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How NOT to announce new products. Google Nexus.
UPDATE: 20121123 Google’s Nexus 4 Smartphone and Nexus 10 Tablet sold out 20 minutes after the Google Play store opened. http://ow.ly/fg1mo
By now it is pretty clear that we love Google (most of the time). But the company can learn a thing or two from Apple, especially when it comes to important product announcements. On Monday, while Hurricane Sandy was hitting the East Coast ,and 7.5 million people in 16 states have lost power, Apple announced that the company’s senior vice president of iOS was getting fired for (apparently) refusing to apologize publicly for the Apple Maps mess. The timing was impeccable, since nobody noticed nor cared. Well, at the very same time, Google was announcing three new Nexus devices; a smartphone, a 7-inch tablet, and a 10-inch tablet. Guess what happened? Nobody noticed nor cared. They sold out.
All three devices run Android 4.2, which Google describes as “a new flavor of Jelly Bean.” The Nexus 4 is Google’s latest 4.7-inch, quad-core Nexus smartphone, developed with LG, and priced well below analysts expectations. It will be available for $299 (8GB) and $349 (16GB) for unlocked, contract-free units. However, the best deal seems to be the 16GB unit on T-Mobile for $199. We can’t really predict how sales will perform, but what is certain is that the Nexus 4 will make a strong impact on the smartphone market.
Based on the promo video, it seems that Google is focusing the tablets on education. We have written extensively about technology and education here, here, and here.
Although we are more excited with Samsung’s Galaxy Camera, one of our favorite features of the new Nexus smartphone is Photo Sphere, a camera app/Google Maps hybrid that allows users to create and share 360-degree panoramas.
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The physical size and weight, screen size and resolution, and event the camera are all almost identical to what many (geeks) consider the best Android phone available, the Samsung Galaxy S3. But there’s one big difference: The Nexus 4 is about half the price, which is enough to at least get our full attention.
| Galaxy S3 | Nexus 4 | |
| Price |
$199/$299 (with contract) | $299/$349 (SIM-free) |
| OS | Android 4.0.1 Touchwiz UX/US | Android 4.2 |
| Processor | Exynos 4412 (Quad Core) | Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro |
| Display | 4.8? Super AMOLED | 4.7? WXGA IPS |
| Resolution | 1280×720 | 1280×768 |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 5.38? x 2.78? x 0.34? | 5.27? x 2.70? x 0.35? |
| Weight | 133g | 139g |
| 4G LTE | Yes | No |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | 2.4GHz, 5GHz (dual-band) | WiFi 802.11 b/g/n (dual band) |
| Rear-facing camera | 8 Megapixels | 8 Megapixels |
| Front-facing camera | 1.9 Megapixels | 1.3 Megapixels |
| Video capabilities | 1080p Recording | 1080p Recording |
| Internal storage | 16/32GB | 8/16GB |
| SD card slot | Yes (up to 64GB) | No |
| Max. battery life | 11 hours (3G talk/data use) | 10 hours (3G talk/data use) |
The pricing for Tablets match or beat Lenovo’s and Amazon’s offerings: The Nexus 7 is priced at $199 for 16GB of storage, and $249 for 32GB; an HSPA+ version with 32GB of data is also available for $299. An H what? HSPA+ stands for Evolved High-Speed Packet Access, a technical standard for wireless broadband telecommunication with 168 Mbit/s (download speed) and 22 Mbit/s (upload speed). Obviously, these are theoretical peak speeds, and in reality HSPA+ is simply an upgraded 3G GSM technology.
The obvious question now is; will the Nexus 10 be able to truly compete against the fourth generation Apple iPad ? It seems so. Not only the specs are very attractive, but the 16GB Nexus 10 is $100 less than the Apple iPad.
What is oddly missing from the chart below is the pixel density on the Nexus 10, a massive 300ppi, beating the iPad’s 264ppi retina display.
iPad 4th generation Google Nexus 10 Tablet
| Size | 241.2 x 185.7 x 9.4 (mm) | 263.9 x 177.6 x 8.9 (mm) |
| Weight | 652g | 603g |
| Screen | 9.7-inch, 2048×1536 | 10-inch, 2560×1600 |
| OS | iOS 6 | Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) |
| Storage | 16/32/64 GB | 16/32GB |
| SD Card Slot | No | No |
| Processor | Dual-core A6X | Dual-core A15 |
| RAM | Not listed | 2 GB |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, 4G LTE | Wi-Fi |
| Camera | Front 1.2 MP, Rear 5 MP | Front 1.9 MP, Rear 5 MP |
| Bluetooth | Yes, version 4.0 | Yes, version 3.0 |
| Battery | 42.5-watt-hour lithium-polymer | 9000 mAh Lithium polymer |
| Charger | Lightning connector | Micro USB |
| Marketplace | Apple App Store | Google Play Store |
| Starting Price | $499 | $399 |
How well do you think Google will compete against its fierce competitors? Are you on the fence on which Tablet to get for the Holidays? Please share your comments and questions below.