Sundar Pichai, Google senior VP of Chrome and Android, introduces new Nexus 7 tablet and Chromecast TV streaming device.Continuing its attempt to become a force on every device from smartphones to tablets to televisions, Google today debuted both a new Nexus 7 tablet and, in a surprise, a $35 device to stream video and other content from any device to televisions.
The new Nexus 7 seven-inch tablet has a bigger, sharper screen, faster chips and, in one version, 4G connectivity. They will range in price from $230 to $350, higher than the current range of tablets.
But the big news was the Chromecast device, a $35 USB dongle that hooks up to a TV and allows videos, photos, and other content to be streamed in real-time to televisions. It's Google's latest attempt, following several failed attempts, to bring its brand, content, and in the process its lucrative ads to the vast audience of TV watchers.
The event was billed as a " breakfast with Sundar Pichai " this morning in San Francisco. Pichai, the Google senior vice president in charge of both the mobile operating software Android and the Chrome operating software for netbooks, said in an interview that Google wanted to solve the issue that only 15% of people, by its reckoning, know how to view online content on their TV. That's despite many settop boxes from Apple, Roku, Google itself, and others, which have not sold in huge numbers. Google needs to find a way to play in television if only to reach a large audience that to date has been beyond its reach.
Pichai said the Chromecast device will remain distinct from Google's not-very-successful Google TV initiative, which includes both devices and TVs outfitted with its software for accessing online content on the TV. He says Chromecast is for easily " flinging" video, photos, and other material to the TV without much hassle. He says Google is still betting that Google TV devices and TVs will remain appealing for full TV experiences. "There are times when you want an immersive experience on your TV," he says.
Nonetheless, it's clear that Chromecast will hold much greater appeal than Google TV if only because of the low price. "The price alone will get people to try it," says Greg Sterling of Sterling Market Intelligence. "It undercuts all the settop boxes" from Apple, Roku, and others. "Google didn't really make a case for Google TV. This gets them a much bigger user base."
Here's an account of the event:
It seems we are indeed going to get "a lot of updates" on both Chrome and Android as Pichai takes the stage.
The combination of smartphones, tablets, TV, and the like mean it's a multi-screen world, Pichai says in his windup. Google aims to make its services consistent across all those screens, through both Chrome and Android. Today, he's going to talk about two things-a device from Android and a device from Chrome.
We're now at 70 million Android tablet activations. Almost one in two tablets sold worldwide are Android. There are also 50 billion Google Play app downloads. There has been a 2.5 times increase in revenue per user (a key shortcoming of Android vs. Apple 's iOS). Nexus 7 is really what made Android tablets popular, he says.
Today, he officially debuts the Nexus 7. Hugo Barra from Google talks about the seven-inch tablet. The new one is here, he says. It's designed to be even more portable-2 mm thinner than the original. The display size is the same, but Google reduced the bezels on the side. So it's also quite a bit lighter, he says, with a more comfortable grip.
In building this device, he says they focused on a few key design developments. A few new glossy finishes, but the soft finish remains the same. He touts the crisp, bright display with more pixels, to 1920 by 1200 pixels, for true 1080p high definition. From 216 pixels per inch to 323 pixels per inch, the highest of any tablet, he claims. You can watch movies and videos in full 1080p HD.
It also features both front and rear-facing cameras, with the rear one 5 megapixels. The Snapdragon chip is four times faster on graphics, almost double the processing power. App switching is much faster as a result. There also will be an unlocked 4G LTE model in the U.S. with service from Verizon, T- Mobile and AT&T .
The battery provides one extra hour of power, up to nine hours of HD video playback and up to 10 hours of browsing and e-book reading.
This is the first device shipping with the new "Jelly Bean" Android software, officially called Android 4.3, which is also being formally introduced today. This adds the ability to have multiple users with restricted profiles, so parents can block access to some content and apps.
There's also support for Bluetooth Smart, or low-power, technology. So small devices can pair with the tablet, such as sensors that track physical activity.
He's going geeky now, talking about supporting a new OpenGL standard that I'm sure game developers in particular will love. Android 4.3 also will support a new DRM scheme. Netflix will use it to offer full 1080p HD movies.
The update will start today to the original Nexus devices, including the current Nexus 7 tablet.
Barra conducts a tour of Google apps that use the new capabilities. The better display allows for easier reading of documents such as spreadsheets. The latest version of Chrome, the Google browser, can browse desktop sites without having to zoom to read them. You're also getting 15% more space for the content with the larger screen area. Google Translate can translate a full page pretty quickly, as he demonstrates.
Google Maps look especially stunning, he says. The recently updated tablet Maps app has an Explore feature where you can tap to see restaurants and the like.
The new Nexus is especially good for Hangouts, the video chat feature in the Google+ social network. It features screen sharing, such as editing documents in real time with the other people on the chat.
news by July 25, 2013 at 05:30AM
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