GOOGLE: NEXUS 7 II? AND THE FUTURE OF GOOGLE PLAY

GOOGLE: NEXUS 7 II? AND THE FUTURE OF GOOGLE PLAY
Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers... Here I am on my third blog of the day! Did you see the BlackBerry 10 launch? What did you think? My headline was prophetic: Can they (BlackBerry) come back from the RIM?

I am developing a sixth sense for tech... Hmmm...

NEXUS 7 II?
I think it’s time... Time for a new version of the most popular Android tablet, the Nexus 7! It’s almost a year since it has been out and I believe an upgrade is due.

When you think about it, just about every electronics manufacturer – some you have never heard of – are about to or in the process of releasing an Android tablet very shortly! It is said that Samsung are about to drop a few tablets into the swirling cup that is the iffy Android tablet market. Why “iffy”? We’ll get to that in a bit... Yes, Samsung is said to be launching several tablets: Galaxy Note 8 and a new, third generation of their Tab-line: 7”, 8” and 10”. It’s also been rumoured that there will be a couple of Tab 10” Plus versions that will feature a higher screen resolution and probably built in cellular. We’ll see.

The reason why we are going to see a rush of Android tablets is because I am assuming that the manufacturers want to get a look-in ahead of the anticipated Nexus 7 II; I don’t know what naming convention they’ll adapt for the probable Nexus 7 second generation but I am pretty sure that it is coming in May to coincide with the Google I / O convention.

“IFFY”?
The reason why I stated that the Android market is “iffy” is down to the fact that there aren’t many apps that are tablet specific. It appears – on the surface (no pun intended) – the Android tablet is something of a fashion statement, geek accessory or tool! Yes, you can still do some decent productivity with the Android tablet.

Because we have seen the Android handset grow to a spectacular 5” with a full HD resolution I think that the “iffy” is about to be eradicated. Another aspect of “iffy” is that there is so much crap out there in the name of an Android tablet. You can find these cheap tablets almost anywhere – lowbrow (I think that’s what you call them) supermarket chains such as Lidl and Aldi. You can find them in electronic stores such as Maplin going for a “bargain”. I guess once in a while some of those cheap tablets can be reasonably good for the money – usually they are going for around £99 to £150.

THE POSITIVE
What the cheap (and sometimes nasty) tablets have demonstrated is that there is a great need – demand for a reasonably priced tablet. Previously, it was only a few manufacturers putting out Android tablets that were too costly for what they were. It took Google and Asus to break the stranglehold that the iPad had on the tablet market.

And today we have a great tablet in the Archos 9.7" Titanium HD for an example! I am sure that there will be more tablets with excellent spec for the money! I told you, this is the year of the Android tablet. I will get one this year!

NEXUS 7 II SPEC?
What we’ll most likely see is a full HD screen, less bezel (PLEASE!!!!), a camera at the back – possibly 5MP, which is fine and external storage. The CPU will probably be the Snapdragon S4 Pro! What I would like to see is a larger capacity i.e. 32GB instead of 16GB as level entry. Yeah, why not? Look at the idiocy that Apple is coming up with, iPad 4 Maxi (“Maxi”?) with a whopping 128GB of internal storage for the price of a decent desktop or laptop PC! Google has the finance to add some serious onboard storage and a port for external storage too!

I think I must be one of the few – if not only person – who wouldn’t mind having a thicker tablet. Why? I believe that a thicker tablet can hold more vital ports and just as importantly, hold a battery with a higher capacity. I could be wrong, but I think that trying to produce the most thinnest tablet (and handset) could possibly make the devices difficult to produce without fault thus the cost of these things go up!

I do LOVE the plastic / rubberized materials that go into Android premium tablets as it makes them more robust and easier to handle. These things are meant to be used in our everyday lives and not to hang on the wall.

I wonder if Google will produce an 8” tablet too as part of the line-up. They should!

EXTENDED GOOGLE APPS
Do you know what baffles me a little about the Android OS? It’s just how little the I /O events inspire developers to produce recognizable apps like you see on the iPad. Although Google have great widgets / apps in the form of Search, Maps, YouTube, etc they do need to set-up a division that will create key apps in the following categories:

Music production and learning

Video editing

Content making i.e. eBooks that allows users to sell their work. I am surprised that Google haven’t cottoned on to this idea already. I would – if I had the know how – create something like YouTube for people to upload their books, etc. I think it’s a great opportunity to create new writers and for the writers to make money through purchasing of which Google would take a cut.

Come to think about it I don’t know why they don’t create a Music service for independent artists. I have always said that we need an alternative to the music destroying iTunes. Every musician wants to be on iTunes and I think it’s not the place for independent music. Google can so easily create genre based “stations” with the ‘Play Music’ app / widget. Play Techno, Play DubStep and so on. Allow independent record labels to distribute their music!

Productivity! I think we could do with some more productivity apps for business, design, etc.

These I / O events are a waste of time if it is not going to yield in high quality apps! I think Google must start this trend off!

By allowing for independent writers and musicians to create content that users can purchase it would add to Google’s money making power and give the public inexpensive but powerful tablets and handsets! I believe I am right with this way of thinking!

What do you reckon?

Thank you for reading!

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