Nexus 10 Could Revitalize Android Tablet Apps

Now that Google's Nexus 10 tablet is in the marketplace, the next big question is whether it can get the app support it needs to build broad popularity. And there is reason to think it will. Sales of Android tablets are taking off, and app developers are starting to take notice. Strength on the app side, in turn, could make Android tablets a broad-spectrum alternative to Apple's iPad.

Likewise, for the IT community at midsize firms, this could make Android tablets a more attractive option. A large consumer base strengthens the Android argument, both for reaching customers and for bring-your-own-device (BYOD) users. Even company-issued tablets could end up in the picture.

It is All About Software

Nexus tablets, both 7-inch and 10-inch versions, have been drawing some of the most positive reviews of any Android tablets. They can take it to the iPad with both processor horsepower and a high-resolution display. The lurking question about Nexus, and Android tablets in general, has been a shortage of apps that make full use of their power.

But as Casey Newton reports at CNET , this may be poised to change. For one thing, Android tablets are hitting their stride. Last quarter, for example, Apple slipped to barely over half of the tablet market, which means that Android tablets are catching up.

Google is doing its best to encourage the trend. One reason for its substantial Nexus 10 development effort, says Hugo Barra, head of Android project development, was precisely to grab the attention of the app development community.

And the developers are responding. One development shop, Squrl, previously held off on Android. But after last June's Google I/O developer conference, Squrl changed its tune. It is now actively developing Android apps. Game developers such as EA and Gameloft are also signing on. Games may not factor into the BYOD picture, but they are a powerful draw for high-end tablet buyers.

Realizing the Potential

From the perspective of IT managers at midsize firms, Android has some real advantages - at least in principle. It is free of Apple's tight control. And because it is open source it can be tweaked and configured to meet a firm's specific needs. Even security , a major Android issue, can benefit from open source flexibility.

Also, from a different angle, while IT might like Windows RT, no one knows yet whether Windows tablets will become more than a niche item.

The potential strengths of Android also depend on broad and lasting user support. Thus the IT community at midsize firms will be watching closely to see whether app developers continue to respond to Android and provide it with a rich app ecosystem.

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Kindle Fire HD, Microsoft Surface teardowns reveal production costs for Amazon, Microsoft

Last year, IHS found that the original Kindle Fire cost Amazon around $187 to make and now they have taken on the new Kindle Fire HD to see exactly how much it Amazon pays to build one. The company redesigned the new Kindle Fire HD and IHS tore down the device to see exactly what’s inside. The results are quite interesting.

While it’s selling for only $199, IHS revealed that the components used to build this new device cost somewhere around $165. Unlike last year, LG Displays produced the new high resolution 720p display; Texas Instruments helped out with the power supply, video chips, and the new blazing fast dual-core processing chip; while Samsung, after Apple essentially stopped using them for many of their iPad/iPhone components, was able to get a deal with Amazon to supply the memory chip in the new Kindle Fire.

The end result of all these components coming together is a great tablet that many reviewers have recommended for parents and students alike. In today’s competitive market, Google and Amazon are going head to head with their tablets and, while the Nexus 7 seemingly has cheaper components, it seems safe to say that Google’s baby is outselling Amazon’s.

The same AllThingsD article mentions the Microsoft Surface’s component estimated value, as submitted by the same IHS. Unlike Google and Amazon, Microsoft is apparently not interested in creating a budget-friendly tablet, but rather, the company priced the Surface unnecessarily high to compete directly with Apple’s iPad.

IHS’ check of the Surface shows that the components that are being used to build the new tablet, when all put together, cost around $271. Now Microsoft could have easily priced their tablet at $300 or even $400 and still have had pretty good profit margins from it while, simultaneously, boosting the user base of the newly released Windows 8 OS — obviously that is not the goal.

The research firm also found that the new Microsoft Touch Cover, priced separately at $120, costs Microsoft around $16 to produce, and so they will undoubtedly enjoy the extra profit. This goes to show how much more customer-oriented the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD are in comparison to the Microsoft Surface that seems mostly profit-oriented.

