Android Community |
- Galaxy S III Jelly Bean update for US carriers could start tomorrow
- Samsung Galaxy Note II shown off in new TV ad
- Google Maps Street View cameras are headed through the Grand Canyon
- RollerCoaster Tycoon coming to Android in early 2013
- Samsung beats Apple in multitouch suit in Dutch courts
- New image of LG Nexus 4 surfaces on Twitter (but is it real?)
- Samsung launches TecTile version 3.0 for expanded NFC capability
- Samsung Galaxy Note II Review [T-Mobile]
- Dragon Mobile Assistant launches on Google Play
- Unlocked Galaxy S III receives Jelly Bean update in the UK
- T-Mobile offers Galaxy Note II, but they want $70 more than AT&T
- Zynga internal memo confirms layoffs, closures
- Dead Trigger getting a Halloween-themed update soon
- What Google needs to eclipse the iPad mini
- Apple’s iPad Mini announcement sees Nexus 7 taking center stage
| Galaxy S III Jelly Bean update for US carriers could start tomorrow Posted: 24 Oct 2012 11:21 AM PDT We have some excellent news for the millions and millions of Galaxy S III owners here in the US. It looks like Samsung’s extremely popular and powerful Galaxy S III smartphone could actually start seeing the update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean starting tomorrow. While this is doubtful, a few leaks from the Now Network have reportedly confirmed the rollout.
According to some leaked internal screenshots from the Now Network, the Galaxy S III is set to start receiving the update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean as of tomorrow the 25th, and roll out from there. The folks from Phandroid received a screenshot confirming the update, so now it’s only a matter of time. Earlier this month Samsung confirmed (again) that the US version of their Galaxy S III would see the update “in the coming months” but wasn’t to specific. We’ve heard that before, and hopefully this is the real deal. Get ready to enjoy that Project Butter and Google Now guys. The leaked document indeed reveals the Galaxy S III will start getting Android 4.1 Jelly Bean as of tomorrow, and will reach all device owners within one week. Users can also expect bug fixes, and 4G LTE improvements for said device. This is only one carrier out of many, but it’s safe to say T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon and the rest should be rolling out the update in a similar fashion, and soon. Stay tuned for more details folks! Device Info
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| Samsung Galaxy Note II shown off in new TV ad Posted: 24 Oct 2012 10:35 AM PDT The next few days will surely be all about the Samsung Galaxy Note II. Today T-Mobile confirmed the device is available starting today, AT&T announced yesterday their version is coming soon, and we’ll be hearing from the rest shortly. Samsung is wasting no time getting right back to their awesome phone? tablet? commercials just like with the original Note. Check it out below.
In the usual Samsung fashion we are starting to see a few neat new commercials for the brand new Galaxy Note II. Samsung is showing us it isn’t just the best smartphone, nor is it a tablet. Instead the Note II is the best of both! With a 5.5-inch display, quad-core processing power, 8 megapixel camera and more. We already know all the specs so here’s their fun new video. As a reminder, tonight Samsung is having a Galaxy Note II event in NYC — and we’ll be there live in case any new details are revealed on the US release. The Note II will be landing on 5 major US carriers just like the Galaxy S III, starting with T-Mobile available today. Next we’ll probably see AT&T’s land, then the rest to follow. We’re dying to get our hands on a Verizon 4G LTE Titanium Grey Note II. What about you guys? For more details on the 5.5-inch 1280x720p HD quad-core Android 4.1 Jelly Bean powered Galaxy Note II you’ll want to check out our T-Mobile Note II Review. The impressive smartphone (I want to say phablet still) will be exactly the same for your favorite carriers, aside from branding and LTE support — so what you see is what you’ll get. Will you be picking up the Galaxy Note II? Device Info
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| Google Maps Street View cameras are headed through the Grand Canyon Posted: 24 Oct 2012 10:00 AM PDT Google Maps just keeps getting better and better each and every day. From continuous updates, new features, more street view locations and more Google isn’t slowing down anytime soon. They know they have the best mobile maps system available — but they aren’t stopping at that. Today Google’s showing us their “Trekker” system for Street View making the trek through the Grand Canyon.
