[Rumor]Nexus 5 smartphone and Nexus 7.7 tablet to be announced at Google I/O?

Leaks this morning indicate LG and Google will announce a Nexus 5 smartphone and an upgraded Nexus 7.7 tablet at Google I/O in May.

The Nexus 5 is pegged to have a 5" 1080p screen, a Tegra 4 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 3MP front and 13MP rear camera, and 8GB or 16GB of memory.  How much will this set you back you might ask?  The leak indicates the price will continue to start at a mere $299 just like the Nexus 4.

The Nexus 7.7 is said to have a 1920 x 1200 HD screen (294ppi), a Tegra 4 processor, 2GB of RAM, and at least 8GB of memory.  Again, price is rumored to start at the same $199 price point as the current Nexus 7.

The leaks sound plausible and may help explain some of the comments made by LG Senior Vice President James Fisher last week.  If you recall, Fisher said "Through our collaboration with Google, we launched the LG Nexus 4 smartphone. This is the first of many devices to come from our growing partnership with this very selective company."  Considering LG can't even keep the Nexus 4 in stock, it seemed odd to already be talking about future products, but hopefully Fisher was referring to the Nexus 5 and 7.7.

Google is also rumored to announce Android 5.0 (Key Lime Pie) at Google I/O.  Who knows, maybe we'll get an upgraded Nexus 10 with the Exynos 5 octa-core inside too?  All I know for sure is May suddenly can't get here fast enough!

[News] Report indicates tablet demand greater than expected

Who knew?  Analysts with IDC are predicting that sales numbers for popular Android and Apple tablets will be greater than previously thought, with an estimated 122.3 million devices sold worldwide (up from the previously estimated 117.1 million).  These trends are expected to continue though the next few years, with forecast numbers published through 2016.  Market share is expected to be largely dominated by Apple products, with Android devices coming in 2nd place, and Windows devices a (very) distant 3rd.  A whopping 282.7 million devices will be in the hands of consumers by 2016 - a number that is mind boggling to me right now.  But if folks are getting as much enjoyment as I am out of my tablet, perhaps this isn't such a huge surprise after all.

Mobile computing and web content consumption is on the rise, especially in the global market, and tablets (as well as smartphones) are an alternative to get this content at a much more cost effective price point than a traditional home PC or laptop.  Google's $249 Chromebook notwithstanding, most people have to have a mobile phone for a host of other reasons, and when it comes to spending discretionary cash, a lot of folks are going to choose what they need first.  And that means that the mobile phone (or smartphone) comes before a laptop or PC.  And it looks like the tablet is quickly growing into the "need" category from the "want" category.

*Source:  BGR

[Special Feature]Two Tech Geeks Best of Tech 2012

With the year coming to a close, and the looming Mayan Apocalypse, the Two Tech Geeks thought it would be a good idea to take a look back and highlight some of our favorite things from that wacky, wonderful year that was.  Without further ado, we bring you our Best of Tech 2012:

Best Small Tablet (8" screen or smaller):

Sean: Asus Nexus 7
The Nexus 7 has it all; a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, a 1280 x 800 IPS LCD display, 1GB of RAM and 16GB or 32GB of internal memory.  Better yet, the 16GB version will only set you back $199.99 while the 32GB version goes for $249.99.  Sure the iPad mini may be thinner and constructed of nicer materials, but it has an inferior screen and the 16GB iPad Mini costs 65% more than a 16GB Nexus 7.  In the smaller tablet market, the Nexus 7 reigns supreme.

Shawn: Asus Nexus 7

You'll get no argument from me here.  I recently purchased a Nexus 7, and can't actually use it because the wife likes it so much.  Great materials, great screen, small enough to be portable, but big enough to be useful for things your phone is too small for.  In short - its perfect.

