The popular 7-inch Android tablets currently out there such as the Google Nexus 7 are quite affordable. But here’s something that’s for those of you who are on a very, very tight budget. The Maxwest TAB-7155DC (aka Ippo Y88) is an Android 4.1.1 tablet which costs just $65, and it’s being shown off at CTIA 2013.

But, as you might have guessed by now, that very low price tag certainly doesn’t mean a high end machine. It features a 7-inch 1024 x 600-pixel capacitive multitouch LCD screen, which apparently is coming with poor viewing angles and is not covered with glass but a scratch prone acrylic cover.

There’s a 1GHz dual-core Cortex A5 CPU with Mali 400 GPU, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of built-in storage (microSD support is there), front and back VGA cameras, WiFi b/g/n and a 2800mAh battery. But no Bluetooth or GPS radios. And you will also find micro-USB port (with on-the-go), mini-HDMI output, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, along with microphone and speaker. The device will be available in black, white, silver, red, blue and pink.

The slate will give you access to the Play Store and its build quality and performance appear to be quite decent for that much money. But these very cheap tablets usually arrive with a ton of problems. We suggest going for the 7-inchers from Acer or Asus. There are also really cheap Hisense tablets that have beefier specs for around $99 and $150 (depending on model) that are soon making their way over to Walmart.

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Tech lovers everywhere should be excited about the 2013 Google I/O conference which kicks off today! So what all things are expected to be unveiled at the event? Let’s take a look.

The search giant has been rumored for quite some to be working on a music streaming service similar to Spotify. And apparently Google has already signed deals with Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group for launching a paid subscription service which will give users access to a whole library of music and not just individual songs or albums. As for the fees, they most probably will ask close to $10 per month. Spotify users are charged $9.99 a month for listening to as many songs as they like.

If Google launches their service today, it would give them a head start on Apple who themselves are reportedly trying to introduce a service similar to Pandora. But recent reports have suggested that the Mac maker’s service will be delayed due to deal making problems.

Next up is Google Glass, their high tech wearable computer. They could have plans to announce some more exciting stuff about the device. But don’t expect too much as the developers are still testing the “Explorer” edition and it will take about a year for the final product to arrive.

We might get a peek at the next version of the Android OS “Key Lime Pie”, but it is looking more likely we will instead see another version of Jelly Bean. And the Jelly Bean update could be previewed on new hardware, maybe an upgraded Nexus 7 with a much faster CPU and improved display. And if that device is also given the $199 price tag, that will be more trouble for the iPad Mini starting at $329. The iPad Mini sales are reportedly against Apple’s expectations at the moment, probably because consumers are waiting for the device’s successor.

Also expected is a possible Nexus 4 smartphone refresh. There also are quite a few gaming-related announcements planned!

What do you hope to see shown off at I/O?

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It has been talked about for a while that HTC is working on Windows tablets to be released sometime this year. According to a new rumor, the Taiwanese manufacturer is planning to release two tablets running Windows RT Blue in October.

First up is the smaller of the two, the HTC R7, which could be the first of a wave of small screen Windows tablets expected to be available in the coming months. The R7 apparently boasts a 7-inch full HD screen, a 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM, a 13 MP cam, 16GB of storage (and microSD slot), and it will be available as a Wi-Fi only version and as a model with LTE/HSPA+ support.

The R7’s bigger screened brother, the HTC R12, will reportedly feature a 12-inch display with a resolution of 2048×1536 (similar to the iPad’s Retina Display). It will come equipped with the same internal specs as the R7, though the R12 will add NFC and HDMI.

The rumor suggests that the devices will be launched on October 13^th. There’s currently no info regarding possible price tags, though we believe that they won’t come cheap looking at the specs. If the R7 is coming with the reported features, it is less likely to hit the market as a budget tablet to go against tablets like the Nexus 7. For that segment, “Clover Trail” tablets are expected to arrive sometime in the future.

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It’s no secret that I have fallen out of love with the iPhone and am very much an Android phone user, but for tablets I still can’t get enough of the iPad Mini. It’s small, fast, has very little bezel and just outperforms anything else in its class, but perhaps not for long.

Google and Asus are preparing a new version of the Nexus 7 and are rumoured to be taking a few styling and feature cues from Apple’s tiny iOS tablet. The new Nexus 7, which could go on sale as early as July, is reported to offer a larger screen but with less bezel than the current Nexus tablet.

Further reports claim that a higher resolution display will be in place on the new Nexus 7 along with a faster processor and more RAM. I don’t know about you guy’s but if Google and Asus throw in a decent rear camera and Android Key Lime I’ll be sorely tempted to ditch the iPad Mini.

What do you think of the current Android tablets out there on the market? How to their compare to their rivals in the Windows and iOS world?