If you were wondering how Google Street View shows us things not accessible by road — or those underwater street views we saw a few weeks ago — this is how it’s done. Today on the Google Blog we are learning and seeing a few pictures of the Google Maps Street View team make their way through the amazing sightseeing attraction at the Grand Canyon — somewhere I go mountain biking every year. For those that have never been, now you don’t have to because Street View will enable beautiful panoramic views of the scenery and rugged rocks and cliffs. The image above (and below) is of what Google calls the “Trekker” and it’s a full 360 degrees camera system that the Trekkie can even control with his Android smartphone. Pretty neat right? From underwater street views, tours through Google’s data centers, and hundreds of thousands of new roads being added by the month Google Maps is looking to keep their lead on both Apple and Nokia. Soon you’ll be able to relive and enjoy a first-person real-life journey through the Grand Canyon right from Google Maps.    [via SlashGear]
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| RollerCoaster Tycoon coming to Android in early 2013 Posted: 24 Oct 2012 08:57 AM PDT Atari has some great news for Android gamers today. According to a report from Slide to Play, they are bringing RollerCoaster Tycoon to our beloved Android devices in the early part of 2013. RollerCoaster Tycoon will also be joined by Atari Casino, Outlaw, and a new version of Centipede: Origins.
Sadly, Atari did not reveal any information in terms of the amusement park simulation will play on mobile devices. They also did not say exactly which game in the RollerCoaster Tycoon series it will based on. The game is still months away, so Atari certainly has time to make it work on mobile devices. The game has a loyal following, so Atari needs to make sure the do it right. If you are unfamiliar with RollerCoaster Tycoon, it is a game that tasks players with running every detail of an amusement park. Players would try to make the park profitable by building new rides, controlling ticket prices, and everything else about the backend of a theme park. One of the most popular features is the ability to design custom coasters and ride them yourself. Atari Casino will be free, and will hit the market later in 2012. As you would expect, it will feature slot machines and other casino games. Centipede: Origins will receive new maps, challenges, items and levels to attract players back to the classic game. It will hit the market in November. [Image via RCTGo]
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| Samsung beats Apple in multitouch suit in Dutch courts Posted: 24 Oct 2012 08:13 AM PDT Apple took the courts in the Netherlands with an infringement suit regarding multitouch technology. Dutch courts ruled in favor of Samsung, and cleared them of any infringement claims brought forth by Apple, according to a report from Reuters. This is similar to recent rulings in favor of Samsung in the UK and Germany.
The patent in question covers a broader approach to multitouch than the IP Apple used in its California case earlier this year. The earlier suit involves specific gestures, whereas this patent infringement suit involves a deeper view of how multitouch integrates with the OS and how specific apps recognize it. It’s interesting how a patent involving essentially the same thing, but with a different level of integration can completely alter the result of a litigation. We will have to wait for the full documents to come out to find out exactly why the Dutch courts felt that this was not a case of infringement. Either way, it’s another victory for Samsung, which should have soften the blow of the $1bn judgement in favor of Apple recently. Once the official report comes out, we will let you know in more detail why the case was thrown out by the Dutch courts. [via SlashGear]
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| New image of LG Nexus 4 surfaces on Twitter (but is it real?) Posted: 24 Oct 2012 07:36 AM PDT It seems like every day we are reporting something new on the LG Nexus 4. It’s reaching that point where we start calling it one of the worst kept secrets on the Internet. Well it happened again, and this time it came from evleaks on Twitter. They posted a photo of the device, and of course, that means we have to analyse it and see what details we can glean from it.
