For a very long time, tablets have been widely regarded as amazing pieces of technology too expensive for most of us to buy. When Apple released the first iPad in April 2010, most people were blown away by the beauty of the device and the possibilities of what you could use it for. But they were also blown away by the $500 price tag, more than double that of the iPhone's. Later, other companies such as Motorola, Samsung, Asus, Sony, Dell, and Microsoft came out with their own tablets, but it turned out that these were either even more expensive, or simply iPad wannabes with awful specs. It seemed as if tablets would remain a luxury reserved for the- well, luxurious.
But then, a market of budget tablets opened up. Xtex, a small tech company, was the first to really break into this category with their Xtex My Tablet, an Ice Cream Sandwich tablet for just $150. While it wasn't a complete wannabe, it still had the obvious feel of a cheaply made tablet. As one unsatisfied reviewer said, "Don't buy this tablet, it is made of cheap plastic and is not good. Sometimes the touch screen does not respond. Poor Wi-Fi connectivity. Low sound quality."
Then, Amazon and Barnes & Noble upgraded their respective Kindle and Nook lines to include budget tablets. Amazon made the Kindle Fire, and Barnes & Noble made the Nook Tablet. Both were 7" Android tablets with $200 price tags. However, the operating system on both had been heavily overwritten with the company's own operating system, which featured huge eBook stores and thousands of full color magazines available. While both were great tablets at a low price, they were geared towards bookworms rather than the average tablet user.
Now, it seems like Google has hit it big. They just introduced the Nexus 7, a beautiful 7" tablet running Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). It has a powerful quad-core processor, Bluetooth, a microphone, a front facing camera, GPS, a 1280x800 pixel display, an amazing feel, and a stunning 9 hour battery life. But the true killer thing about this tablet? Its $200 price tag.
Watch the video above, and you'll see what I mean. The most stunning thing about this tablet, despite its amazing features, is its price tag.
Another great thing about this tablet is that because Google also makes Android, the hardware and the software of this tablet are being made by the same company. Does that sound familiar? It's the very thing Steve Jobs said is what made Apple so successful. In a world where one company would write an operating system and another would make the computer, Jobs thought that computers could be much better if both tasks were done by the same company. And just as this philosophy was used by Apple to change the world of technology, Google is going to change the world of tablets with it.
How exactly did Google use this strategy? Well, take a look at the tablet and you'll see what I mean. First, Google Play, another Google service, is tightly integrated into the tablet. Music, books, magazines, videos, and apps can easily be bought from Google Play and, unlike the multi-step procedure used on other devices, downloaded directly to the tablet. Second, Google Chrome is the default browser on this tablet. Third, they upgraded their Google Maps app for the device. You can see inside locations you're going to, and you can even take virtual tours of the insides of some places. Fourth, it utilizes a lot of Google apps; you can access Gmail right from the homepage, you can use the front-facing camera for Google+ Hangouts, and all your usage syncs with your Google account.
The Nexus 7 will launch July 19, and is available for pre-order on Google's Nexus page. If you pre-order the device, it will arrive with $25 of free Google Play credit.
Update 1: Android 4.1 also has an amazing voice search feature that proves to be even better than Siri. It will likely be seen on this tablet. Check out a video of the feature in action here.
Update 2: Rumor has it that Apple will launch a "Mini iPad" (an iPad with a 7.85" screen) along with the iPhone 5 this October to compete with the Nexus 7.