Now the question comes in, which of these tablets are you going to purchase this holiday season?

Source :AndroidAuthority.om

UK Retailers Offer Google Nexus 7 32GB with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

Having previously said that Asus will provide updates Jelly Bean 4.2 in the near future, this does not apply to customers in the UK. One retailer in the country of origin of the football, HMV offering a Google Nexus 7 with 32GB using Android Jelly Bean 4.2.

Unfortunately, in newspaper advertisements, HMV did not say when the tablet will be available. This is quite reasonable, because Google itself does not launch the source code Android Jelly Bean 4,2 to the public

In addition, Google also plans to launch two devices of Android Jelly Bean 4.2, the LG Nexus 4 and Samsung Nexus 10 on November 13. So, most likely the availability of tablets from HMV will be more than 13 November.

Google Nexus 7 is currently using Android Jelly Bean 4,1 itself is one of the the most wanted Android tablet on the market. Even a short time ago, Asus has cooperating with Google to build tablets revealed that they have sold nearly 1 million units in 2012.

Android 4.2 keyboard and clock available for Android 4.1 and 4.0

If you are a fan of Android and all its cool features, you would have already become a fan of the new Android 4.2 operating system, also called the Jelly Bean. The new version brings a lot of new features to the tablet, namely, gesture typing and the new panorama image capturing feature. If you are an Android tablet, you would for sure love the multi user functionality with the new lock screen which lets users login to their own accounts, just like on a computer. But some of these features are available only the new Android 4.2 operating system. For example, the new keyboard.

The new keyboard is of particular interest because of the new gesture typing, where you are not actually required to hit every single key to form a word, but you can just glide your fingers on the letters which form the word without lifting your finger. Yes, this is very, very close to what Swype offers. But Google claims it is not really the same.



But what if you are on Ice Cream Sandwich, which is Android 4.0, or the older version of Jelly Bean, that is Android 4.1? You don’t get to have this keyboard, officially, at least not yet. But if you are ready to get it unofficially, and are also ready to void your smart phone’s warranty for the same, there is a way.

Developers have been able to get the standalone .apk file of the keyboard and have been able to port it to Android 4.0 and Android 4.1. But as soon as the links came online, Google asked them to remove the links as the app is not completely ready to work on non-Android 4.2 devices. But that has not stopped users from removing those links.

But be told, you will have to root your smart phone and flash a custom Recovery module for this to work on your smart phone. Also, if you love the new Clock app on Android 4.2, you can install that .apk file as well on Android 4.1. But of course, you will be responsible for what you do with your smart phone.

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Best Nexus 7 Apps: Top 10 Apps Built For The Android Tablet

The Nexus 7 is one of the most popular tablets on the market, and it's our favorite 7-inch tablet on the market. In our comparison, it bested the Amazon Kindle Fire HD and Apple iPad Mini by offering incredible processing power, a high-resolution screen and a gigantic app market.

The Nexus 7 can't live up to its full potential without downloading at least some of the apps specifically designed for 7-inch tablets. Our list of the best Nexus 7 apps does not include some of the most obvious apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Netflix. With that in mind, here are the best Android tablet apps that look great on the Nexus 7:

1) SwiftKey Tablet ($3.99): If you purchase can only purchase one app, do yourself a favor and purchase this one. This custom keyboard treats users to predictive and auto-correcting while typing. SwiftKey Tablet automatically increases the accuracy and speed of typing. We're huge fans of it, and there's really no other way to put it. This app is essential for any serious Nexus 7 user.

2) Mint.com (FREE): Mint is one of the most beautifully designed apps on the Nexus 7. This personal finance tool makes it easier than ever to track expenses and plan for or future investments. The user interface is gorgeous, and if you're interested in managing your money using the Nexus 7, this is one of the best ways to do it.

3) Instapaper ($2.99): If you're a fan of magazine journalism or have any reason to bookmark website articles for later, this app is essential. Instapaper saves articles and clears the screen of any clutter or advertisements. You can save entire articles on the fly and Instapaper will sync the article across multiple devices. If you use this app on the Nexus 7, stories will automatically be sent to your device when they're saved, and they can be read without an Internet connection—crucial for travelers.

