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"Now we have another 7-inch tablet. Not just any tablet, mind you. This is Google\u2019s vision of what a powerful, yet single-hand-friendly device should be. The Nexus 7 is pumped full of processing and graphics cores and has a higher-resolution screen than its 7-inch counterparts: the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Barnes and Noble Nook Tablet.\nIt would have been the highlight of Google\u2019s I/O keynote had it not been for a certain over-the-top tech and sky-diving demo. Still when the dust had cleared from that eye-popping event, I started to take stock of what Google had done Wednesday.\n\nWith the Android-based Nexus 7 it did not, as some have accused Microsoft with its Windows RT-based Surface Tablet, completely undercut manufacturing partners. It\u2019s only built a 7-inch device, not a larger 10.1-inch tablet to compete with the Samsung Tabs, Toshiba Excites and Acer Iconias of the world. Google isn\u2019t even building the Nexus 7. It partnered with Asus and convinced the company to completely hide its brand name under the Nexus moniker.\nGoogle is not targeting the Apple iPad with this new tablet. Sorry, but those shopping for full-sized tablets like the iPad have little interest in 7-inch screens, and for a very simple reason. These smaller slates are just not built for productivity. I might be projecting a bit here, but I know that at least 70% of my time on my iPad is spent creating stuff and getting things done.\nIt\u2019s become fairly clear that the 7-inch tablet space is all about content consumption and not about creation. A closer look at the Nexus 7\u2019s specs makes that obvious. The high-rez screen makes content like magazines and movies look pretty. The powerful graphics processing, accelerometer and gyroscope are, as Google demonstrated, mostly for games. There\u2019s a camera, but it\u2019s a nearly useless, front-facing 1.2 megapixel number best suited for Google Hangouts. You won\u2019t be using it to take pictures or video. \nThe Nexus 7 is also a Wi-Fi-only device with just 8 GB of storage (that\u2019s what I\u2019d call just-passing-through space) and, more notably, NFC. That Near-Field Communication chip is not about mobile payments; it\u2019s for sharing and accessing bits of content.\nA Nice Front-End\nUltimately, the Nexus 7 is, just as the full name suggests, a front-end for Google Play. In other words, it\u2019s just like Amazon\u2019s Kindle Fire \u2014 a lovely device that is little more than, as Mark Spoonauer at Laptop Mag calls it, a \u201Cvending machine\u201D for Amazon\u2019s products and services.\nIt\u2019s a wonder Google didn\u2019t price it at $99 instead of $199, since the clear goal is to get consumers buying movies, music, books, games, apps and more through the Nexus 7. As it is, the company is reportedly making zero profit on every tablet it sells.\nSo it\u2019s the Kindle and Nook that stand to lose the most in this mini-tablet battle. They still have the advantage, though, over Google which does not yet have millions of credit cards already in its system. For all Google knows about us across its myriad services, we don\u2019t buy Gmail, Google+, YouTube (have you rented a YouTube movie, yet?) and Android phone app payments are usually handled through the carriers, not Google.\nAmazon is already a well-oiled commerce machine where hardware is secondary (very necessary, but useless without a near-perfect mobile point-of-sale system). Apple\u2019s iPad, iPhone, iPod and App Store success is also a product of not only stellar hardware, but a frictionless payment system. Yet, as I said, Google\u2019s not aiming for Apple with the Nexus 7.\nIs the Nexus 7 a good tablet? It looks like one. It already has a leg up on the Nook Tablet and Kindle Fire, which both run Android 2.3 underneath their own highly stylized interface overlays. Google has the advantage of the latest tablet-ready Android OS (4.1 or Jelly Bean) and the best understanding of exactly how to leverage it for the ultimate 7-inch Android tablet. \nThose Darn E-Ink Readers\nThere is something else to consider here, though. As a consumption device, The Nexus 7 is not only competing for the other 7-inch Android tablets; it\u2019s standing toe-to-toe with a rather tenacious collection of e-ink readers. Amazon and Barnes and Noble both released e-ink, touch-screen updates in the past 12 months. Barnes and Noble even added an internal LED light to its new Nook Simple Touch. \nThere isn't quite the excitement about e-ink readers that there used to be, but some allure clearly remains. No matter how light a 7-inch tablet is, it\u2019s still near impossible to read in the sunlight. E-ink, with its paper-like display, super-portability (most e-ink readers are lighter than the thinnest tablets) and weeks-long battery life is the clear beach-reading winner here. Perhaps that\u2019s why the Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight is now on back order (not sure Barnes and Noble expected that kind of demand). \nI\u2019m not saying the Nexus 7 cannot succeed, but the ingredients for its success are not in the specs. It\u2019s in the overall utility, ease of use and ability to find and buy what you want with a minimum of clicks and fuss. If Google Play can eventually stand toe-to-toe with Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Apple, then we may have a winner on our hands.\nBonus: Up close with Google's Nexus 7 Tablet\n\n\nNexus 7 Hands On\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA power button and volume rocker are on the side of the tablet.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Nexus 7 is super light and thin, making it easy to throw in a bookbag or purse for your commute or on a trip.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe tablet has a textured back with 'Nexus' carved in.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Nexus 7 can play high-definition videos, play music, and display books and movies.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Nexus 7 is the first device to use Chrome as its dedicated browser.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Google Play store has a number of television shows and movies available for you to download and watch on the tablet. Pre-ordered Nexus 7 tablets come with a $25 credit for the Play Store.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBooks are front and center on the Nexus 7. the tablet would be ideal to use as a e-reader.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nText is crisp and easy to read and can be zoomed in by pinching the screen. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/06/28/google-nexus-7-success/>