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Google Nexus 7 tablet details and photo leak

The Google Nexus 7 tablet and Android Jelly Bean are just two days away. Here are some details about what to expect.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
Expertise Films, TV, Movies, Television, Technology
Richard Trenholm
2 min read

The Google Nexus 7 tablet and Android Jelly Bean are just two days away, and we're hearing even more detail about what to expect from the 7-inch slate.

Gizmodo has uncovered a training document that outlines the details of the Nexus tablet. Bolted together by Asus, the tablet sports a 7-inch, 1,280x800 touchscreen. Under that is a 1.3GHz quad-core Tegra 3 processor, GeForce 12-core graphics chip, and 1GB of RAM.

The leaked specs seem to confirm that the Nexus 7 will ditch a few features to keep the cost down. It won't have a proper camera -- just a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera for video calls -- and will only connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi, not 3G.

According to the leaked specs these omissions mean the 8GB model will cost $200 (£130), and the 16GB version will cost $250 (£160). I expect you can swap the dollar sign for a pound sign to get the real British price.

The Nexus 7 will be the first tablet to bear the Google Nexus brand -- which will appear in subtle but large type across the back, if you look carefully. Every new version of Android is led by a flagship Nexus phone, showing off the pristine new software without any of the clutter added by manufacturers and phone networks. The most recent Nexus was the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, showcasing Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Measuring 7-inches and designed to be low-cost, the Nexus 7 is more of a rival to the Amazon Kindle Fire than the larger and more expensive iPad. If Google can launch the tablet before the Kindle Fire crosses the pond, it's got a good chance of stealing Amazon's thunder.

All will be revealed on Wednesday at 5.30pm, when the Google I/O keynote kicks off. Keep it CNET for all the news, previews and first impressions. What do you think of the alleged Nexus tablet? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.