One thing that’s clear from the image is that the device is running at least Android Jelly Bean 4.1 because Google Now is shown on the screen. We are guessing it will be running Android 4.2, but that remains to be seen. Reports have consistently cited the LG Nexus 4 being based on the LG Optimus G, and looking at this picture adds some credence to that based on the flat camera. This points to an 8MP camera, which is exactly the resolution of the Optimus G. The evlinks photo did not share any actual specs on the device, so we are still left to speculate. If it is indeed based on the LG Optimus G, it should have a 4.7-inch screen, 1.5Ghz processor with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, NFC capability, and most of the standard stuff you’d expect from a high-end Android device. We expect the device to be announced at the Google event on the 29th. Of course, we will be there covering the event, and will let you know as soon as Google announces this, and everything else. Update: There are questions as to the legitimacy of the above image, based in part on the fact that there appears to be a non-standard battery gage in the notification bar, though in the meantime evleaks has tweeted out a second image with a different on-screen graphics:
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| Samsung launches TecTile version 3.0 for expanded NFC capability Posted: 24 Oct 2012 06:55 AM PDT Samsung has just pushed a new version of its TecTile application to Google Play. TecTile is Samsung’s app that works with its programmable NFC sticker tags. It was first announced in June, and now it’s time for an update. The new version of the app is free, and the tags are available for $14.99 for a pack of five.
The biggest new feature of version 3.0 is the ability to program multiple actions to a single TecTile. The new version also adds customized profiles for different locations and part of their day. Another cool feature is the ability to pull up a history of the tags they’ve programed. Samsung also expanded the list of phone settings that can be changed with the tags. They added airplane mode, which is quite useful. The tags can also integrate with more applications, which should offer expanded uses. Samsung has a ton of devices supporting NFC technology. Some devices included are the Samsung Galaxy Note II, Samsung Galaxy S III, and Samsung Galaxy Note. These TecTile tags were already pretty awesome, and the new version of the app definitely goes a long way in making it ever cooler with some pretty slick new features.
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| Samsung Galaxy Note II Review [T-Mobile] Posted: 24 Oct 2012 06:01 AM PDT Today we have the pleasure of showing you the new and improved Samsung Galaxy Note II. The smartphone needs no introduction as the newest sibling to the device that started the “phablet” trend. Samsung’s Note is back and better than ever with an improved, thinner, more powerful design for round two. The original Galaxy Note was odd and large to say the least but this time around Samsung refined the entire experience. Read on to see our thoughts on the new Note II.
The original Note was released with a lot of fans, but just as many skeptics, us included. Eventually selling millions and millions Samsung is back to sell even more. Hitting all major US carriers with the same awesome idea — just better in every way. The Note is still an impressive smartphone for today’s standards, but the Note II brings things to an entirely new level. Hardware
The resolution was slightly dropped to 1280x720p (from 1280×800) to slim down the width. You’ll see slightly less on the display, but all the usual widgets and apps should have no problems with the screen size. Something the original had issues with. We’ll talk more on that below. As far as the actual hardware and internals everything’s been seriously overhauled and put on steroids. The Galaxy Note II comes complete with the Samsung Exynos 1.6 GHz quad-core processor, we have 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and they’ve also increased battery capacity to 3,100 mAh vs 2,500 on the original. Storage options will actually be 16, 32 and 64GB by carrier choice. Samsung nicely included a micro-SD slot for expanding storage options. Then like most Samsung flagship devices we have a quality 8 megapixel camera on the rear, and a 1.9 MP front shooter for video chatting. Stateside we’ll have 4G LTE and HSPA+ models, as well as Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi, NFC capabilities for Samsung Beam and TecTiles, A-GPS, and a notification multicolor LED up top near the earpiece. Here’s a view of that hardware:       Just like the original, and the Galaxy S III, the device is laid out like you see above. The front is covered in Corning Gorilla Glass 2, and the back has a plastic removable battery cover. The right side houses the lone power and wake button which is lower than before for easy access, micro-USB, S-Pen slot, and a microphone take up the bottom, then the volume up/down rocker to the left side — which is also lower and easier to locate. The top houses the 3.5mm headphone jack, and a noise cancellation microphone pinhole. The entire design is very similar to both the Note, and the Galaxy S III so previous Galaxy users should feel right at home. You’ll be greeted with an aluminum band on the rounded edges, and color options are Pearl White and Titanium Grey.
