Microsoft’s next round of Surface slates may include a competitor to the iPad Mini and Kindle Fire.

The company is reportedly working on a 7-inch Surface tablet, which is expected to go into mass production this year, the Wall Street Journal reports. It’s unclear if this is the same gaming-focused 7-inch Xbox Surface tablet we heard about last year — but I’d wager they’re two separate products.

From what we’ve heard of the Xbox Surface, it’s going to be jam-packed with cutting edge hardware, which means it likely won’t go cheap. At the same time, Microsoft will also need an inexpensive small tablet to compete with Apple and Amazon.

Small tablets (under 8-inches) accounted for half of all shipments in the fourth quarter, according to IDC. Given just how much cheaper smaller tablets tend to be — ranging from $200 for the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7, to $329 for the iPad Mini — they’ll certainly end up taking over much more of the market over the next few years. Microsoft simply can’t afford to wait on developing an inexpensive small tablet.

Additionally, the WSJ notes that Microsoft is still testing a Surface phone, though component suppliers aren’t able to confirm if it will ever be released. We’ve heard a Surface phone could appear this year, especially if Windows Phone 8 fails to catch on with consumers.

Photo: Devindra Hardawar/VentureBeat

As we near the Nexus 7′s first birthday, chatter is building about the tablet’s potential successor.

Google is reportedly planning to release an upgraded Nexus 7 in July, Reuters reports. There’s a good chance Google will announce the tablet at its I/O conference next month, so a July release date makes sense.

Pricing is likely going to be a key component of Google’s strategy with the new Nexus 7. Reuters notes that the tablet could end up selling for the same $199 as the first model, while the older Nexus 7 gets discounted. Alternatively, Google could offer the new Nexus 7 for just $150 and discontinue the earlier model. Google is also expected to tap Asus to build the tablet, once again.

Reuters expects the usual upgrades from the new Nexus 7: It’ll have a higher-resolution screen as well as a thinner design (one of the big issues with the first model). Additionally, Google is reportedly tapping Qualcomm for the new slate’s processor, which is a blow to Nvidia, whose Tegra 3 processor powered the first Nexus 7.

Both chip-makers have new products out this year — Qualcomm has the Snapdragon 600 series out now, and it’ll release the even more powerful Snapdragon 800 chip later this year . Nvidia has the Tegra 4, which is notable for its 72 (!) graphics processing cores. A recent report showed that the Tegra 4 beat out the Snapdragon 800 in speed.

I called the Nexus 7 the first Android tablet worth owning, and even today it remains a compelling product. In addition to the new tablet, Google could also unveil a new Nexus Android smartphone at its Google I/O conference next month. We’ll be on the ground at the conference, so stay tuned for more.

Photo: Devindra Hardawar/VentureBeat

It looks like Canonical’s mobile mission is more ambitious than just smartphones.

The company today announced Ubuntu on tablets, a gesture-focused build of the operating system optimized for devices with larger screens.

As with the Ubuntu phone interface, the Ubuntu tablet interface is built to scale, meaning that it can (in theory) work just as well on a 7-inch screen as it can on a 20-inch one. This “one OS, all screens” strategy is core to what Canonical is trying to do with the mobile Ubuntu (though it’s not without its share of drawbacks).

The rest of tablet Ubuntu’s features are largely identical to those on the phone build — same interface, same universal hub, same notification center. That’s all intentional.

Canonical, however, has added some neat features to the tablet OS, the most interesting of which is called “side stage.” Clearly influenced by Windows 8′s app snap feature, side stage allows Ubuntu to run a phone app (say, Skype) alongside a desktop app (like a web browser). Canonical calls it “true multitasking.”

Canonical isn’t talking hardware partners just yet (likely because there aren’t any), but developers will be able to run Ubuntu on tablets like the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 starting this Thursday.

Looks like the iPad may not be the tablet titan we all thought it was. The cheaper-but-still-nice Nexus 7 tablet has overtaken the iPad in Japan, according to Nikkei report.

The Nexus 7 started shipping in mid-July and impressed a lot of tech-watchers including us by being one of the best $200 tablets around. Apple may have the most polished tablets on the block with the iPad and iPad Mini, but the Nexus 7 may be the overall best value of any tablet. And consumers around the world seem to be noticing.

Based on a survey of 2,400 Japanese electronics stores, the Nexus 7 appears to have a market share of 44.4 percent while the iPad has 40.1 percent. While the survey from Nekkei noted that Japan had a shortage of iPad Minis, the biggest factor for Japanese consumers was price. The Nexus 7 is about $100 cheaper than the iPad Mini.

The big question is if what’s happening in Japan will happen elsewhere, namely the U.S. A recent report predicted that the iPad will dip below 50 percent tablet market share worldwide in mid-2013.

Nexus 7 photo via Devindra Hardawar/VentureBeat

Vizio is making a splash with tablets at this year’s CES: After announcing its first Windows 8 device yesterday, today Vizio unveiled a new 10-inch Android tablet powered by Nvidia’s Tegra 4 chip, reports the Verge.

Vizio is also developing a 7-inch tablet running pure Android (meaning it has no annoying extra software), according to the Verge.

Neither tablets have names or release dates yet, but they’re each interesting: The 10-incher is reportedly very light, and coupled with Tegra 4, it promises to be one of the fastest large Android tablets. It will ship with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, 32GB of storage, and a 2,560-by-1,600 display resolution.

The 7-inch tablet has the internals of Google’s Nexus 7 — a Tegra 3 processor, and 16GB of storage — but it’s much thinner, about the size of a Kindle e-reader. That’s a big plus, since the Nexus 7 is a bit thick compared to newer tablets like the iPad Mini.

The smaller tablet will also run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, a departure from Vizio’s first Android tablet. The company will focus on stock Android tablets moving forward because Android has evolved to the point where it no longer needs third-party skins, chief technology officer Matt McRae tells the Verge.

Vizio isn’t announcing pricing for the tablet yet, but given the company’s focus on agressive pricing, expect it to be cheaper than the Nexus 7′s $199 base price. The 7-inch tablet will be released in the first half of 2013.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

This year, the mobile industry showed us what lies ahead for computing.

We saw surprising new devices that gave us a glimpse at what personal computers could look like several years from now. We got an operating system that straddles both desktop and mobile. And we watched manufacturers obsessively refine what smartphones and tablets can be.

While 2012 didn’t have any single products that were as exciting as when we saw the iPad or iPhone for the first time, I have a feeling we’ll look back at this year as a turning point. This is the year that significant developments in mobile shaped the tech world for years to come.

The new platform wars begin

The mobile industry has been mostly about iOS and Android for the past few years. Research in Motion has been in a freefall in market share, while Microsoft struggled to find its legs in mobile.

But this year, Microsoft finally started to matter, posing even stronger competition to Google and Apple with both Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. The software giant showed that the next platform wars will be all about uniting the desktop and mobile — something that Google and Apple still need to work on.

The latest version of Windows Phone actually runs a version of Windows 8’s kernel, which in theory should make it easier for developers to create apps for both platforms. Windows 8 is an interesting beast as well. By making a tablet-focused touchscreen interface the centerpiece of its desktop operating system, Microsoft has literally placed a bet on the future. Eventually, most PCs will look like tablets, but for that to happen, there needs to be a tablet OS that’s as productive as a desktop platform.

And while Apple will undoubtedly introduce touchscreen MacBooks soon, it still has to deal with the fundamental divide between iOS and OS X. Microsoft may be off to a messy start with Windows 8, but it will surely have an easier time dealing with the inevitable union between tablets and laptops. (More on that below.)

