The Google Nexus 7
Google's foray into the tablet world met with a red carpet welcome, with the 1.5Ghz, Quad-core tablets selling off the shelves like hot cakes. The Android based was announced in June and launched in July; however, as Indians we had to wait for a delayed launch unlike any other non-Chinese offering. The Asus made Nexus 7 was conceived as a direct competitor to Amazon's Kindle Fire and to be a pain-point to the iPad Mini (currently in pipeline).
Reception in India
Meanwhile, desi trade pundits started commenting on the plausible defects with the Nexus 7 and how it would not suit the Indian market. The primary concerns were cited as follows:
- Non-availability of Google Play for India
- Absence of a mirco-SD card slot
- No 3G option. Only Wi-Fi
In spite of this, the tablet has been quite successful with the desi comsumer market with added help from the recent surge of e-commerce websites in India which have opened the window wider for the Google Nexus 7 tablets. With the US price being $199 (roughly Rs. 11,000) the Indian market price ranged around Rs. 17,000 for the 8GB version. Google on its part, took no half measures in marketing the device, which was directly promoting and establishing Google Play in the apps arena.
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Current buying options in India
The 3G Version
The last couple of days have been abuzz with rumour on Asus working on a 3G version of the Nexus 7. Reliable inside information point to the updated device launching in few weeks. The good news is that India will see this launch along with other countries. Now with Google Play available in India, and a 3G version, the tablet will definitely make more sense and appeal to the Indian market. The only drawback of a MicroSD card slot can be overcome with the umpteen cloud storage services offered for free. With that, we keep our fingers crossed and await the inevitable rumour-come-true.