Still, this is a large phone. It’s very pocketable believe it or not, and doesn’t look too massive against your face while in use — although I’ve received a few looks and double takes this past few weeks. The “try it before you buy it” recommendation is still present here. While we love the size, users with smaller hands might want to give it a try in-store before making a decision. Overall the hardware is simply top notch. But did you expect anything else? Samsung’s took everything they’ve learned in the mobile hardware business and blend it all into one finely crafted smartphone. The hardware is solid, the screen is crisp and vibrant, the cameras are powerful, and the processor under the hood will out-due most netbooks. My only complaint is I’d rather them lose the hardware home button in favor of all on-screen navigation keys. Software Where do we start with software? If you’ve ever used a Samsung device you’ll feel right at home with the Galaxy Note II, only things are better. Android is smoother and faster, project butter ensures a seamless and stable user experience, and everything just runs snappy but you’ll quickly noticed the aesthetics. The video above should give you an excellent idea of the software as a whole, and what to expect while enjoying the S-Pen stylus. Below we have tons of screenshots of the options available as well. Here’s the apps out of the box.
Airview is an awesome addition to the Galaxy Note II that makes it truly unique in the world of Android, and mobile as a whole. Airview uses the active S-Pen stylus and digitizer to actually sense when the S-Pen is near the display. Once a few millimeters away you’ll get a circle or “cursor” on screen. This enables airview preview popups, hints for buttons and icons, as well as tons of other useful features. Simply put the S-Pen near a photo album and you’ll instantly be greeted with an entire preview without ever clicking. It works like a mouse on a PC, only for Android. The same awesome previews work in the browser, gmail, and many other native apps on the Galaxy Note II. From Samsung’s own S Note app you get everything we know and loved on the original Note, but better. Handwriting recognition, object shape-matching, handwriting-to-text and more the options are limitless. The same could be said with S-Voice, as well as Google’s equally impressive Google Now and more. The apps and features available between both parties make this one highly advanced smartphone.
   As you saw in our video above the options are pretty wide. From taking screenshots with the stylus, cropping partial images or text right from the screen and more the S-Pen stylus makes the Note II a powerful content creation device. As well as the ultimate business smartphone. Samsung’s introduced one-handed use, left handed operation settings and more to make the experience top notch, even if you’re a lefty like me or have smaller hands. Sadly Google Now requires users to hold down the home button (which also brings up Android’s multi-tasking) then select the small “G” to bring up Google Now. Overall the implementation is nice, but I’d love an easier route to Google Now or S-Voice. Overall Android 4.1 is a finely tuned machine here from Samsung. They’ve kept Google Now, Jelly Bean expandable notifications are present and work great, Project Butter keeps things smooth, stable, and responsive. Then Touch Wiz only enhances the experience while catering to the many functions and features of the S-Pen.       S-Pen
The Galaxy Note II will launch a dedicated S-Pen homescreen only when the stylus is removed for use, and it also unlocks the smartphone too. Then you’ll get dedicated homescreen shortcuts, as well as notification pulldown options catered around the S-Pen. Then Samsung’s implemented a feature so you’ll never lose that stylus. If enabled, the device will notify users if the S-Pen is left behind by noticing you walk away without it inserted. This can get irritating if you walk around the house — so nicely the feature is an option in settings. Overall the new S-Pen is bigger, more comfortable to hold, and you won’t get hand fatigue trying to hold it while drawing, writing, taking notes, or playing Draw Something.
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      Phone & Battery Now speaking of battery, you’ll be happy to know this area was a success too. The original only received a 2,500 mAh battery, and this time around we get a large 3,100 mAh battery for all day use. It has plenty of juice to make it through an entire day — but we’d love to see a larger battery like the RAZR MAXX HD. There’s more than enough room once you look under the battery door. However, we achieved well over a day of usage with moderate use, and well over 3 hours of actual “screen on time.” Obviously 4G LTE models from Verizon and AT&T could be different, but were inclined to think results will be similar.