The biggest loser in the future union between tablets and laptops will likely be Google. Android has always been focused on mobile devices, and it still took Google some time to fully adjust it to tablets. I don’t see much hope for Android when it comes to mimicking desktop productivity on future tablet-like PCs. (And yes, I know I may eventually eat these words. But the glacial pace of Android’s evolution doesn’t really give it much chance as a future Windows-killer.)

The line between mobile and desktop is blurring

You need only look at Microsoft’s Surface tablet to see how the face of mobile and desktop computing is changing. Is it a tablet, or is it a laptop? In truth, it’s both — though that idea has been difficult for even some tech pundits to wrap their heads around. The Surface the physical representation of everything Microsoft is trying to do with Windows 8, and while I was disappointed with it in my review, I can’t deny that this is where we’re headed. Tablets need to get more productive, and laptops need to be as convenient as tablets.

Microsoft is gearing up to launch the Surface Pro early next year, which will run both Windows 8 apps and older Windows programs. Sure, it’s twice as expensive as the first Surface, but it shows that Microsoft’s bold hardware concept has plenty of potential.

Windows 8 has also spawned plenty of other notebook/tablet hybrids, like the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga (which we found brought out the best and worst of Microsoft’s new OS) and HP’s Envy X2. We’ll likely see manufacturers experiment with different variations on tablet hybrids over the next few years. That’s a good thing for consumers — eventually you’ll be able to get a hybrid computer that suits you perfectly.

iPhone 5 and iPad Mini: The (small) shape of things to come

Both the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini show that, in the world of smartphones and tablets, smaller is often better. Down the line, I expect we’ll see more reasonable screen sizes in both smartphones and standalone tablets (at least those that aren’t trying to be laptops as well).

Almost paradoxically, most smartphone manufacturers have been obsessed with bigger screens over the past few years, to the point where they’re barely even “mobile” anymore. Last year Samsung’s 5.3-inch Galaxy Note was considered ludicrously large, but this year, 4.8-inch and 5-inch smartphones were practically the norm. (The Galaxy Note II, for the record, moved up a 5.5-inch display). Meanwhile, Apple’s “big” screen bump was from a 3.5-inch screen to a wider 4-inch display on the iPhone 5.

The iPhone’s smaller screen hasn’t stopped consumers from lapping it up. And it’s hard not to see the logic for bigger screens from other phone manufacturers — it was a very clear way to show how they offered something more than Apple. (Never mind that they didn’t have the same level of apps or build quality.)

But there’s no way the screen-size race can continue at its current rate. Once you start getting past 5-inch screens, you begin to inch into tablet territory, after all.

With little room to grow, we’ll likely see most smartphones sticking with screens around 4.5-inches in the future. I’ve found phones bigger than that to be too awkward to handle with one hand, and sticking with a more reasonable screen size also helps to conserve precious battery life. The iPhone 5 is still my preferred smartphone experience today, even though I also walk around with a Nexus 4, which has a big 4.7-inch display.

Apple will have to offer a bigger iPhone screen eventually, but I can’t see it going much bigger than 4.5-inches. This is a company that’s so obsessed with one-handed usability that it chose to make the iPhone 5’s screen taller and wider, rather than just grow it proportionally like many other manufacturers.

The iPad Mini, meanwhile, shows precisely why smaller tablets are ideal. It’s my favorite tablet so far, right behind the 7-inch Nexus 7, because it’s so light and portable. Smaller tablets also have a big price advantage: The iPad Mini starts at $329, while the Nexus 7 starts at $199. Starting with the first iPad, Apple has been trying to the idea that tablets around 10-inches were ideal, but I’ve always found those to be too clunky for prolonged use, and too expensive for many consumers.

Eventually, there won’t be any room in the market for big standalone tablets. Smaller tablets will beat them on price and convenience, and hybrid notebooks will be able to offer big tablet-like experiences with the productivity of a full-fledged PC.

Wrapping up

In the end, 2012 was more about the gradual evolution of the mobile industry, rather than any singular groundbreaking announcements. But it was still an important year for anyone interested in the overall direction of computing. It was also a clear indicator that we’ll soon have little reason to isolate “mobile” from the rest of computing.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Google’s getting wiser to the tablet experience every day. Today, it debuted a minor update to Google News that makes it more pleasant to browse on the iPad or on Android tablets like the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10.

The new update lets you “swipe” left and right to switch between sections, such as “Top Stories,” “U.S.,” “Technology,” and so forth.

It’s also got a new, sans-serif font display that looks cleaner, with greater differentiation between headlines and the snippets of text teasing each story, and there’s more white space in the layout to give the stories “breathing room.”

Clicking on each story will take you to the source site, so this new interface is just for browsing headlines. Contrast that to Google’s amazingly useful (but still somewhat ugly) Google Reader app for Android tablets, which lets you plow through RSS feeds by swiping from story to story as easily as flipping pages in a magazine.

If Google brought the same clean design it uses in the new Google News to Google Reader, I’d be a happy tablet user indeed.

To check out the new look, just visit news.google.com with an iPad or Android tablet.

And don’t miss our holiday guide to the year’s best tablets.

via the Google News blog

The single hottest tech gift category this holiday season will undoubtedly be tablets. While Amazon’s $199 Kindle Fire kicked off the budget tablet trend last year, this year we’re seeing many more options available, and they’re also much improved over the original Kindle Fire.

It’s not difficult to find a fast and well-designed tablet this year that won’t break the bank. In fact, you’d probably have to try hard to get stuck with a truly bad tablet.

I was never a big fan of big tablets. Even as Apple’s large iPad slimmed down its weight and added much more powerful hardware over the years, it has always seemed like a device that’s not as convenient for content consumption as smaller tablets, and not as useful as a laptop for actually producing content.

But this year we saw tablets that truly showed the potential of the entire category.

Best overall tablet: iPad Mini

When it came to deciding on the best tablet of the year, the choice was simple. I love the iPad Mini. It’s everything that the large iPad isn’t: light, convenient, and preciously tiny. It packs in the power of the iPad 2 in the weight of your average paperback book, and it still manages to be the cheapest iPad offering yet at $329 (compared to the big iPad’s standard $499 price).

Sure, it doesn’t have a sharp Retina Display, and its hardware is admittedly dated, but it’s one of those devices that you need to touch and feel to truly appreciate. Once you use the iPad Mini for a day, it’s almost impossible to go back to anything bigger.

The Android-powered Nexus 7 is a much better deal for $199 (more on that below), as is Amazon’s 7-inch Kindle Fire. But both of those tablets lack the iPad Mini’s superior assortment of apps. Apple clearly isn’t trying to compete with other smaller tablets when it comes to price.

If your budget’s tight, it may be tough to justify the iPad Mini compared to its pint-sized competitors. But if you don’t mind spending a bit more, the iPad Mini will undoubtedly be your best tablet choice (until the iPad Mini 2 comes out).

Best Android tablet (and best budget tablet): Nexus 7

Prior to the iPad Mini’s debut, Google’s 7-inch Nexus 7 was my favorite tablet. It’s fast, portable, surprisingly stylish (for something built by Asus), and best of all, it’s freaking cheap at $199. With the Nexus 7, Google blows away Amazon’s original Kindle Fire and proves that it’s possible to build a cheap tablet that doesn’t stink.

I raved about the Nexus 7 in my review, and it’s only gotten better with Android’s recent updates. It’s the perfect tablet for newcomers because it can accomplish most basic tasks — like web browsing, email, and media consumption — without killing your wallet (which also makes it the perfect gift). If you’re already a heavy user of other Google services, like Gmail and Google Calendar, it’ll sync up with those painlessly too.

In general, I’m not too hot on Android tablets. Google has been slow to make Android truly tablet-friendly, and there’s still a surprising lack of decent tablet apps. But the Nexus 7 is cheap and functional enough to even make me recommend it. (If you really need a large Android tablet, the Nexus 10 is also nice — but you don’t really need a big Android tablet.)

