Google Nexus tablet in next 6 months teases Schmidt

Google will begin promoting what could be the first official Nexus tablet within the next six months, according to chairman Eric Schmidt, the latest stage in the “brutal competition” between it and Apple. “In the next six months we plan to market a tablet of the highest quality” Schmidt told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sea, while also confirming that Google plans to leverage its voice recognition technology to better challenge Apple’s Siri.

Schmidt was at pains to praise Apple co-founder Steve Jobs for his work in transitioning the tablet from vertical and enterprise markets to a consumer-centric product. “Steve Jobs was the Michelangelo of our time” he told the newspaper, “[he] realized the revolutionary potential of the tablet and has created an amazing product like the iPad.” However, “our companies compete” he continued, “it is capitalism.”

Exact details of the upcoming tablet were not revealed, and it’s unclear whether the slate will be specifically branded with Google’s Nexus nomenclature or be another manufacturer’s model that the search giant will champion. A similar strategy was put in place earlier in the year, when Google worked with Motorola to launch the XOOM, the first Honeycomb tablet on the market.

Now, of course, Google is partway through the process of acquiring Motorola Mobility, and could well use its closer ties with the company to develop a true Google Nexus tablet. Whatever the manufacturer, the slate will likely use Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest version of Android; the tablet UI for ICS was discovered accessible in the Galaxy Nexus late last week.

Google has used the Nexus range – so far limited to phones – to help push its interpretation of how the smartphone should evolve. The first model, the HTC-made Nexus One, led the market in processor speed, while its successor, the Samsung-made Nexus S, introduced features like NFC. Most recently, the Galaxy Nexus arrived, the debut device for ICS.

Android tablets have generally struggled to compete with Apple’s iPad, and even the HP TouchPad managed to squeeze ahead of Android-based models in 2011 sales thanks to its cut-price discounting. Common criticisms include the somewhat jerky performance of Android 3.x Honeycomb, as well as a shortage of slate-scale apps to suit the larger displays.

Source: SlashGear.com - Chris Davies

Link: http://www.slashgear.com/google-nexus-tablet-in-next-6-months-teases-schmidt-19203174/

Google Working on Nexus Tablet to Compete With IPad

Google is working on a Nexus tablet for release by mid-2012, as the company looks to challenge Apple‘s iPad.

The Mountain View, Calif.- based company’s device will be “of the highest quality,” according to chairman Eric Schmidt‘s comments to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. Schmidt called Apple co-founder Steve Jobs “the Michelangelo of our time,” but said his company would compete hard in the market Jobs helped create.

Schmidt did not get into details about the potential specs of the tablet, but his company has only used the Nexus label on high-end smartphones that are “pure Google” devices. In other words, Nexus phones contain the stock version of the newest Android OS without bloatware from any manufacturer.

The Nexus tablet will also be high-end and likely run Google’s new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich platform. The OS is a marriage of Android 2.3 Gingerbread for smartphones and Honeycomb, which has been used for tablets. Android tablets have struggled to gain traction against the iPad, but critics hail ICS as a much improved, cleaner OS that may have what it takes to go up against iOS.

Google’s exact strategy with the Nexus tablet is still unknown. There are no release dates, specs or manufacturing partners yet, but Schmidt’s proclamation that it will directly compete with the iPad is likely what will make it stand out. Companies like HP, Motorola and RIM rolled out tablet offerings priced similarly to the iPad, but all have failed, bringing new players in the market to take on Apple’s device.

Amazon’s Kindle Fire, priced well below the iPad at $200, is aimed at consumers who may find the price of the iPad too steep but are still interested in tablets. Similarly, Barnes & Noble‘s Nook Tablet offers the same type of specs and package as the Fire at $250. The two products are barely a month old, but initial sales have been good for both companies.

The Nexus brand name has accrued favor from consumers in the smartphone, but it remains to be seen if it’s strong enough to compete when attached to tablet that falls in the same price range as the iPad.

Google’s Nexus tablet may give the company the first high-end tablet that’s formidable enough to be labeled a true iPad competitor, but if it fails, it will join a long list of products before it that couldn’t knock the king off the throne.

Source: Forbes.com
Link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/mobiledia/2011/12/21/google-working-on-nexus-tablet-to-compete-with-ipad/

Eric Schmidt : une tablette Nexus dans les six prochains mois ?

Eric Schmidt vient d’indiquer qu’une tablette Google existait et arriverait dans les six prochains mois !

Depuis l’arrivée d’Android 3.0 (Honeycomb), on sait que Google mise beaucoup sur les tablettes. L’Android Market est un peu vide de ce côté-ci, mais l’accent mis sur la quasi-totalité de cette année 2011 montre un grand intérêt. Des rumeurs sont logiquement apparues indiquant que le géant de la recherche allait sortir sa première tablette, en suivant le même principe que les Nexus (Nexus One, Nexus S et Galaxy Nexus). Jusqu’à présent, la quasi-totalité des rumeurs étaient infondées, mais Eric Schmidt vient de mettre les choses au clair.

Dans une interview à Corriere.it, l’ancien PDG de Google indique qu’une tablette Google existe bel et bien. Il ne s’agit en aucun cas de la Motorola Xoom qui avait servie lors du développement de Honeycomb, mais bien d’un autre produit. Il n’appartient pas forcément à la lignée des Nexus (le nom n’est pas définitif), mais cette tablette arriverait dans six prochains mois. Il n’est pas précisé s’il s’agit de l’annonce ou de la commercialisation. Si vous lisez l’italien couramment, vous pouvez consulter l’interview sur le site du journal.

Eric Schmidt ajoute également qu’un service équivalent à Siri va être lancé. Des ingénieurs y travaillent déjà depuis quelques temps, mais il reste encore beaucoup de travail.


Source: FrAndroid.com - Edouard Marquez
Link: http://www.frandroid.com/actualites-generales/88344_eric-schmidt-une-tablette-nexus-dans-les-six-prochains-mois/