystem that makes this a force to be reckoned with in the 7-inch tablet space. The Google Nexus 7 brings arguably the most feature-packed 7-inch tablet on the market with legitimate support from the Google Play ecosystem.

Will Apple's new kid on the block take … Read more

Torture-testing the Nexus 7, iPad, and iPad Mini

I think I might need a support group -- I seem to be hooked on gadget snuff films.

The latest one from my hookup, the device warranty outfit SquareTrade, sees a third-generation iPad, the iPad Mini, and the Google Nexus 7 being methodically abused to see which holds up best.

The real development in this latest in a long series of face-off videos is the use of a new "drop-bot" that helps ensure a more fair drop of each device. In the past, the fate of each tortured device seemed to depend on a randomly determined point of … Read more

Nexus 10, Nexus 7 are here -- now all they need are apps

With an expanded line-up of Nexus tablets, Google isn't just making a case for Android tablets to consumers, it's courting developers, too.

In the Nexus 10, Google and Samsung managed to put together a tablet that outdoes the new iPad both in screen resolution and price. Google and Asus shoved in another 8 gigabytes in the Nexus 7, and added a 32 GB version in addition to cutting their prices, both of which are at a considerable discount to the upcoming iPad Mini. The message is clear: Google is willing to go all out in establishing a beachhead … Read more

Asus: Nexus 7 sales climb toward 1 million a month

Asus Chief Financial Officer David Chang says that the company is selling close to 1 million Nexus 7 tablets a month.

Although Google has not released the official sales figures for its 7-inch Nexus 7 tablet, following Tuesday's declaration of Asus' third-quarter earnings yesterday the Taiwanese electronics maker managed to beat the most optimistic estimates. Asus said that its notebook computer range was performing steadily at roughly 5 million shipments per month, but tablet sales jumped from 800,000 in the second quarter to 2.3 million shipments in the third quarter.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Cheng … Read more