Amazon’s revamped Kindle Fire is another decent budget tablet option, but since it can only run a limited selection of Android apps, I think the Nexus 7 remains a better choice.

Best big tablet: iPad 4th gen

Okay, so you don’t agree with me that small tablets are truly the best. Or you just have to have the most horsepower available. Or perhaps you work in digital photography and need an incredibly high-resolution tablet screen. Then Apple’s latest iPad ($499), which adds a blazing fast quad-core graphics on top of last generation’s gorgeous Retina Display, is the best choice for you.

In general, if you absolutely need a big tablet, then go for the latest generation iPad. Big Android tablets have historically been too expensive and lacked the features and apps that have made the iPad so popular. Microsoft made a noble attempt at taking on the iPad this year with the Surface, which better bridges the gap between tablet and laptop. But as I explained in my review, the Surface simply has too many compromises for me to recommend to anyone aside from hardware geeks.

Best kids’ tablet: LeapFrog LeapPad2

LeapFrog’s first LeapPad proved that it could create a tough, inexpensive, and educational tablet for kids. With the $99 LeapPad 2, it raised the bar even higher. The new tablet for children features more memory, front and rear cameras, and a recharger (because relying entirely on AA batteries can get expensive).

It still plays the same cartridges and downloadable apps as the original LeapFrog, which includes games, videos, and e-books featuring popular characters.

I haven’t had much time to play with the LeapPad2, but in my exploration of kid-friendly tablets it’s clearly the best option.

Wrapping up: Finally, there’s a tablet for everyone

The one major takeaway for tablets this year is that there are finally enough options to satisfy everyone — including a tablet critic like me. Small tablets entered the market in full force and showed that their portability and lower prices make them hard to ignore.

I suspect we’ll see less hype around big tablets over the next few years (just look at how Apple unceremoniously unveiled the fourth-generation iPad at the iPad Mini event). Instead, we’ll likely see more devices like Microsoft’s Surface trying to make tablets more useful, and laptops more like tablets.

For more information on the tablets above, as well as other tablets on the market, check out our tablet comparison chart, with data supplied by FindTheBest, below.

Would you start subscribing to a paywalled newspaper again if they offered to sell you a brand new 7-inch tablet for about $75?

That’s the main question being posed by News Corp.-owned U.K. newspaper The Times of London, which will offer Google’s signature tablet, the Nexus 7 32Gb, for £50 instead of the normal price of £199 ($249).

The catch is that you must sign up for an 18-month subscription plan, which costs £17.33 per month (or about $28). However, if you’d like to pay for those 18 months upfront, you can get an even better deal on the tablet/subscription combo, spending just £299 total.

The move is certainly interesting because, for perhaps the first time, a news service is now subsidizing the cost of a tablet in the same way that wireless carriers have done with smartphones. And like the carriers, I’m sure you have to sign a contract locking you in to the monthly newspaper subscription plan to ensure that the subsidized device ends up making The Times some money.

The difference between a wireless carrier’s subsidized devices is that they don’t really care what you do with the phone as long as you pay the monthly bill, including any overage charges you incur. With a tablet, you can pretty much do anything with, including browse the competing newspaper’s articles.

At the same time, if you’re spending money on a monthly subscription, you may be more compelled to stick with The Times as your primary source of news.

Would you sign up for a newspaper subscription for a subsidized tablet? Let us know in the comments.

Photo by Devindra Hardawar/VentureBeat

The iPad Mini is proof positive why technical specs don’t matter anymore. It’s slower than both the third and fourth-generation iPads, and it features a significantly lower resolution screen that doesn’t even meet HD video standards.

And yet, its miniscule size and overall convenience makes it the best iPad I’ve ever used and the best tablet on the market.

The original 9.7-inch iPad basically created the modern tablet market, and Apple’s iPad line still accounts for more than 50 percent of new tablets sold (according to IDC). But I’ve never felt truly comfortable using any iPad for prolonged periods of time — and the same goes for every other tablet I’ve used that’s around 10 inches. They’re tough to hold with one hand, and even with two hands, it’s not exactly effortless to hold large tablets for hours on end.

Smaller tablets don’t have any of those issues. You can throw a small tablet in a bag and forget it’s even there, and they’re generally light enough to hold with little effort, like a paperback book. Given their size and flexibility, they’re naturally more focused on content consumption.

With its 7.9-inch screen, the iPad Mini is slightly larger than its 7-inch Android counterparts. But it still has all the makings of a small tablet, and that extra screen real estate actually makes it far better for reading.

Apple has struck a balance between size and performance with the iPad Mini — and it’s one that will resonate in the tablet market for years to come.

The good: Smaller really is better

I can go on and on about the iPad Mini’s thinness and lightness — but really, you have to hold this thing to understand why it’s so special. At just .68 pounds and 7.2 millimeters thick, it weighs about the same as a typical paperback book, and it’s thinner than the already ridiculously thin iPhone 5.

Holding the iPad Mini makes it clear that the sheer size of standard iPads are an issue, even though that didn’t stop more than 85 million consumers from making that tablet a huge success for Apple.

For a device that we’re holding in our hands most of the time, it makes sense that being more comfortable trounces having the better hardware. Together with the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire, the iPad Mini shows that smaller tablets are the ideal tablets.

The obvious benefit of going small is cost: The iPad Mini starts at $329, making it the cheapest iPad option yet. It’s still significantly above its $200 Android competitors, but the higher price is well worth the bigger and better iPad app ecosystem. Apple’s decision to go with a 7.9-inch screen also makes the iPad Mini more versatile than 7-inch tablets — you can see more content from web pages, and games feel as if they have more room to breathe.

It’s almost as if the bigger iPads are just a beta test. It was likely too difficult for Apple to successfully build something like the iPad Mini back in 2009 — for one thing, hardware components probably weren’t small enough (just look at how thick the first iPad was). And while the bigger iPad isn’t going anywhere any time soon, the unceremonious way Apple revealed the fourth-gen iPad alongside the iPad Mini is telling.

Over the next few years, expect far more innovation from the iPad Mini than the standard iPad.

For me, great technology should be both uncompromising (which Microsoft’s Surface, sadly, wasn’t) and effortless. The iPad Mini hasn’t cracked the uncompromising nut just yet (more on that below), but it’s by far the most effortless tablet I’ve ever used.

Even though it has a bigger screen, the iPad Mini is 32 grams lighter (for the Wi-Fi model) and noticeably thinner than the Nexus 7, which has been my favorite small tablet so far. Ultimately, this means that everything — reading, watching a movie, or playing a game — simply feels better on the iPad Mini because it’s not a chore to hold. It also helps that the tablet feels so solid — you can feel all of Apple’s experience with building the iPad and iPhone in the iPad Mini’s strong body.

Movies and games don’t look as sharp as they do on Retina Display-equipped iPads, but it’s a more than worthy tradeoff. It takes a discerning eye to notice the benefits of Apple’s Retina Display, but anyone can immediately recognize how much more convenient the iPad mini is. (And naturally, that’s a problem that will be fixed in future models when Apple brings Retina Display quality to the iPad Mini.)

With the iPad Mini, you’ll never think twice about taking it along when you leave the house or grabbing it to peruse Twitter while watching TV. And the device itself becomes practically invisible as you use it.

In the end, isn’t that exactly what a tablet should be?

The bad: Yes, we’re evolving backward (for now)

The iPad Mini is basically running the same hardware that powers the iPad 2. It has the same dual-core A5 processer and 512MB of RAM. And for the screen, instead of the lush Retina Display resolutions of 2048 by 1536, we get the same 1024 by 768 resolution we were so happy to run away from two years ago. (Since the iPad Mini’s screen is smaller, its resolution still looks sharper than on previous iPads.)