4) MX Player (FREE): It's not the best interface, but MX Player does one very important thing. It plays all popular file types including .avi and .mp4 files. If you want to store videos on your Nexus 7, this app will let you watch those videos.

5) 100 Floors (FREE) : This is one of the most innovative games on the market. Users must solve 100 riddles to reach the top floor. There's an incredible variety of riddles that require a variety of steps including mathematical, mechanical, auditory and many more. If you've ever enjoyed a good puzzle game, you should try this best-of-class mobile game.

6) Triple Town (FREE): This is another puzzle game that's beautifully designed and is extremely addicting. The purpose of the game is to build the largest city you possibly can. By building items of the same kind next to each other, you'll ultimately grow your town. Triple Town is unlike any game available, and it's adorable characters and excellent gameplay will easily draw you in for hours.

7) Death Dome (FREE): This fighting game has intuitive controls and awesome animations. Build up your character with new weapons, shields and armor by destroying enemies. Fight head-to-head with dozens of mutants and freaks using a creative variety of weapons. This is a no-nonsense fighting game, and it's a must-have.

8) Dead Trigger (FREE): This game had such a high rate of piracy that it was eventually made free to the public. It's a classic zombie shooter with amazing character animations and very intuititve controls. If you're looking for gory, high-intensity shooting game, Dead Trigger is a game you'll want to download.

9) ShadowGun ($4.99): IGN called this game of of the best-looking mobile games ever created, and that claim still holds throughout this day. This third-person shooter has been optimized for the Tegra 3 processor used in the Nexus 7. If you're looking for a console-style experience from a mobile game, this is the one to have.

10) Tablified Market HD (FREE) : It's hard to keep track of the best Android tablet apps available, but Tablified Market HD tries its best to sort through the never-ending stream of apps uploaded every day. Apps will still be downloaded through the Google Play store. Tablified simply helps users find the latest and greatest apps that are optimized for the Nexus 7.

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Google’s 32GB Nexus 7 tablet spotted at Office Depot

Google has canceled Monday’s Android event because of Hurricane Sandy, but it looks like a 32GB version of its Nexus 7 tablet is already in the wild. Droid Life and Beta News both reported on Sunday that Office Depot had begun carrying the higher-capacity Nexus 7.

It looks like the device will be priced at $249.99, and the 16GB will drop to $199.99. The Google Play store still lists the 16GB Nexus 7 model at $249, while the $199 8GB version is listed as “Coming Soon”.

The 32GB Nexus 7 was first confirmed by UK retailer Argos earlier this month, though it had been expected for some time.

Leaks have been pretty regular in the run-up to Google’s fall Android lineup announcement. A Nexus 4 smartphone is also set to arrive from Google and LG soon. A curious tale emerged over the weekend of a Nexus 4 test device that was left in a bar in San Francisco. It seems this whole prototype walks into a bar meme is becoming an annual occurrence.

So far, everything we expected Google to reveal at the now-postponed event appears to be checking out. A 10-inch Nexus tablet is also on its way, as apparently confirmed by a user guide leak.

Source: thenextweb.com

Google Nexus 10 tablet stars in awfully short video

After seeing plenty of leaked images that confirmed the existence of Google’s 10-inch Nexus tablet a few days ago, we’re now going to show you a very short video of the device in action.

Don’t get too excited though, because at only 5 seconds, the video is hardly going to reveal anything spectacular about the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean device. In fact you may want to look at the leaked images from a few days ago if you want to better check out design lines and potential software features, as they’ll certainly be more revealing.

Nevertheless, it’s pretty clear the device has been handled in the wild, several days ahead of Google’s upcoming Nexus event. And since Google had to postpone the October 29 event to a latter unannounced date, due to Hurricane Sandy, who knows how many more Nexus-related leaks we’ll get to see in the coming days.



Source: androidauthority.com