Wrap-Up
If you were worried about the Note II fitting in your pocket, bag, or purse, you’ll be happy to know it’s slightly thinner than the original — but that only helps in hand. This is still not very pocketable (my phone’s in my hand almost 24/7 when I’m out and about anyways) and certainly might not fit many jean pockets. If you aren’t concerned with the size of the Galaxy Note II then this is a must buy smartphone. It is everything Samsung has envisioned and more. The Samsung Galaxy Note II has the absolute latest version of Android, the latest screen technology, one of the fastest mobile processors on the planet, and will allow users hours of content creation and consumption. The original Note broke the phablet ice, and the Galaxy Note II is here to break into your wallets instead. Everything about this new smartphone has improved over the original, while also getting a little easier on the hands. While it may not appeal to everyone, those looking for the latest and greatest, love Samsung, or just want a massively beautiful display the Galaxy Note II is the device for you. We’ll be hearing from each respective carrier over the coming days for full pricing and details, but expect this to hit for $299 on contract across the US soon.                               Device Info
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| Dragon Mobile Assistant launches on Google Play Posted: 24 Oct 2012 05:56 AM PDT Dragon’s own Siri competitor launched on Google Play in beta today. Dragon is working hard on its natural language technology, and this app reflects that. The new application completely free, so if you are looking for a new way to interact with your phone, there is no reason to not to take a look at this app.
Dragon Go! was Nuance’s previous app, and it offered similar functionality to Dragon Mobile Assistant, but this new app functions more like Siri than the previous app. "Consumers loved the original Dragon Go! and wanted even more," said Michael Thompson, executive vice president and general manager, Nuance Mobile. "So we totally redesigned the experience in a conversational way and added the most popular personal assistant features." It’s clear that Dragon took queues from other personal assistant apps and used its voice detection power to build a solid app capable of competing. Dragon’s app offers a hands free mode that is perfect for driving. You can wake up the app while driving by simply saying “Hi Dragon.” It will also play inbound text messages automatically when set to Driver Mode. With the prevalence of the problems that can come from texting and driving, this is a fantastic feature. Dragon plans to add new features to the app before the year ends. The did not explicitly say if the app will still be called a beta through the year’s end. Users with an Android device with Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 and above can download the app from Google Play right now.       
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| Unlocked Galaxy S III receives Jelly Bean update in the UK Posted: 24 Oct 2012 05:40 AM PDT A new OTA update for unlocked Galaxy S III devices in the UK is rolling out this morning. UK carriers have been gradually rolling out Jelly Bean updates to devices, but until this morning, unlocked phones remained out in the cold. Thankfully, the wait for unlocked phones is over, and you should have already received an OTA update. If not, you should see the update any minute.
Jelly Bean adds some awesome new features to the Galaxy S III. One of the coolest is Google Now, which uses appointments and locations to show important pieces of information. It also adds more details to the notification bars, and the ability to pause and resume videos during recording. To check for the update on your phone, simply go to “About Device” in settings and choose update. Of course, you can load up Kies and check for the update there. For those of us in the US waiting for some Jelly Bean love, Samsung has said that it will be here “in the coming months.” Essentially, it’s on the carriers to push the update to market, so we may have to wait a bit longer. [via SlashGear]
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| T-Mobile offers Galaxy Note II, but they want $70 more than AT&T Posted: 24 Oct 2012 05:24 AM PDT T-Mobile has announced that they are selling the Galaxy Note II, and that is available right now. They clearly did not want to get left out of the hype generated by AT&T’s announcement. Since T-Mobile got the phone to market first, they decided to charge $70 more than AT&T, and there are no differences between T-Mobile’s and AT&T’s versions of the phone.