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It looks like Google and Asus are teaming up again for a second-gen version of the Nexus 7, and if rumors are to be believed, they could be ditching Nvidia as the processor supplier this time around.

The rumor claims that the second-gen Nexus 7 will instead use a Qualcomm processor, and could have to due with Qualcomm’s chip integration process. While the Nvidia Tegra 4i does in fact have integrated 4G LTE, supposedly the processor came to late to fit in with their development plans and launch schedule for the Nexus 7′s successor.

The idea of Asus and Google switching to Qualcomm is believable enough, but keep in mind that this rumor comes from sources reporting to DigiTimes. DigiTimes has a less-than-perfect track record when it comes to this sort of ‘news’, so take it with a healthy dose of salt.

Regardless of what processor gets thrown in there, we do know that it seems more than likely that Asus and Google would team up again for the Nexus 7. The biggest reason is just how much of a success the 7-incher has been in tablet market, selling roughly 5 million units give or take some.

When the Nexus 7 successor does arrive, what kind of features and improvements are you hoping for when compared to the original? Shout out your ideas in the comments below.

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It’s late, in fact very late, but it was finally here. The official Nexus 7 Pogo pin dock hit the Play Store and the good news was that it came with a price tag of only $29.99 in the US (25GBP in the UK and 30 Euros across Europe), $10 cheaper than from other online retailers. Maybe that’s why the dock has disappeared so quickly. It is already sold out, or “temporarily out of stock” according to the product page.

Just in case you are new to this accessory, the dock is coming equipped with microUSB and audio out ports, but that’s about it. There’s no HDMI. It just charges your Nexus 7 and can be connected to headphones or speakers. And yeah, it also acts as a nice stand for watching movies and more, as you can see above.

If you care about these things you can place an order after waiting till it is available again and get the dock in a week or two. Yes, you will have to wait again. So, are you interested in the dock or do you feel it isn’t really worth it at this point?

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At present, there are many 7 inch Androids tablets out there for customers to choose from such as the Nexus 7, the HP Slate 7, or devices from Acer, Asus, Lenovo and countless others. Being highly portable and offering lower price tags, smaller Android tablets are becoming quite popular. And now, it appears like these new tablets will be overtaking the iPad in quarterly market share, according to estimates by Sameer Singh at Tech Thoughts.

Data suggests that 57% of the market will be taken by Android tablets while iPad will take 40% by the end of Q1. These predictions are mostly based on tablet display shipments. Of course we can’t say that these figures will be completely accurate, but analysis of the supply chain sometimes does tell us what is coming especially in the near future.

According to available data, compared to the shipments of the iPad Mini and the full-sized iPad, the shipments of 7-inch Android tablets are on the rise which might be suggesting an increasing demand for cheaper 7 inchers. Although 10-inch tablets are still popular, they don’t seem to be growing at the same rate as 7-inchers, both running Android or even Apple’s own iPad Mini. In fact the iPad Mini is also affecting the sales of the 9.7-inch iPad.

Will 7-inch Android tablets overcome Apple’s iPad in the tablet market soon, or will these predictions prove wrong? We will have to wait and see. In the meantime, you can share your thoughts on the matter.

Do you prefer iOS, Android, or maybe even Windows on a tablet? What size of display, 7 to 8 inches or 9 inches plus?

The post Look Out iPad, 7-Inch Android Tablet Market Continues to Grow appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

There was a size gap between the Galaxy Note 2 and the Note 10.1, but not anymore. Samsung has officially unveiled their Galaxy Note 8.0, which was expected as the company certainly can’t stay ahead without reacting to the success of the Nexus 7 and iPad Mini.

Similar to the other Galaxy Notes, this one also features the S Pen functionality, but one of the key features is that the device will allow you to make and take phone calls on the HSPA+ enabled version of the device. This is a pretty big distinction as it basically turns your tablet into a phone of sorts, though most people using it this way will likely opt for a bluetooth headset as opposed to holding this monster up to their ears.

The device is coming with a 1,280 x 800 screen, which is certainly not something that will help in the sales especially with all the rumors about the Nexus 7 successor with a full HD screen.

As for the other features, it has the 1.6 GHz Exynos 4 quad, 2 GB of RAM, HSPA+ 21 Mbps, a 4,600 mAh battery, Android 4.1.2, and it resembles the company’s Galaxy S III design wise. The device will be available sometime in the second quarter but no hints regarding the price tag. If the company is thinking about competing against the Nexus 7 and iPad mini, the price should be around $300 and $500.

So are you interested in the new tablet? Do you like the idea that it can also be used for phone calls?

