Due to natural disasters in the United States, Google canceled the presentation of new products scheduled for October 29, but it did not abandon plans to announce them, which was done. At first glance, the event is not particularly bright. The company introduced another “Google phone” Nexus 4slightly updated the tablet Nexus 7 and announced a new device in this line – a 10-inch tablet Nexus 10. Well, what’s wrong with that? Amazon and Barnes & Noble recently showed their large tablets as well. Oh yes, Google also equipped the new items with the latest version of Android with a serial number. 4.2which retained the code name Jelly Bean. The update was mostly cosmetic. However, not everything is so simple. This is a landmark announcement and a landmark day for Google. First, the company has completed its line of portable devices. It has a smartphone, 7- and 10-inch tablets. Secondly, for the first time in the history of its “gadget building” Google enters the market with the most powerful products by modern standards, but at the same time adheres to a very modest pricing policy. Usually Apple likes to kick and shake the market, now Google has done it too. But, it’s time to look at the heroes of tonight.
Nexus 4. Glass Sandwich with Silicon Filling
The last two generations of “Googlephones” were made for Google by Samsung, and somehow it turned out that at the time of release they were completely unimpressive with their characteristics. Let me remind you: Nexus S appeared at the end of the life cycle of Samsung Galaxy S and with almost the same, at that time, not the best characteristics. In terms of case materials, it was a step backwards compared to HTC’s Nexus One. Galaxy Nexus is still the same solid plastic, although the device pleased with a large 4.7-inch HD display, but upset with a PenTile matrix. I was pleased with the 2-core modern processor based on Cortex-A9 and again upset with the outdated GPU installed by Samsung in the old Galaxy S of the first generation. Some solid compromises against the backdrop of super-technological for their time Samsung products manufactured under their own brand.
It is not clear what guided Google in the past. Perhaps the Nexus project was not very interesting to her and simply developed by inertia. Or Samsung offered some particularly good prices for the use of certain components: the Nexus S was allowed to use the leftovers from warehouses from the Galaxy S, the Galaxy Nexus did the same, plus it became a testing ground for first-generation AMOLED HD displays. Now there is no point in guessing. More importantly, the Nexus 4 is produced for Google not by Samsung, but by LGand it’s one of the most powerful products on the market in terms of features, and it’s easy to match today’s flagships, including the iPhone 5.
Down with the sheer gloss and remnants of Samsung. The form of Nexus 4 is successive, but it is stricter than that of its predecessors. Matte plastic and glass, and on both sides, as in the iPhone 4/4S. Of course, the steel bezel is cooler than the plastic one, but it is also heavier. As a result, the glass-plastic Nexus, equipped with a 4.7-inch display, weighs less than the iPhone 4S: 135 g (dimensions – 133.9 × 68.7 × 9.1 mm) versus 140 g. Speaking of the display – no AMOLED, only hardcore, only IPS (1280×768 pixels, 320 ppi), and not a simple matrix, but made using technology IPS+ (increased brightness compared to conventional IPS). Moreover, LG used a similar technology used in the iPhone 5 (In-Cell). Koreans call their development G2. In it, the touch panel is built directly into Gorilla Glass 2 glass, which in turn is connected to the LCD matrix by lamination. No air gaps, just a gorgeous picture, literally located on the surface of the glass. By the way, it is slightly rounded at the edges, it turns out a cool effect. According to eyewitnesses, the device is very pleasant to hold in hands. In terms of tactile sensations, they did a good job on it.
Continuing the conversation about the case, let’s pay attention to the rear glass panel with an unusual, almost holographic pattern. It looks stylish, and even masks fingerprints. In addition, a small plastic edge slightly raises the glass back off the surface when the phone is on the table.
At one angle, the pattern is visible …
… and from a different angle, it is already almost invisible …
… turned a little more, and only monolithic black glass is visible
Inside the glass sandwich is one of the most powerful phone SoCs on the market: Snapdragon S4 Pro. It is a 4-core system-on-a-chip with a frequency 1.5 GHzbuilt on the basis of computing cores Krait and graphics accelerator Adreno 320. If these strange names do not mean anything to you, then I will only note that in terms of technologies used, this SoC is on par with the Apple A6 and surpasses Samsung’s 4-core solution from the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II. In addition, the SoC is supplemented 2 GB RAM and 8 or 16 GB of flash memory. There is no microSD card slot – a bummer. The entire filling is powered by a battery with a capacity of 2100 mAh.
It is worth noting that the Nexus 4 has almost a twin brother in the face LG Optimus G, which is currently distributed only in the Korean market. The differences are only in the design of the case and in the camera – the “Googlephone” has it a little simpler. The Nexus 4 uses an 8-megapixel matrix, the Korean brother has a 13-megapixel one. But megapixels are not the main thing. The main thing is that the device shoots much faster and better than its predecessor, especially in low ambient light conditions. In addition, a 360-degree panorama function has appeared, but this is already a feature. Android 4.2, we’ll talk about the features of the OS a little later. There is also a front camera – quite a standard 1.3-megapixel module.
LG Optimus G is the twin brother of the Nexus 4, but with a 13-megapixel camera
Another feature is the built-in telecoil. That is, the device supports wireless charging. Communication capabilities are standard: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, 3G (HSPA +). The usual set of sensors is also present (accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, proximity and ambient light sensors).
Among the chips Android 4.2 you can select widgets for the lock screen. That is, if you wish, it is easy to check your mail or look at the calendar without unlocking the smartphone, but only by swiping the screen left or right. There was a method of entering text without taking your finger off the screen in the manner of SWYPE, while the selection of input words is carried out in real time. The notification area has improved again: you can interact with the notifications themselves more closely (immediately send a tweet, for example), plus there is also a quick settings panel (the closest analogy is SBSettings, but in Android 4.2 it is implemented more conveniently and more beautifully). There are a few other little things, but for the most part this is an evolutionary refinement of Android 4.1. Miracles should be expected from Android 5.0 in six months.