It’s difficult to recommend the iPad Mini to someone who’s already shelled out for a third-gen iPad. But in my experience, I still end up reaching for the Mini more than the sharper-screened iPad.

For most of the apps I’ve used — including Twitter, news readers apps like Pulse, and Instagram — the iPad Mini performed admirably. Games suffered the most with the older hardware, but most consumers won’t notice the slightly lower-res and less-detailed graphics, even with graphics-heavy titles like Infinity Blade 2.

It’s a shame that Apple couldn’t at least deliver a Retina resolution, but this makes sense. It would have required a more powerful processor and graphics capabilities, which probably would have made the price of the iPad Mini even higher. For now, it’s a tablet that’s ideal for most consumers — but those looking for Retina sharpness should wait for the inevitable upgrade in next year’s model.

The verdict: The best iPad experience yet

The iPad Mini is all about tradeoffs. Instead of a sharp Retina screen and powerful hardware, you’re getting a slimmer device that’s far more convenient. For me, the tradeoffs are worth it.

Big tablets certainly have their place, but I think we’ll see those becoming increasingly specialized. Most consumers would be better off with the size and price of the iPad Mini than splurging for the iPad fourth-gen. And as for big Android tablets, the Nexus 10 is really the only one worth considering.

I’ve been recommending the iPad Mini without hesitation over the past week. If you’ve been holding out on getting a tablet, it’s almost a no-brainer. You can save a bit by going for the $200 Nexus 7, but you’ll be giving up a far better tablet app ecosystem.

If you can’t swallow the compromise with the iPad Mini, then hold off until next year’s update. And if you already own one of the Retina Display iPads, then you’re probably better off waiting as well (or just starting pricing your iPad on a gadget reseller service like Gazelle).

If anything, I feel vindicated by the iPad Mini. Here’s a device that proves, once and for all, that smaller slates are far better at fulfilling the promise of tablets.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

The iPad Mini was released today, and while many of you are taking your precious devices home to a safe place, some people actually know what time it is. Time to smash some tablets.

SquareTrade, which provides device insurance, put out a “drop-test” video today of the iPad mini, Nexus 7, and the third generation iPad. Why the third generation iPad is in there, I have no clue, but the iPad mini and Nexus 7 make for an interesting comparison.

The iPad mini is a direct competitor of Google’s Nexus 7, along with the Kindle Fire. It is 7.2 millimeters thick and 7.9 inches long. It does not, however, have the latest full-sized iPad’s Retina Display. The Nexus 7 is 10.45 millimeters thick and seven inches long.

So how did they do? SquareTrade came up with a simple device for dropping the tablets so that it was “fair.” The mechanism let go of the devices at the same time, starting out with a “corner drop,” where the tablet lands on, well, a corner. The iPad mini did very well here, while the Nexus 7′s screen cracked.

When the face-down drop came, however, the iPad mini’s screen shattered, while the Nexus 7 stayed relatively unharmed. Square Trade also did a water test, where the two tablets were submerged underwater for 10 seconds. The iPad mini popped right on, but it looks like the Nexus 7 turned itself off to be safe. Comments on the video point out that the Nexus 7 does turn back on and look usable.

Check out the video below and let us know if this kind of test affects which tablet you buy:

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

It looks like Google’s Nexus 7 efforts are going well so far.

Close to one million Nexus 7 tablets were sold in October, Asus Chief Financial Officer David Chang told The Wall Street Journal. Sales numbers in previous months ranged from 500 t0 700 thousand, he said.

Chang’s numbers jibe with those of Forrester Research, which estimated earlier this month that total Nexus 7 sales were closing in on 3 million. (Other analysts said that Google sold roughly one million tablets between July and September.)

While those numbers are impressive for Google, they’re tiny compared to those of Apple, which sold 14 million iPads in the third quarter.

That sales success is something Apple aims to emulate with the iPad mini, a device that’s going to make things a lot more complicated for the Nexus 7. Can Google and Asus maintain the Nexus 7′s sales numbers with Apple stepping directly on their toes? Probably not. It’s very possible that the Nexus 7′s November is going to be a lot less impressive than its October.

The iPad mini, however, is a newcomer in a market that more established competitors already dominate, which puts Apple at a natural — but not insurmountable — disadvantage.

Photo: Devindra Hardawar/VentureBeat

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Google may have cancelled its Android event in New York today, but that isn’t preventing it from making its device announcements anyway.

In addition to the LG-made Nexus 4 and Samsung’s Nexus 10, Google also announced a new $299 HSPA+-equipped Nexus 7, which can run on mobile networks from carriers like AT&T.

Alongside the new Nexus 7, Google also announced that the Wi-Fi versions of the tablet are getting some storage upgrades: The 16GB Nexus 7  now runs for $199 and is being joined by a 32GB model, which will cost $249.

This, of course, likely means Google is sunsetting the 8GB Nexus 7, which hasn’t been offered as widely as its 16GB counterpart.

All of these updates come as Google, Apple, and Amazon vie for control of the 7-inch tablet market, which is becoming more and more cutthroat by the day. Not only are the tablet makers competing on price, but they’re also attempting to outdo each other on features.

By adding support for mobile data, Google is making a strong effort to differentiate the Nexus 7 from the iPad mini and Kindle Fire. Google’s logic behind the move is clear: A highly-portable tablet like the Nexus 7 can be made even more portable when it can connect to the Internet from anywhere.

The news of the day in the tech world was once again focused on Apple. Venturebeat has coverage of the new iMacs, Mac minis and MacBooks. However, the main event was the iPad mini.

If you are reading this, then by now you are familiar with the features of the new tablet: its Lightning port, its ultra-thin design, and Jony Ive’s diamond-studded chamfers. However, I think there are some important industry implications for this device and the way it was priced. Last month, I pointed out how difficult the hardware market has become, and the mini looks set to drive that process along.

After years of talking down 7-inch tablets, Apple changed course. What does the company hope to gain? I think the answer is market segmentation. This is one of those “MBA 101″ topics: Divide the market into multiple pieces and sell products in each. Apple risks seeing some people who would have bought a larger device opting for the less expensive mini now, but it must believe that it will sell an even larger total number of devices.

I see two pieces to this strategy: one internal to Apple, the second as a major weight on the industry.

Draw out a number line from $0 to $800, with tick marks every $50, then write down the Apple product at each marker. The new mini fits into several gaps. The base 16 GB mini sits well below the now-discontinued iPad 2, and in between the iPod Touch 32 GB and 64 GB. Put simply, Apple had room for more products here. It risks losing some low-end iPad units and probably some high-end iPod Touch sales, but it has created a whole new category for its offerings.

Apple deserves credit for its originality: After all, it basically invented the smartphone market (yes, Windows Mobile, I remember you). But this does not mean it does not learn from its competitors. It has become clear over the past nine months that there is consumer demand for 5- and 7-inch devices. Samsung, for example, seems to be doing very good business with its seemingly mammoth 5-inch Galaxy Note, a phone that edges into tablet territory. Like many, I was skeptical at first about this product, but it turns out Samsung was onto something. The Note is too big for most people’s pockets, but Samsung has done its homework. It has successfully marketed these devices to women who carry the Note in their purse. I had this point driven home to me last month, when I saw the entire crew from Asiana Airlines Flight 213 in a hotel lobby. All 25 of the flight attendants were carrying 5-inch or larger devices. Amazon and Google have also done well with the Kindle Fire HD and Nexus 7, respectively — although they are ‘doing well’ by a different set of metrics than the iPad.

So Apple saw an opportunity and made its play. It is too early to tell how many minis it will sell, but I think Apple should have a very good Christmas this year.

