Google just conjured up its platonic ideal of an Android tablet: killer specs, the most pristine possible software, and a $200 price. Wil this be the Android tablet that finally makes Android tablets exciting? Is Amazon going to lose?


The Nexus, a slim, trim piece of gear packed with the latest Jelly Bean release of Android, falls mostly in line with what we were expecting: built by Asus, the Nexus holds a 1.3Ghz quad-core CPU, 12-core Tegra 3 processor, NFC, and 1 GB of RAM, a 1.2MP front-facing camera, and 8 hours of battery life—all with two different storage variants: 8 GB and 16 GB. That's a damn good level of muscle behind a 7-inch, 1280x800 screen, measuring 198.5 x 120 x 10.45mm.


It's also clear from the price—$200 for the 8 GB model and $250 for 16 GB—that this thing is aiming squarely to extinguish the Fire, as is the big push Google is pressing on sucking up your favorite media. So far, it's the only tablet that isn't an iPad that's managed to make large groups of people care in the real world, owing, yes, largely to the fact that it's cheap. If Google can manage to not only sell a cheap, powerful Android tablet, but a powerful Android tablet that doesn't scare off moms and non-geeks, the Nexus will hit the ground with serious momentum—it's sure as hell kicking the Fire's ass in about every other category.

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