Of course, if you’re already on T-Mobile and eligible for an upgrade, then you’re going to have to pay the higher price if you want to grab a Note II. The phone features the same Android 4.1 for the operating system, a quad-core 1.6 GHz processor, and the 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display as the AT&T version. Either way, it’s a great phone, so even if you have to pay a little extra, it could be worse. The extra-large phone has a full HD camcorder, a 3100 mAh battery, and 16GB of internal memory. It also supports microSD cards for expansion. If you are interested in grabbing it for T-Mobile, you can do so right now. On AT&T, you can preorder the device tomorrow and pick one up on November 9. [via SlashGear]
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| Zynga internal memo confirms layoffs, closures Posted: 23 Oct 2012 05:05 PM PDT The days of pulling out your phone and indulging in a moment of Words with Friends or Draw Something might be coming to an end. Earlier today, Zynga workers were greeted with a notice that they had two hours to pack up and get out. Now an internal email by the company’s CEO Mark Pincus confirms that the company plans to cut 5% of its workforce and close the Boston studio.
In addition to closing down the Boston studio, Zynga is also reducing the workforce at its Austin branch, and is considering closing its offices in Japan and the UK. A “small number” of partner teams are also on the chopping block. Thirteen games are to be retired, and The Ville is slated for a significant reduction, according to the email. Thus far, which 13 games are going to be retired is unknown, although the email did mention that they’re older titles. Zynga is currently being sued by EA over The Ville, which claims that the game is a rip off of The Sims Social. Earlier this year, Zynga’s revenue had dropped enough to garner a $22.8 million loss. All in all, things are looking pretty dismal for Zynga. The company’s financial woes combined with its continual struggle to monetize mobile gaming seem to have finally caught up with it, with a lot of employees ending up blindsided. CEO Pincus stated in the email, “This is the most painful part of an overall cost reduction plan that also includes significant cuts in spending on data hosting, advertising and outside services, primarily contractors.” The company’s financial report will be released tomorrow. [via Joystiq]
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| Dead Trigger getting a Halloween-themed update soon Posted: 23 Oct 2012 02:11 PM PDT Halloween is quickly approaching ladies and gentlemen, which means candy for kids in costumes and horror movie marathons for some. Depending on what kind of games you like, it could also mean some Halloween-themed zombie slaying in Madfinger‘s hit mobile game game Dead Trigger. The studio announced the incoming update yesterday, giving us a single image as a way of teasing the additions it brings to table.
Sadly, this means that there’s a lot we don’t know about Dead Trigger‘s Halloween update. It looks like the zombies will be outfitted with jack-o-lanterns, but other than that, there isn’t much we can take away from the screenshot. Still, since Madfinger is pimping the update before its release, it seems safe to assume that Dead Trigger players will be getting new weapons and new maps to play on. We also don’t know when this update will be releasing, but with October 31 right around the corner – it’s just over a week away, guys – it has to be coming soon. Madfinger will likely look to launch the update before Halloween actually arrives. The folks are Droid Life are thinking that it might arrive as early as Friday, and we’re tempted to agree with them. We’ll have to wait and see, though. At this point, we’re at the mercy of Madfinger when it comes to additional details and a release date, so we’ll have to bide our time until the studio is ready to talk. Still, if you’re a Dead Trigger player, the knowledge that a new update is on the way should be enough to satisfy for now. Keep it tuned to Android Community, as we’ll have more information for you once it becomes available!
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| What Google needs to eclipse the iPad mini Posted: 23 Oct 2012 01:18 PM PDT In case anyone somehow missed the news this afternoon, Apple announced and made official their new 7.9-inch iPad mini. At the same time they nicely gave Google’s Nexus 7 some free advertising by comparing the two tablets and letting the Nexus 7 take center stage. With the new iPad mini finally here what does Google need to do in response? Nothing actually, but here’s what we are expecting.
Apple took a few minutes to showcase the iPad mini along side the Nexus 7 on stage during their event. Comparing the larger screen, smaller bezels, and all of those iOS tablet apps. However, they didn’t mention the other side of the isle. Obviously the screen is bigger so you’ll see more of a webpage, but how about resolution? Apple failed to mention the 1024 x 768 resolution isn’t “truly” HD, and is still the old 4:3 aspect ratio. Movies, YouTube videos, and more will all look better on the 1280 x 800 HD IPS display of the Nexus 7.
Price? The iPad mini 16GB WiFi will run users $329, while Google’s Nexus 7 is currently $249 for the same size. However, come October 29th almost all signs are pointing to the Nexus 7 being $199 for the 16GB model, and Google will introduce the already in some stores 32GB Nexus 7 for $249 — making it obviously a better price. The iPad mini comes with older iPad 2 internals like a dual-core A5 processor, while our beloved Nexus 7 is powered by an impressive quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 and 1GB of RAM. About the only selling point in regards to being “better” is the larger screen (for those that need it) and the rear facing camera. So what does Google need to do in order to eclipse the iPad mini? Like we said above, nothing! Still, Google has a slew of announcements up their sleeves and we have a feeling their October 29th Android event next Monday will be aiming for more than the iPad mini. Rumors are suggesting a 10-inch “retina-beating” Nexus 10 with a 2560 x 1600 HD resolution made by Samsung. Pair that with the multiple rumors that Google will also be releasing a 3G Nexus 7 into the Google Play Store — they are sitting pretty. Rumors suggest Google’s 3G/HSPA+ Nexus 7 will be announced on the 29th and here’s the pricing strategy they’ll likely set forth to compete with the new bite-sized iPad. Their 16GB Nexus 7 will be $199, 32GB for $249, and the Nexus 7 32GB HSPA+ for $349. Compare that with the 16GB 4G LTE iPad mini starting at $459 the Nexus 7 is already the clear winner regarding price. In the end the Nexus 7 will not eclipse the iPad mini, nor will the iPad mini wrestle too many buyers away from Google. Both are great products, and both will sell extremely well. Google’s yet to announce any details on how many tablets they’ve actually sold — but we have a feeling that number is coming soon. We’ll end with a question. What do you think Google needs to do in response, if any, and what are your thoughts on the iPad mini?      
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| Apple’s iPad Mini announcement sees Nexus 7 taking center stage Posted: 23 Oct 2012 11:53 AM PDT As many of you already know, today was the day the world finally received that long-awaited iPad Mini reveal. When Apple announced the new bite-sized iPad, it did so by comparing the iPad Mini to the immensely popular Google Nexus 7. Right off the bat, we can tell that Apple perceives the Nexus 7 as the biggest competitor to the iPad Mini, and anyone who owns a Nexus 7 knows that there’s good reason for that.
Naturally, we can’t truly compare the two until we get to check out an iPad Mini with our own hands and eyes, but we do know that the iPad Mini comes with a 7.9-inch screen. Compare that to the seven-incher on the Nexus 7, and it’s clear that the iPad Mini has a larger display. This is something Apple really tried to bring home, showing images of a web page taken from the screens on both the Nexus 7 and the iPad Mini. The Nexus 7 beats the iPad Mini out in terms of resolution, though, with the iPad Mini sporting a 1024×768 display compared to the 1280×800 display on the Nexus 7. The iPad Mini seems like it can hold its own as far as internals go, though the A5 dual-core processor seems to be aging a bit when held against the quad-core Tegra 3 found in the Nexus 7. While the iPad Mini is certainly an impressive device, there’s one thing that leaves us feeling a little turned off: the price. You can get an 8GB Nexus 7 right this minute for $199, and there’s a lot of evidence that the 16GB model will be dropped down to that price once October 29 rolls around. The price of a 16GB iPad Mini with Wi-Fi? $329, and if you want 4G functionality, that price goes up to $459. Of course, value is in the eye of the beholder, but as far as price goes, we’ll pick a Nexus 7 as our mini tablet of choice every time. What about you? Device Info
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[via SlashGear]
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