The same is not true for other hardware makers. For years now, Apple has been effectively capping the prices its competitors can charge. So far, no tablet priced even close to the iPad has done well. The best-selling non-Apple tablets today are all priced at or below $200. Apple products command a premium, that has been true for phones, for tablets, and for laptops for many years. The iPad mini, priced at $329, pushes the prices even further down for everyone else.

When Google launched the Nexus 7, Android management bragged about how little money they were making on the device. That could not have been good news for Google’s hardware partners. Android’s goal is to spread its OS and the Google API as widely as possible. Its hardware partners’ profits seem to be a much lower priority. Amazon, for its part, has charged rock-bottom prices for its tablets, but that is part of its strategy of profiting from selling content, not the hardware itself.

I made some comparisons about the profitability of the various tablets out there. I used iSuppli’s teardowns for estimates of the cost of the iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire HD and Nexus 7. This is just iSuppli’s estimate, and not everyone agrees, but I think they have a pretty good track record, and are at least close enough. I also made a guess as to the iPad mini’s costs.

By this analysis, it is pretty clear that only Apple is profiting from tablet hardware sales. Amazon may even be losing money.

One interesting fact that comes out of this data is how much we are all paying for memory. This is the one favor Apple has done the industry. Apple charges $100 for each bump in memory. A 16GB iPad Mini is $329, a 32 GB version is $429. The other vendors have mostly followed this pattern. My estimate is that 16 GB of NAND Flash costs about $10, and iSuppli quotes a similar amount. Apple buys so much, it may actually pay even less. That’s a 90 percent gross margin for Apple, comparable to the kinds of margins you ordinarily see for software, i.e. products which have no cost of goods sold. By comparison, most hardware businesses are happy to capture 30 percent gross margins. Apple’s corporate average gross margin is in the 40s.

By my admittedly rough math, almost all the profit Amazon sees on the Kindle or Google/Asus see on the Nexus 7 comes from their mark-up on memory. It will be interesting to see if Apple someday changes its pricing model to make even that slice difficult for its competitors.

Yet even with those healthy memory margins, the other tablet makers do not make much money.

I think this will get even worse. You can now buy a $45 Android tablet in China and an $80 version in the US. This means that even those $200 levels we see today will fade soon. By contrast, Apple has kept prices for its high-end iPads constant.

All of this matters a lot. Apple and Samsung are the only smartphone makers generating a profit today. Market share and revenue look nice in PowerPoint and press releases, but profits are what sustain investment in the future.  And there are far fewer of these to go around.

Jay Goldberg is a financial analyst with an investment bank. He has been working with tech companies for ten years. Prior to that he lived and worked in China for almost 10 years. His previous post for VentureBeat was about how hardware is dead.

Top photo: VentureBeat

Today Apple announced its 7.9-inch iPad mini tablet. Right on stage, the company compared it to the Nexus 7 (Google’s flagship Android tablet) to show the wealth of differences between the two. But Apple skipped a few key comparisons that you might want to be aware of.

Here’s a closer look at those differences, as well as how Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD tablet compares to both:

The iPad mini is without a doubt the thinnest tablet ever produced. It’s thinner than most smartphones today at just 7.2 millimeters thick. It’s slightly taller and wider than most competing 7-inch tablets, though not the Kindle Fire HD.

From my time with the Fire HD, I’ve found that holding it from edge to edge with one hand is possible, though not comfortable — so the iPad mini should be comparable.

The iPad mini is also the lightest tablet available, although the upcoming Barnes & Noble Nook HD tablet will weigh just seven grams more at 315 grams.

Processing power, based on the specs alone, appears fairly similar, but specs don’t tell the whole story. The A5 processor inside the iPad mini is identical to the one inside the iPad 2 — which is now one and a half years old — compared to the newer processors inside both the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD. On the other hand, the Android tablets may be faster and offer double the RAM, but Apple’s current operating system (iOS 6) is better suited for the included components, which makes it better at processing data more quickly and more efficiently. Google constantly updates its operating system to improve speed and efficiency; Amazon historically has not.

At the iPad mini’s unveiling in San Jose today, Apple’s Phil Schiller (Senior VP of Marketing) also mentioned how it feels much better than the Nexus 7, primarily because the Android tablet is made of plastic and feels cheap. I haven’t found that to be the case. The Nexus 7 is the best 7-inch tablet to hold because of a well-designed case that is easy to grip and feels warm in the hand. The Kindle Fire HD has a rubber-like back, which is also comfortable and warm. The iPad mini has a metallic back panel. I expect that it will be similar to the current iPad, which feels cold in the hand but provides good grip. I prefer the warm Nexus 7 to the iPad, though size and weight have to be considered as well.

The iPad mini is available in three capacity variations: 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. The Nexus 7 starts with just 8GB, which in my use is completely inadequate. A 16GB model is also available, and 32GB models have been found in stores across the US. The Kindle Fire HD comes in 16GB and 32GB capacities.

All of the tablets use a 1.2 megapixel (MP) front-facing camera that can record video in 720p, but the iPad mini is the only tablet here that includes a rear-facing camera. That 5MP camera is likely the same found in the latest iPod Touch and the iPhone 4. Tablet cameras have traditionally offered mediocre to poor still photography and video recording, but larger 10-inch tablets have shipped with significantly improved cameras this year.

Most 7-inch tablets feature widescreen (16:9) displays, but the iPad mini has the same 4:3 aspect ratio as the full-sized iPad. This means all HD video on the iPad mini will be letterboxed with black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. The Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD both have denser displays at significantly higher 720p resolutions, which will make HD media appear clearer and without letterboxing.

All of the tablets use high-quality IPS displays, but the iPad’s lower resolution and larger screen will make pictures appear blurrier and more pixelated. It’s surprising Apple didn’t include a Retina display on the iPad mini for exactly this reason.

Apple boasts the same 10-hour battery life on the iPad mini as on the iPad, though the Kindle Fire HD promises 11 hours of continuous use. As with any manufacturer’s promised battery life, take these numbers with a big grain of salt.

The iPad mini is also the only small tablet that can access fast LTE 4G cellular data. LTE will be available on the iPad mini in the US through Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint, for an extra $130 over the comparable Wi-Fi models.

The biggest difference between the iPad mini and all competing Android tablets is the price. The starting price for the iPad mini is $330, $130 more than both the starting Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire HD. The iPad mini also increases the price in $100 increments for doubling the memory, compared to Amazon, which only charges $50 more for the 32GB  model.

Additionally, other tablets like the Nook HD offer expandable memory through user-purchased memory cards; the iPad mini doesn’t.

In short, the iPad mini is far more expensive than the competition at equivalent capacities, and only gets more expensive as the capacity increases. In fact, the iPad mini is expensive even compared to the latest iPod Touch, which has all of the same internal components as the iPad mini.

Will you buy an iPad mini? Tell us what you think about it in the comments section below.

But this time it’s not just iPads.

Sure, gadget reseller Glyde has noticed a 67% increase in iPad 2 inquiries, and its listings are up 10% for iPads of all flavors. But it’s also seen a big jump — in fact, a much bigger jump — in Nexus 7 tablets and tablets of all other flavors.

Nexus 7 tablet listings are up 300 percent at Glyde, and all other tablets are up 35 percent, which indicates, according to Glyde, that consumers in general — including those who are not currently iPad owners — are interested in the iPad Mini.

Potentially, that means that there’s a significant number of people who did not buy iPad because they wanted a smaller, more portable size … but might now be convinced to get an Apple product. Of course, given that Google has announced its own October event to announce new tablets and phones, people could change their minds.

One thing: if you’re looking to sell, sell quickly. Glyde, as other reseller sites, sees a big bump after new product announcements. In March, after the iPad 3 announcement, the company had an immediate 55 percent increase in listings. That bump in inventory will mean a tougher sale.