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When the Asus Nexus 7 first touched down, it managed to break quite a few conventions. It was a quality, stock Android experience in a 7-inch form factor that had plenty of firepower but still managed an affordable price tag.

While the Nexus 7 is no longer the ‘newest thing’ it is still one of the leading options when it comes to purchasing a 7-inch Android tablet. Now Asus hopes to undercut the Google-branded Asus Nexus 7 with something even cheaper: the Asus MeMo Pad 7, which will cost only $150.

Of course getting to such a cheap price point requires sacrifice. At $50 less than the Nexus 7, the MeMo Pad 7 still manages to look quite a bit like its older brother on the outside but what lies on the inside? What kind of hardware changes need to be made to reach such a budget price?

In this Asus Nexus 7 versus Asus MeMo Pad 7 article we take a look at the MeMo Pad 7 and whether or not you should save yourself a little cash with it or spring for its more expensive older brother.

Raw Power

As you can see in the chart below, the similarities between the Nexus 7 and the MeMo Pad 7 are essentially skin deep. While the Nexus 7 has a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30L Quad-core processor, the MeMo Pad is powered by 1GHz single-core VIA WM8950 processor. As for the rest of the core specs, the Nexus 7 and MeMo Pad 7 both have 1GB of RAM and nearly similar front-facing cameras.

Honestly, the processor is probably the biggest change here. Additionally the MeMo Pad 7 does earn a few extra brownie points by including microSD support into the mix. Wondering about battery life? Expect similar results, as the Pad 7 and Nexus 7 both include a 4,325mAH battery.

Display

Though the Nexus 7 and Pad 7 both have 7-inch displays, the Nexus 7 has a nice 1280×800 IPS panel with 216ppi. In contrast, the MeMo Pad 7 has a much weaker 1024×600 resolution display with 170ppi.

Software and Android Experience

If you are an Android purist, Nexus devices are almost always the best way to go. The Nexus 7 now runs on stock Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and being a Nexus device will be a top priority for future updates like Key Lime Pie going forward.

As for the MeMo Pad 7? This tablet runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and includes a bunch of pre-installed apps. While the apps don’t look too bad– this could certainly be a big turn off for those that don’t like pre-installed additional apps.

Some of what is included are apps like Asus Studio photo editing, BuddyBuzz and SuperNote Lite.

Asus Nexus 7 versus Asus MeMo Pad 7: Is the MeMo Pad a good option or not?

Let’s be honest here, the Nexus 7 and MeMo Pad 7 are aimed at two different market segments. The Nexus 7 is a mid-to-high-end 7-incher for those that plan on regularly using the device as their primary tablet or even computer around the house.

The MeMo Pad 7 on the other hand is only $150 and is meant as a secondary device, or at least for those folks that aren’t relying on the tablet for high-end gaming and tons of apps that are resource-heavy. If you plan to use your tablet mostly for browsing, as secondary device, as a kid’s tablet or even as a cheap back up to a larger 10-inch tablet– the MeMo Pad 7 is certainly a good choice.

The bottom-line though is that for just $50 more you get a tablet that is WORLDS better than the MeMo Pad 7. Even if you don’t plan to use the tablet that much, for such a little price difference, you might be better off just springing for the Nexus 7.

If you are strapped for cash, the MeMo Pad 7 is certainly a great alternative to the many cheap sub-$150 or even sub-$100 tablets out there, but just don’t expect it to turn any heads either. What do you think of the Asus MeMo Pad 7, is it good enough or do you feel that $50 isn’t a big enough price savings to justify the weaker specs?

The post Asus Nexus 7 versus Asus MeMo Pad 7: How Does the Pad 7 Compare to its Older Brother? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Could a new Nexus 7 successor be on its way? According to a new rumor, Asus and Google have teamed up once again for such an effort, with plans to unveil the device at Google I/O on May 15th.

So what’s the rumor claim about the Nexus 7 successor’s specs exactly? Supposedly the next-gen tablet will have a 7-inch 1080p display and a thinner display border, it will keep a similar pricing range of $199-$249 as well and will run a newer version of Jelly Bean right out of the box. Not much else is known about the specs, but the mention of Jelly Bean is interesting considering some believed that Key Lime Pie might be just around the corner.

Alright, so how possible is this? It’s certainly not impossible. A $200 price tag for 1080p sounds a little crazy, but again not necessarily unbelievable. It is worth noting that you should certainly take this all with a grain of salt, especially considering the rumor was started by DigiTimes.

For those that don’t know, DigiTimes tends to have a spotty record for rumors. They dish out this kind of gossip regularly. Sometimes they get it right. Sometimes they are totally off-base.

What do you think, would you be interested in a second generation Nexus 7 anytime soon, or are you perfectly happy with the tablet you have for now?

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