Monday, 29 October 2012

29/10/2012: Google release their Nexus family and Android 4.2, Windows Phone 8 launches and all the other news!

Google's Nexus event isn't being rescheduled: Everything gets released!


   That event Google had planned for today was unfortunately cancelled by a somewhat inconveniently timed and potentially dangerous hurricane which goes by the name of Sandy. But, Google doesn't need a hurricane to stop them releasing their newest set of devices! And after much speculation we now have an three separate and new devices, each with great sets of specs and we think you'll find them very, very intriguing, especially when you see how much they're going to cost!

   Before we start though, there's a new version of Jelly Bean (Android 4.2) available and all of the official details straight from Google can be found here! But now onto the devices!

The LG Nexus 4.

   First up we have possibly the worst kept secret gadget ever! It's got everything that was rumoured too!

   To start with there's a 4.7"1280 x 768 pixel screen, giving the device a ppi of about 320, which definitely pegs this in the realm of high end displays! For added protection this one will have Corning's Gorilla Glass 2, just to fend off those pesky keys!

   Aside from the display you've got 2GB's of RAM, 1.3 and 8MP cameras, NFC, 8 or 16GB's of storage, a Snapdragon S4 Pro processor  and a 2100mAh battery which also powers your usual array of connections and features! In case you are wondering there is wireless charging for the phone too, but we don't currently have any official details of the 'charging orb' but it should be available pretty soon!

   This phone will ship with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean on board as well! That's a great package in itself, but wouldn't it be even better if it was £239 for the 8GB model and £279 for the 16GB model? Well that's how much they are folks! If you can't wait to get your hands on it then you can pre-order it here! 

Asus Nexus 7: New Variants!


   Everyone in the tech world has grown to know and love Google and Asus' little 7" Nexus tablet. But, there's always been some things missing for reviewers and they're 3G connectivity for those weekends away and some extra internal storage! 

   Thankfully Google's been listening and has allayed both of those fears with the update Nexus 7's. There's still the Tegra 3 under the hood and everything else remains the same apart from now your storage options are 16GB and 32GB for the same price as the 8 and 16GB versions used to be. So that means your 16GB version is now down to £159 and you can get that here! The 32GB version is available for £199 just here! And finally, the 3G version will only come with 32GB of internal storage and that extra modem will cost you a little bit extra, bumping the cost up to the exceptionally reasonable £239 and you can pre-order one here!

   The Nexus 7 has always been a great device, but with this price cut it's only got even better!

The Samsung Nexus 10.

   It was definitely rumoured but up until the last few days we didn't have any conclusive proof. But, alas here we have it, the Samsung Nexus 10 with the world's highest resolution screen on a tablet!

   Obviously, the screen is the highlight of this tablet; it's a 2560 x 1600 10" panel which works out to being about 300ppi! Lets take a minute to compare that to everything else on the market; Apple's 'retina display' has 264ppi and everything else is straggling behind, way down in the 150-190 range! And just for the record it's coated in Corning's Gorilla Glass 2 just to give it that extra scratch resistance!

   Aside from the fabulous screen there's a dual-core ARM Cortex-A15 chip paired with 2GB of RAM. Our best guess is that it's a Samsung Exynos chip but noone can confirm that at the moment. On top of that there's a quad-core Mali T604 GPU a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. The battery is a very good 9,000mAh pack, which Google claims will be good enough to give you 9 hours of HD video playback. The whole thing weight in at 604 grams. 

   Just for good measure Google and Samsung will be throwing in dual, front-facing speakers for audio, microUSB and Micro HDMI ports and not one but two NFC chips, one on the front and one on the back! It's a very comprehensive set-up indeed!

   Again this tablet will come in 16 and 32GB models but there's no 3G option, but we're not sure you'll need it because this one is pretty much designed to stay in the house! The 16GB model is up for pre-order here and the 32GB here! 


Windows Phone 8: A very brief overview!

  • Windows Phone 8 will have 'live apps' on the lock screen; for example there's things like quick links to the Facebook app.
  • Skype for Windows Phone 8, which also launched today, will have an 'always on' feature!
  • Windows Phone 8 buyers will get a free one-year subscription to the music streaming service Pandora!

In other news:

  • Google themselves have released a hack which allows the Samsung Series 3 Chromebook to run Ubuntu!
  • Nook has finally brought their range of e-readers and tablets to the UK! The NOOK Simple Touch is available now, whilst the NOOK HD and HD+ tablets are available for pre-order!
  • Verizon and Nokia have teamed up to release a 4G LTE compatible version of the Lumia 820, it'll be called the Lumia 822 and it'll set you back $100!
And finally, Amazon has had a stab at Apple's iPad Mini, with the company comparing their Kindle Fire HD and Cupertino's newest tablet head to head on Amazon USA's homepage. A screenshot of the ad is just below!

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