Here’s what you can hope to get for your iPad:

Source: Glyde

iPad resale prices

photo credit: rofi via photopin cc

If you’re planning to buy one of Google’s signature Nexus 7 tablets, you might want to hold off for a while.

Various reports are circulating that many retail stores now have the 32GB Nexus 7 in stock, but were instructed not to sell them until Oct. 29. At least a few people have, however, been able to snag the device. As The Verge pointed out yesterday, Staples sold a 32GB Nexus 7 to one lucky customer.

The 32GB Nexus 7 will sell for $250 while the 16GB model will drop to $200. Essentially, customers are getting an upgrade on storage without any additional cost. My guess is that the 8GB will eventually be phased out.

The move to upgrade the devices was likely done to keep the Nexus 7 competitive going into the holiday season. Amazon’s 7-inch Kindle Fire HD 16GB and 32GB models also retail at the same prices.

Photo via Jennifer Van Grove/VentureBeat

Something special is going on with 7-inch tablets like the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire. Not only are they cheaper than full-sized 10-inch tablets at $200, but their smaller size also seems to be encouraging consumers to engage more with websites.

In particular, 7-inch tablets are leading to 20 percent more pageviews for publishers, and e-reader-first tablets like the Kindle Fire are also encouraging consumers to spend more time on websites, according to data provided to VentureBeat by OnSwipe, a company that optimizes sites for tablets and smartphones.

The data is particularly interesting now that we expect Apple to reveal its own small tablet, the iPad Mini, at a press conference next week. Apple’s late founder Steve Jobs dismissed the idea of small tablets years ago — but strong sales of the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7, as well as Apple’s own entry into the small tablet arena, prove that they’re intriguing to consumers.

“The 7 to 8-inch tablet is completely in the zone for content consumption, whether it’s a book or it’s the web; whatever the activity, it’s just more encapsulating,” said OnSwipe chief executive Jason Baptiste in an interview with VentureBeat. “The iPad, meanwhile, could replace the PC on the couch.”

For fully-featured 7-inch tablets like the Nexus 7, OnSwipe found no difference in on-site engagement time. But given what I’ve seen from mainstream small tablet owners, as well as my own habits with the Nexus 7, consumers are more likely to bring them along when they step out of the house versus larger tablets. I’ve also found that smaller tablets are much more comfortable for reading long text pieces, primarily because they’re easy to hold with one hand.

When it comes to small tablets focused on e-reader capabilities first, like Amazon’s Kindle Fire, OnSwipe found that users stayed on sites around 36 percent longer than they did on the iPad, and around 30 percent longer than they did on the Nexus 7. The company attributes that to Kindle Fire owners being used to reading books, magazines, and other text-heavy content on their devices.

While Amazon kicked off the cheap and small tablet craze with last year’s Kindle Fire, it’s going to see much more of a battle this year now that it’s contending with the Nexus 7 and potentially the iPad Mini. But no matter who rises to the top, publishers should expect to see better engagement. And perhaps they should consider spending a bit more time optimizing for smaller tablets.

Photo: Devindra Hardawar/VentureBeat

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Google is planning a 10-inch Nexus tablet that will have a higher pixel density than Apple’s iPad, Cnet reports.

The new Nexus tablet will have a 2,560 by 1,600-pixel display, according to Richard Shim, an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch quoted in the story. That gives it a pixel density of 299 pixels per inch, compared with the iPad’s “Retina” display, which has 2,048 by 1,536 pixels, for a pixel density of 264 PPI.

The new Nexus tablet will also be slightly bigger, with a 10.1-inch diagonal screen compared with the iPad’s 9.7-inch diagonal screen.

Unlike the current, 7-inch Nexus 7, which is made by Asus but branded entirely as a Google tablet, the new 10-inch Nexus will be made by Samsung and will carry that manufacturer’s branding as well, Shim claimed.

The Nexus 7 is an impressive piece of hardware, especially given its $200 price. VentureBeat’s Devindra Hardawar called the Nexus 7 the best 7-inch tablet yet and the first Android tablet worth owning. Even Apple-loving Jennifer Van Grove liked the Nexus 7. So presumably, a 10-inch version of the tablet would present some serious competition to Apple’s market-dominating iPad.

Photo: Jennifer Van Grove/VentureBeat

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

After many rumors and leaks, we thought Apple might launch its supposed “iPad mini” today alongside the iPhone 5. But today’s event was crowded with the new iPhone, updated iPods, and a new version of iTunes. So when can we expect the iPad mini?

All signs so far point to an October debut by Apple. If it does launch at that time, it sets up the iPad Mini for holiday sales, and it gives consumers enough time to look at and start buying the iPhone 5. Heck, if Apple has the iPad mini and iPhone 5 in stores by October’s end, the amount of foot traffic in Apple stores during November and December will be enormous.

When it does launch, the iPad mini will land in a crowded marketplace of powerful and inexpensive 7-inch tablets, including the Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD and Google’s Nexus 7. These devices are less expensive at between $159 and $249 and offer their own strengths. The Kindle Fires have Amazon’s impressive ecosystem backing them, while the Nexus 7 offers Google’s latest Android software and Google Play apps and content.

It’s unclear if the new iPad mini will be as successful as Apple’s 10-inch iPad, which has now sold more than 84 million units with little serious competition in the 10-inch category. In its last quarter alone, Apple sold 17 million iPads.

“The iPad is driving the post-PC revolution at a breathtaking pace,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said earlier during today’s iPhone 5 press conference.

The iPad mini’s biggest hooks will likely be a lower price (we’d guess $299) and a smaller form factor for people who think the 10-inch display is a bit large. It will offer a more comfortable option for people with smaller hands (Tyrion Lannister, perhaps?) and women who want to carry a tablet around in purses.

Another big hook will be access to all those apps. The App Store now has 700,000 apps, with 250,000 of those tailored for the iPad.

We’ll just have to wait patiently for Apple to announce another big press conference to get the iPad mini in our lives. For now, here are some “leaked” photos of an iPad mini. (They look a little fake to us, but hey, why not?)

Photo credit: Dean Takahashi/VentureBeat

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

We’re only a few hours away until Amazon unveils its new devices at a Santa Monica media event today, but the company gave consumers a bit of a preview last night with its latest ad.

The minute-long ad aired during the Giants/Cowboys game last night, and it shows off several of the rumored Amazon devices we’ve been expecting: A new Kindle e-reader with a “Paperwhite” display, a revamped 7-inch Kindle Fire, and what appears to be a large iPad-sized tablet as well.

We’re expecting Amazon to be extremely competitive when it comes to pricing. Last year’s Kindle Fire was the first mainstream $200 to hit the market, and that price quickly led it to become the most popular Android tablet. Now, we think Amazon will focus on making cheap sexy with a more powerful $200 Kindle Fire, which will go toe-to-toe with the fantastic Nexus 7.

But perhaps most intriguing, we’re hearing that Amazon may keep the lower-end Kindle Fire around with the addition of ads, which could drive its price down to $100.

VentureBeat’s Jennifer Van Grove will be on the ground at Amazon’s event today, which is scheduled to begin at 10 A.M. Pacific.

Via The Verge

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

If you had your heart set on a larger version of Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet, you’ll have to sit tight for a bit long. Instead of taking on the iPad directly with a 10-inch tablet, Amazon is currently planning to announce two 7-inch Kindle Fire models at its media event next week, CNet reports.

One of the models is a higher-end Kindle Fire sporting faster hardware and more connectivity, while the other is a slight refresh of the existing Kindle Fire. But the latter model may be interesting in its own right, as Amazon is reportedly working on supporting it with ads, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Amazon’s media event is currently scheduled for September 6, but the surprise was slightly blown yesterday when leaked pictures of one of the new Kindle Fire models hit the web. Apple is also expected to announce a smaller iPad in October — this will certainly be the holiday season of tiny tablets.