[Special Feature] Hands on with the Nexus 4 & Nexus 10 **UPDATE**

The chaps over at Droid-Life managed to lay hands on both a Nexus 4 and a Nexus 10 and very generously did a walk through unboxing and hands on with these two devices ahead of launch day, which happens to be today.  If you are interested in picking up either of these devices, and were looking for some more info on them, check out the below video.  I will advise you up front - its a long video from a Google Hangout, so its not HD quality or anything...and some of the jokes are silly, nerdish, or just plain weird.  If you can get past that, there's some good info on both of the new Nexus devices being released by Google, LG, and Samsung today.  For those looking to buy right away, head to the Google Play store here.

UPDATED:  For those who were interested in buying the Nexus 4, it appears that all of the initial stock of both the 8GB and 16GB devices have sold out.  The device went on sale at 9:00am, and in less than a half hour, Google had updated the Play Store with the dreaded "Coming Soon" instead of the pricing and "Buy Now" button.  Sorry folks...we'll stay on top of this to see when they come back up.  In the meantime, you might be able to pick one up at your local T-Mobile store. 

[News] Nexus 10 sighting in the wild ahead of launch day

While the official launch date of the new Nexus 10 tablet is November 13th, apparently a Walmart store didn't get the memo.  One loyal Droid-Life fan was roaming the tech aisles at this local Walmart and found a sticker advertising the Nexus 10 next to a box or boxes of the product.  If you're an Android enthusiast, this product will likely be on your radar already...a tablet from Google and partner Samsung designed to tackle the iPad head on.

Below is a quick photo of the tag; if you're in the market for one of these, it might be worth a trip to your local Walmart to see if one can be had ahead of the launch week rush.

Photo courtesy of Droid-Life

*Source:  Droid-Life

[News] Video usage of Nexus products, with Android 4.2

Check out this video from the good folks over at the Verge, who got a crazy sit down with some of the key players at Google, showing off some of the great new features of 4.2 Jelly Bean and the new Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 products.

Its about 15 minutes long, but well worth your time.

*Source:  The Verge

[News]Google's official blog reveals pricing for Nexus 4, Nexus 7 (16GB and 32GB ), Nexus 7 w/mobile data and Nexus 10

A post this morning on Google's official blog has revealed pricing for all their new Nexus products.

Without further ado, here's the list:

• Nexus 4: 8GB for $299; 16GB for $349; available unlocked and without a contract on 11/13 on the Google Play store in U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain and Canada. The 16GB version will also be available through T-Mobile for $199, with a 2-year contract (check here for more details).
• Nexus 7: 16GB for $199 and 32GB for $249; available in U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan, and also through our retail partners Gamestop, Office Depot, Office Max, Staples, Walmart.
• Nexus 7 with 32GB and mobile data: $299 and unlocked, on sale 11/13 in the Google Play store in U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain and Canada.
• Nexus 10: 16GB for $399; 32GB for $499; available on 11/13 in the Google Play Store in U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan.

[News]Nexus 10 pictures leak ahead of October 29th reveal

Courtesy of briefmobile.com we now have pictures of the previously rumored Nexus 10 (N10) tablet:

The leak indicates the Nexus 10 will be running Android 4.2 out the box.  Other specs include a 2560 x 1600 (Super AMOLED?) screen, a cortex A15 dual-core 1.7ghz Exynos 5250 CPU/Mali-604 GPU combo, 2GB of ram, 16GB of internal memory, a 5MP rear camera, NFC/WiFi, and Bluetooth 4.0.  As with all Nexus products the N10 does not have an SD card slot.

As predicted the Exynos 5250 CPU/Mali-604 GPU combo is the same one used in Google and Samsung's new Chromebook and is the first cortex A15 chip in a tablet or smart phone. 

The screen also falls in line with previous rumors and gives the Nexus 10 the highest PPI of any tablet on the market at 299.  This compares favorably with the current market leading iPad which has a PPI of 264.

No word on pricing yet, but Google's October 29th event can't get here soon enough!

Update:

More pictures of the front, back, and profile: