Reference Auto

So, Google, the internet search engine giant, has played a masterstroke with its Nexus 7 branded tablet, pricing it from a nominal $199 (Rs 10,000) which could spur sales of this tablet in India firstly because it is cheap and secondly because it’s by Google but may fail to make an impression in developed markets, at least initially.

For the Nexus 7, Google will partner Asus and launch the Nexus in India around early October.

The 7-inch Nexus tablet runs on Google’s unmodified Android operating software.

The model with 8 GB internal storage comes for $199 and the 16 GB one is priced at $249. The Nexus 7 is clearly the cheapest high-end tablet and when it enters India, it could grab a big chunk of the market in may be a couple of months or so.

The Nexus 7 of Google is propelled by a quad-core 1.3 Ghz processor and comes with a 1 GB RAM and an 1.2 MP front camera. The camera features are very basic though.

The device runs on Jelly Bean, which happens to be the latest version of Android that was also announced by Google.

This is surely a plus. Nexus devices are Google’s products. So, even as companies like Samsung put a customised user interface in their Android devices, Nexus gadgets come with pure Android. This would serve as an advantage for Nexus 7 users while using the latest Android.

The Nexus 7’s memory is suitable enough to give it adequate power during gaming, social networking and watching movies, for which a tablet is mainly used.

Gaming and watching high-definition or HD movies get a fillip with this tablet, which has 1,280 x 800 pixel resolution HD display.

The Nexus 7 comes with two buttons - one which is used to switch on and off power and the other for volume control. This feature makes the tablet quite easy to handle and would surely be one of the USPs of the Google Nexus 7.

One of the shortcomings of the Nexus 7 is that it is Wi-Fi-enabled but not 3G compliant.

In the US market, Google wants to target Kindle Fire and the Nook tablet since these two strong competitors of Apple iPad have brought little benefit to Google.

Apple’s iPad price ranges from $500 to $900, which is over three to four times that of the Nexus 7. But Apple’s users have almost 2.25 lakh Apps that are tailor-make for them.

So, even as Google’s Nexus 7 could rule developing markets like India (may be in the medium term), Google has to upgrade the new Nexus’s features even if it means higher prices to make a dent in developed markets.