The higher-end Kindle Fire features a faster processor, a camera, an HDMI port, and other hardware upgrades, all of which will make it a strong competitor to Google’s Nexus 7. Considering that the Nexus 7 retails for $199 (and is my favorite Android device, bar none), I suspect Amazon is going to aim for the same pricing.

The lower-end model is “slightly upgraded” and features a newer interface, according to CNet, but its real strength could be pricing: It seems like a given that Amazon will price it lower than $199, so I wager it will end up costing around $150. But with ad support, which Amazon uses to knock off $30 to $50 off its current Kindle e-readers, the cheaper Kindle Fire could end up costing as little as $100.

This is all speculation, to be clear, but think of what Amazon could accomplish with a $100 tablet. Fewer Android manufacturers would be able to compete without losing money, and Apple certainly wouldn’t be able to compete. And even though the original Kindle Fire’s hardware wasn’t very good, a slight RAM upgrade and software improvements could still make it a steal at $100.

According to the WSJ, the low-end Kindle Fire’s ads would appear after you wake up the device, though it’s unclear if that means after you hit the power button or after you completely unlock it. Currently, the Kindle e-readers display ads while asleep and on the main library page.

I’m using a Kindle Touch with ads and haven’t been bothered by them one bit. For $100, I’m sure many consumers could feel the same about an ad-supported Kindle Fire.

Leaked Kindle Fire pic via The Verge; comparison image by Jolie O’Dell

With Google continuing its push into digital media sales, it was only a matter of time before Google Play made its way to retail stores’ gift card racks.

The search giant will offer Google Play gift cards in $10 and $25 increments, according to the photos obtained by Android Central (as shown in the image above). The latest Google Play Store app update’s code also contains references to support for gift cards as well as wish lists, reports Android Police.

The move is probably related to the recent success Google had in Google Play sales after gifting $25 to anyone that purchased a new Nexus 7 tablet. That said, giving someone a Google Play gift card would also help boost digital media sales through the Google Play store.

The gift card packaging lists movies, music, books, apps, and “more” along the bottom. I did find it a bit odd that it didn’t mention games, since mobile gaming is rapidly becoming a very lucrative area of digital media sales. Then again, if Google is trying to pair the new gift cards with its new Nexus 7 Google-branded tablet, it might make more sense to focus on passive media consumption.

The gift cards will probably function much like Apple’s iTunes gift cards that allow users to add the full value of the card to an account, which you can then use to purchase things. We don’t know which retail store chains will start selling the Google Play gift cards when they officially debut, but anywhere that currently features iTunes or Amazon gift cards for sale is a safe bet.

Sony is hoping to widen the reach of its PlayStation Mobile platform by adding two new partners today.

The Japanese company’s Sony Computer Entertainment Europe division announced that Playstation Mobile, previously known as Playstation Certified, will soon be available on the Wikipad and will receive support from hardware maker Asus.

PlayStation Mobile, Sony Computer Entertainment’s program for Android devices to play PlayStation titles, has been available solely on Sony’s own devices such as the Tablet S until the company’s recent partnership with HTC. Now, the first tablet with a gamepad and the current manufacturer of the “Google tablet,” aka the Nexus 7, have partnered with Sony.

This partnership may prove extremely beneficial for both Sony and Asus. Wikipad, which we recently spoke to (see part 1 and part 2 of our exclusive interview) and was partnered with cloud gaming service Gaikai before Sony purchased the cloud-gaming company, may also benefit because of its included game controller. Asus’s two current main tablets, the Nexus 7 and the Transformer Prime Infinity TF700T (which features the most powerful Tegra T33 processor), will have both the power to run higher-end titles and include top-of-the-line hardware to fully accommodate games previously built for the big screen.

According to a report issued earlier today by market researcher IHS iSuppli, Asus only has 2.8 percent of the tablet market share in the U.S. in the second quarter, up from 2.7 percent in Q1. Samsung and Amazon are both ahead of Asus in tablet sales, but that is expected to change with Google’s new partnership for the Nexus 7. The combination of the $200 tablet pushed by the search giant and PlayStation titles that will soon be made available for it may show a major shift in Android tablet sales.

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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Now that you’ve had plenty of time to set up your email and calendar on your shiny new Nexus 7, the moment for gaming has arrived. Android’s Google Play does not feature the robust selection of high-quality games that the Apple’s iOS App Store does, but the market isn’t barren, either. We’ve sorted through the crud to bring you five great games that are optimized for your $200 tablet. If you want to search Google Play just for tablet-optimized applications, try the Tablified Market HD app.

Dead Trigger
Google Play - Free

Violent first-person shooters aren’t just for consoles. Dead Trigger, from developer Madfinger Games, brings the blood, guns, and zombies to your 7-inch screen. Players have to survive a series of arenas that are overrun with the walking dead. Chain saws, automatic rifles, and other weapons are all at your disposal. It plays a lot like a slimmed-down version of the Nazi Zombie modes from the Treyarch-developed Call of Duty games.

Dead Trigger features amazing graphics that match any Xbox Live Arcade game in terms of quality. You can tell that Madfinger had a ton of fun with the Nexus 7′s quad-core Tegra 3 processor, as the game isn’t afraid to render gallons of blood splattering against your screen.

Be careful of the in-game transactions in this game, though. It’s based on the popular free-to-play model, which locks some of the coolest stuff behind a pay barrier.

Great Big War Game
Google Play – $2.99

A big slab of screen real estate is the perfect medium for turn-based strategy games. Great Big War Game takes the beloved genre and adapts it admirably for a touch-screen format. In GBWG, players command troops in tactics-based battles. Different units have different powers. Snipers are great for long-range attacks, while tanks are best in direct-combat situations. Since the game waits for the player to take his turn, it’s a great portable game that you can pick up and play stress-free.

Studio Rubicon Development took a lot of its inspiration for this title from the celebrated Nintendo franchise Advance Wars. It operates on many of the same rules, except that the map tiles in GBWG are hexagons rather than squares. The developer even tries to mimic the comedic tone of the Advance Wars games.

Once you use up the game’s extensive campaign, give the multiplayer a shot. Both pass-and-play and asynchronous-online options are available.

Pinball Arcade
Google Play – Free

We’ve seen plenty of weird pinball games on every system over the years, but Pinball Arcade is all about preserving the greatest real-world tables. Developer Farsight Studios purchases the rights to real machines and then recreates them digitally, down to the most minute detail. The current lineup includes Tales of the Arabian Nights, Theatre of Magic, Black Hole, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Creatures from the Black Lagoon, Black Knight, Monster Bash, Gorgar, Circus Voltaire, Funhouse, Medieval Madness, and The Machine: Bride of Pin*bot. A recent Kickstarter ensured that the studio will be able to acquire the rights to The Twilight Zone, which many consider the best pinball machine ever created.

While the app is free, most of the tables are only available as in-app purchases. Each month, the developer picks one unit that is free for everyone, but otherwise individual machines go for around $2.99 a piece or for $4.99 in packs of two. It can really add up, but it’s still cheaper than maintaining an actual table.

Machinarium
Google Play – $4.99

Here’s another title that won’t stress you out. Machinarium, from Hothead Games, is a touch-and-explore puzzle game with beautiful hand-drawn visuals and a rhythmic soundtrack. Adventure games have seen something of a resurgence over the past few years, and this is one of the best examples. It won a handful of awards as a 2009 PC release, and now as an Android game, it’s one of the best on the platform.

Players indirectly take control of a cute little robot who just wants to make his way into a robot metropolis. Naturally, mechanical hijinks ensue. The game leaks style that most console games can’t match, let alone anything you’ll find in the Google Play store.

