Google have announced a 7-inch tablet which will directly compete with sales of the Amazon Kindle fire. Plus Google Play, where you can buy eBooks, now also has magazines, movies and TV. Google’s overall platform is suddenly very enticing, offering what Amazon does, and a whole lot more.
The new Google Nexus 7 tablet will run Google’s latest version of Android, 4.1 Jelly Bean and the device itself is being built by trusted manufacturer Asus. The 7-inch 1280×800 HD display promises to surpass that of the Kindle Fire’s 1024×600 display. The other notable difference is the front facing camera, not featured on the Kindle Fire. Both devices are going head to head on price, with the 8GB versions of both on sale for $199.
The allure of apps, games and movies, however, may be what captures customers to the Google Nexus/Google Play ecosystem. Combined with the very cool looking Nexus Q streaming media ball, also announced yesterday, Google is offering a set of devices that then allow digital content to be used and shared in a delightfully easy way. Although Amazon Fire boasts movies and TV, you can’t stream your Amazon purchases to your big screen TV. With a Google Nexus 7 tablet you can access your library on the cloud and control playback to your big screen display via the Google Nexus Q ball.
What this means for the eBook world is that Amazon’s dominance may be threatened, since Google’s set of devices and Google Play offerings is more compelling. But it’s not all over for Amazon. They have the reputation, they offer Kindle Direct publishing, they have a huge catalogue and you can still purchase, loan and read your Amazon books on the Google Nexus 7 tablet.
