[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.

[News] Nexus 4 to go back on sale today

After some "issues" on launch day with getting the Nexus 4 phone sold to as many people who wanted it, Google has indicated that the new Android flagship phone from Google and LG is now back stock and will go back on sale to the consumer at noon Pacific time.

If you are an AT&T or T-Mobile customer and are in the market for a new Android device, this might be right up your alley.  For detailed specs on pricing and the device, go here.  For a link to the Google Play to buy this unlocked bad boy, go here.

*Source: BGR

[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. 

[Op-Ed]Google misses with the Nexus 4, but it's on the right track

Recently Google officially announced its new flagship Nexus 4 (N4) smart phone.  As expected it packs a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU with an Adreno 320 GPU, 2GB of RAM, a 4.7" TRUE HD IPS+ 1280 x 768 screen, an 8MP camera, a 2100mah internal battery, NFC capability and 8 or 16 GB of internal storage.  From a technical perspective the Nexus 4 is a beast.  It boasts flagship specs in every department save for internal memory.  As I suggested last month though, Google did this for cost cutting reasons.  Flash memory is the most expensive component in modern smart phones and they clearly wanted to keep the price of the N4 down.  They absolutely succeeded.  An unlocked 8GB will set you back only $299.99 through the Google Play Store while the 16GB version retails for $349.99.  The pricing is nothing short of incredible.


Compared to it's predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the Nexus 4 is an improvement in virtually every way.  While the bump up in specs is expected, the improvement in materials is a welcome surprise.  The N4 quite frankly makes the Galaxy Nexus look cheap in comparison.  Aside from the HTC One series and Motorola's new RAZR HD phones, the build quality of OEM Android manufacturers is lacking.  Samsung in particular has a history of using cheap feeling plastics in their phones.  It's nice to see LG and Google break from the pack and produce a phone with premium specs and materials.  Yes the glass back on the Nexus 4 may end up being more fragile than the plastic back on the Galaxy Nexus, but it's still a step in the right direction.

[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.