I have to hand it to Google. They, along with Asus have put together a tablet that should do well in the market. Based on my experience with an Asus laptop, it is a great company. According to reviewers who have had a chance to get their hands on the Nexus 7 claim it is solid and easy to use. It is going for a competitive $199 price, the same price as the Kindle Fire.
Good news for Android lovers. The Nexus 7 will run on the latest Android operating system, Jelly Bean.
Here’s the catch. Google has a tendency to release a lot of projects that show promise, then they fizzle. Note Google Wave, and Google Buzz. Even Google Plus hasn’t found a strong footing. They’re very innovative with their ideas, but they don’t quite follow through from start to finish. If the tablet went in the same direction, technical support would be mediocre at best.
An advantage that Amazon has over Google as far as tablets are concerned, is seniority. Over the past year, Amazon has built up a robust app collection for the Kindle Fire. It is also the front runner on books, which is the way it should be considering that books are what Amazon is most known for.
The 2nd generation of the Kindle Fire is expected to release on July 31 with a camera and other much needed tune ups. So, if you can wait a month, see what this new version has to offer, and then weigh it with the Nexus 7. Chances are that Amazon will include a lot of the features that the Nexus 7 currently offers that the first generation Kindle Fire doesn’t, such as a camera.
When it comes to buying technology, I try to wait til the 2nd generation or later. I did this with my Kindle, iPad, and Live Person Phone. The price goes down and the device gets a tune up.
Google’s biggest asset is search engine technology. Different companies excel at different things. I think they have what it takes to make a good 7 inch tablet that can be competitive. The question is, will they go the extra mile and make it better than good?
As consumers we have options that can fit different preferences as opposed to being locked into one device, which is awesome. I’ll be watching closely to see what happens with the new Google tablet, and how it will fare in the tablet market.