Google announces Nexus 7, its own tablet (made by Asus)

At the Google I/O developer conference today, the search company confirmed recently ubiquitous rumors by announcing its very own Nexus 7 tablet, which will run on a brand new version of its Android mobile operating system: Android 4.1, nicknamed Jelly Bean.

Specs for the tablet, which will be manufactured by Asus, include a 1,280 x 800 HD display, a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, a 12-core GPU, and 1GB of RAM. The Nexus 7 will also feature a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera and NFC (near-field communication), 9 hours of HD video playback, and up to 8 hours of "active use" battery life.

Beyond specs, though, Google's product page touts the Nexus 7 as an entertainment device: "All the entertainment you love is right in your hand: more than 600,000 apps and games, millions of eBooks and songs, thousands of movies, and a growing selection of TV shows and magazines." This puts it in competition price-wise (and size-wise) with the Amazon Kindle Fire.

It's an open question as to whether Google Play's offerings can (or will) compete with the rich media ecosystems of Apple's iPad and Amazon's Kindle tablets. In contrast, Microsoft's recently announced Surface tablet seems aimed more toward productivity.

The Nexus 7 can be pre-ordered today and will ship in mid-July along with a $25 coupon for the Google Play store. An 8GB version is $200, and a 16GB model sells for $250.

—Carol Mangis