Selfishness is no less important part of the Nexus 4 than its filling. For a model with 8 GB of flash memory, Google asks – attention! – already $300, for the 16-gigabyte model you will have to pay another $50. A huge gingerbread truck overturned on Android Street, folks. The only negative is the lack of models with 32 or 64 GB of flash memory and the ability to expand it using microSD cards. The device will go on sale the 13th of November this year.
Nexus 10. Catch up and overtake the iPad
Surprisingly, but Samsung still remained a partner of Google in the production of devices for the Internet giant, we can say that for the third season. Only this time, the partner produces a tablet for Google, the coolest Android tablet on the market. It’s incredible, it’s just hard to believe that Samsung has released a tablet on the side that cuts any Galaxy Tab like a turtle god, which, in principle, tears any Android tablet like a “Tuzik heating pad”. Which in some places even surpasses the iPad 4 in terms of hardware characteristics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHuoDqcIyqk
In particular, the device is equipped with a 10.1-inch display with a resolution of 2560×1600 dotsand its density is impressive 300 ppi. For comparison, the iPad 3/4 has 264 ppi. The screen is based on proprietary technology Samsung True RGB Real Stripe PLS. In general, this is LCD, not AMOLED, comparable in color quality and viewing angles to the screen in the latest iPad. Cool? Not that word! True, how will all this “beauty” work with third-party applications? Let’s not talk about sad things for now. Now we have a silicon-technical feast.
After all, the hardware inside the tablet is no less cool than the outside. The tablet is built on the basis of the latest SoC Samsung Exynos, not previously seen in any commercial device. Inside this system-on-a-chip, a pair of 1.7-GHz cores work for the benefit of society. Cortex-A15 (believe me, they will easily outdo four Cortex-A9 cores) and the latest 4-core GPU ARM Mali T604. This is not a tablet, it is almost a computer in terms of computing power, and the same MS Surface just quietly cries on the sidelines with its backward SoC NVIDIA Tegra 3.
According to a good tradition, RAM was not spared, it is in the tablet 2 GB. The battery is also solid 9000 mAh. According to Google, it will last for 9 hours of video playback or 500 hours of tablet standby time. Speaking of video, both the Nexus 10 and Nexus 4 have the ability to wirelessly broadcast images to compatible TVs using technology Miracast.
But with wireless interfaces, everything is not so good. No LTE or even 3G. Only Wi-Fi, albeit with a pair of antennas and support for two frequency bands (2.4 and 5 GHz), plus Bluetooth 4.0 and for some reason two NFC modules at once – on the front and on the back panel. In this regard, iPad 4 is much better with its universal cellular modem that supports most LTE frequencies, CDMA and HSPA+ to boot.
There are two cameras: front 1.9-megapixel and rear 5-megapixel – there are no revelations here. There is no metal either – Samsung does not like it, although Google worked on the design. There is only plastic and a rubberized insert on the back panel. Ahead, of course, tempered and chemically strengthened glass. By the way, due to plastic, the tablet turned out to be very light for its display diagonal, it weighs about 600 g.
Pay attention to the speaker system – two speakers on the front panel. A smart decision, I like it better than the mono sound in the iPad, broadcast into the distance.
From the ports there are Micro-USB and Micro-HDMI. There was again no place for a microSD slot, and the built-in memory in the tablet is 16 or 32 GB. Nice price – $399 and $499 respectively. On sale is worth waiting for from November 13, not only in the US, but also in Canada, Australia, Japan, Germany, France and several other countries.
In addition to the software capabilities of the Android 4.2 operating system described above, which runs the Nexus 10, the function of using multiple accounts on one tablet has also been added. It is useful if the device is used in a large family.
Proper Nexus 7
Along with the announcement of Android 4.2, Nexus 4 and Nexus 10, Google quietly updated the 7-inch Nexus 7 tablet. In the top configuration, the device is now equipped with 32 GB of flash memory and a 3G module. Otherwise, it is completely identical to the 8- and 16-gigabyte counterparts. The cost of the right Nexus 7 is also cool, at least in the US – $300. In fact, it is now the most attractive and most functional Android tablet on the market for the money. But I personally still like the iPad mini more.
Google burning with napalm
Yes, the Internet giant really lit up at the end of the year. The company has formed a line of very strong and, most importantly, inexpensive devices. With top-end features, they are offered at a very affordable price. Is this not the promotion of Android? Indeed, in the smartphone part of this platform, everything is already good both in terms of speed and third-party software. In the tablet part, there is still work to be done, but here Google is no longer in power. A word for third-party developers.
As a result, although the Nexus 10 turned out to be the most interesting product, it is far from certain that it will be able to reveal its full hardware potential to the consumer. Hardware without software is like a body without a soul. I hope Google did a good job of adapting the standard software to the monstrous resolution of the tablet. In this case, at first, the device will be good for consuming media content and the Internet. And third-party applications will catch up with time.
In any case, Google gave the market a notable kick, offering top products at the price of mid-range devices, or even cheaper. [The Verge] & [Google]
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Due to natural disasters in the United States, Google canceled the presentation of new products scheduled for October 29, but it did not abandon plans to announce them, which was done. At first glance, the event is not particularly bright. The company introduced the next Google phone Nexus 4, slightly updated the Nexus 7 tablet and announced a new device in this line – the 10-inch Nexus 10 tablet….
Roman Yuriev
@bigbeastus
Meticulous blogger, gadget addict, bald and bearded fitness trainer. I am fond of technology, sports and nutrition.
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