Riptide GP
Google Play – $1.99

Riptide is a fun, pick-up-and-play racing game. It’s water-based physics work wonderfully with the gyroscope tilt controls. It also looks great with all the extra Tegra 3 bells and whistles turned on.

Other developers have tried to make the arcade-racing genre work on mobile devices, but studio Vector Unit came across the magic bullet when it decided to build its game around ludicrously fast jet skis. If you’ve ever tried playing a driving game with tilt controls on a phone or tablet, then you know it can feel like you’re never fully in control. So Vector Unit simply made the game about a vehicle that actually is difficult to control.

Tie Riptide in with your OpenFeint account (a service that tracks game stats across multiple titles) and see how your times measure up worldwide.

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Google’s having no problems getting its Nexus 7 tablet out the door to tech geeks — yesterday we learned that the 16 gigabyte model has sold out due to high demand. Now Google is getting ready to target the average buyer with its first Nexus 7 TV commercial.

The ad shows a father and son bonding over the 7-inch tablet during a camping trip. It feels a lot more human than Google’s previous ads (though some of its Google+ ads were getting there), and in many ways it could be mistaken for a heartwarming Apple ad. And just like Apple’s Siri ads, it projects a very idealized (and almost fantastical) view of the product.

While the ad succeeds at pulling the heartstrings, it may give consumers an inaccurate view of the Nexus 7, since it fudges a major drawback to the tablet: it’s Wi-Fi only, so you wouldn’t be taking your Nexus 7 camping without a wireless hotspot. At the end of the commercial it’s revealed that the duo were actually camping out in their backyard (something that only ever seems to happen in cute TV ads), so technically they were getting Internet access from their house.

Even though it’s a Wi-Fi only tablet, I still heartily recommend the Nexus 7. It’s the first Android tablet that hasn’t made me want to smash it into pieces, and at $200 it’s a no-brainer purchase.

Via The Next Web; Photo: Devindra Hardawar/VentureBeat

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Google has stopped taking new orders for the 16GB model of the Nexus 7 tablet in the Google Play store, a sign Google did not prepare for the tremendous demand the device has attracted thus far.

The Nexus 7 has seen much interest since it was introduced about a month ago at Google’s I/O conference. Since then, Google has clarified the timing on when preordered Nexus 7 units would arrive on people’s doorsteps. Google had said 16GB model could take one to two weeks to arrive, but now it can’t even be purchased online from Google at all. Instead, you can input your e-mail address and Google will notify you when it will be available.

For those who haven’t been paying attention, the Nexus 7 is a stunning 7-inch tablet that re-writes the rules on what a $200 slate can offer. It runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, has access to the Google Play store for music, movies, and TV shows. Additionally, it features a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 1,280-by-800 display. It could be disruptive to the iPad’s total dominance, so much s0 that Apple is reportedly working on a 7.85-inch “iPad mini.”

The 8GB model is still available for purchase, and the sale page says it will ship in three to five business days. It appears Google was preparing for sustained high demand for the $200 8GB model, but not for the $250 16GB model.

The popular tablet is also available at various retailers, including Staples, Sam’s Club, and GameStop. Some third-party online retailers claim to have the 16GB unit in stock, but most of them say the device is temporarily unavailable.

We’ve contacted Google to get official word on when the 16GB Nexus 7 will be available for sale again.

Nexus 7 photo: Jennifer Van Grove/VentureBeat

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Google’s Nexus 7 tablet is finally making its way to eager buyers, but some users may quickly find themselves frustrated by touchscreen issues.

After using the Nexus 7 for several weeks now, I’ve found that the device’s touchscreen has issues registering my inputs when it’s performing data intensive tasks like updating several apps at once. I can’t consistently replicate the issue, but it’s happened enough times to frustrate me. I’ve also noticed this issue with my girlfriend’s Nexus 7 as she was synchronizing the tablet with several apps from her phone.

Separately, Ryan Whitwam at Geek.com noticed that running graphics intensive games on the Nexus 7 consistently kills touch response from a large portion of the screen.

“Touching the right side (when held in portrait) of the screen sometimes elicits no response from the tablet,” Whitwam writes. “Sometimes the Nexus 7 will detect the touch, but quickly loses connection and the touch point is lost. The dead area runs all the way up the height of the panel, and across to about the mid point. The severity of the issue seems to vary over time; some occurrences are much less serious than others. To temporarily solve the issue, I can turn the screen off and back on.”

I wasn’t able to replicate the issue Whitwam described, but it was striking to me how similar his issues are to mine. When my Nexus 7 touchscreen starts to hiccup, I often have to touch and swipe the screen several times before my input gets registered. It’s also worth noting that several commenters on Whitwam’s post report similar touchscreen problems.

While these touchscreen issues could just be the result of defective Nexus 7 units, I’m beginning to think there’s a much more widespread problem. You can find further evidence of Nexus 7 owners having touchscreen issues at a lively thread on the XDA Developer forum, which was started a few days ago.

I’ve dropped a line to Google for comment. For now, please let us know if you’re having trouble with your Nexus 7.

Check out Whitwam’s video of his touchscreen trouble below:

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

If you’ve been waiting patiently for your Nexus 7 tablet to arrive, your wait is almost up. Google’s hotly anticipated device will ship by Thursday to most U.S. customers who preordered, unless you ordered accessories with the tablet.

The Google Nexus 7 is a stunning 7-inch tablet that re-writes the rules on what a $200 slate should be. It runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, has access to the Google Play store, and features a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 1,280-by-800 display. It could be disruptive to the iPad’s total dominance, so much that Apple is reportedly working on a 7.85-inch “iPad mini.”

Those in the U.S. who preordered the 8GB or 16GB Nexus 7 without accessories will receive the unit by end-of-day Thursday. If you have accessories, expect your tablet to arrive by the end of this week, but your accessories might ship later. Standalone 16GB Nexus 7s that were not preorders will arrive by the end of next week.

On its Nexus 7 shipping help page, Google clarifies shipping estimates for the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia:

In the US:

We’ve shipped all standalone Nexus 7 8GB orders (e.g.: those without a case, charger or Nexus Q). By the end of day on July 19 (PDT), we will have shipped all standalone Nexus 7 16GB orders placed through July 11 (PDT), and upgraded these orders to overnight shipping. We will process the remaining standalone Nexus 7 16GB orders by the end of next week with overnight shipping.

If you ordered your tablet with a case, charger or Nexus Q, your Nexus 7 will ship this week with overnight shipping, in some cases ahead of the rest of your order. But don’t worry, the rest of your order will be on its way soon.

In Canada:

We’ve shipped all Nexus 7 8GB orders. We are in the process of shipping Nexus 7 16GB orders and will ship them in 1-2 weeks.

In the UK:

All Nexus 7 8GB orders will ship by July 20 (BST). All Nexus 7 16GB orders placed through June 30 (BST), will ship by July 20 (BST). The remaining Nexus 7 16GB orders will ship next week.

In Australia:

All Nexus 7 8GB and Nexus 7 16GB orders will be fulfilled by the end of day on July 19 (AEST) and will arrive in 3-5 days.

PC World reported that the new Android tablet is available at Sam’s Club and GameStop stores, but that was based on just spot checks at random stores. A variety of online retailers such as Staples, Office Depot and Best Buy are evidently sold out. It isn’t clear when the retailers will get more in stock.

GameStop has a promotion where it will give you an extra 30 percent bonus on trade-ins of games, gaming systems and accessories. That means if you trade in a game system worth $80, GameStop will give you $24 toward the Nexus 7 purchase.

The Nexus 7 sells for $199 to $249, putting it on a square footing against the rival Amazon Kindle Fire tablet. It’s a lot cheaper than anything Apple currently offers. The Nexus 7 has a quad-core processor, the latest Android version 4.1 Jelly Bean, and many other exciting features. It is being built by Asus.