@Google launches a 4G LTE Google @Nexus 7 and Google Chromecast Streaming Device - Uninspired Tablet upgrades but US$35 Google Chromecast is the Streaming World's Blue Jasmine

Google held their Launch Even in San Francisco on Tuesday July 24^th 2013 and what a surprise it was!

They launched a pair of products that are certain to challenge everyone in both the Tablet and Television sphere, namely the 7” Google Nexus 7 Tablet and the Google Chromecast HDMI Streaming Stick as stated in the article “Google unveils Chromecast along with slimmer Nexus 7 tablet”, published Thursday 25 July 2013 08.22 BST, by Reuters in San Francisco, The UK Guardian.

This is Google’s latest offering developed jointly with Asus as stated in the article “Google Nexus 7: world’s highest resolution tablet”, published 5:38PM BST 24 Jul 2013 By Matt Warman, Consumer Technology Editor, The UK Telegraph and “Google Unveils Next-Generation Nexus 7 Tablet”, published 2013-07-24 16:22:10 UTC BY SAMANTHA MURPHY, Mashable. Check the Official webpage from Google for the  7” Google Nexus 7 Tablet.

Google Nexus 7 Tablet – One Upp on Retina Display fails to excite

The 7” Google Nexus 7 Tablet boasts some impressive specs as well as the distinction of having a higher resolution screen than the Apple iPad Retina Display. Most importantly it now has 4G LTE as i’d predicted in my blog article entitled “Google Nexus 7 Tablet to upgrade to 3G or LTE - Google Nexus 7 is a ParaNorman Bladerunner to kill the Amazon Kindle Fire 2” would be necessary to keep paces with the9.7” Apple iPad 4 and the Amazon Kindle Fire family of Tablets.

Take a look at the specs below:

Hardware

1.      Processor: 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro 8064 processor

2.      OS: Android 4.3 Jelly Bean

3.      Memory: 2GB RAM Memory

4.      Dimensions: 144x200x9.15mm

5.      Screen: 323 DPI (Dots Per Inch) Resolution, 1920 x 1200 HD LCD display

Accessories

1.      Camera: 5.0MP rear-facing Camera, 1.2MP front-facing cameras

2.      Bluetooth 4.0

3.      Micro USB 2.0 port for power and data transfer

4.      10 hours battery life

The Google Nexus 7 Tablet comes in 2 versions based on hard-drive size:

1.      16GB

2.      32GB Versions

3.      4G LTE Version (Long Term Evolution, which is optional

This creates a different pricing point based on the prices on Best Buy  who leaked their prices ahead of time as stated in “Nexus 7 Leaked on Best Buy Ahead of Google Launch”, published 2013-07-24 16:22:10 UTC BY SAMANTHA MURPHY, Mashable as listed below:

1.      US$229.99 for 16GB Version

2.      US$269.99 for 32GB Version

3.      US$349.00 for the 4G LTE version

The Google Nexus 7 is no available in Google Chrome Store for pre-order and ships by Tuesday July 30^th 2013 as stated in the article “New Nexus 7 now available in Google Play store”, published July 26, 2013 12:36 PM PDT by Eric Mack, CNET News. The Rest of the World that doesn’t live in the US nor has the facility to buy these cool gadgets will just have to wait.

Google Chromecast HDMI Streaming Stick – US$35 Blue Jasmine of the Streaming World

But it’s their next product that seems to have everyone excited, as truth be told, it takes a little more than just an improved Resolution, thinner design as well as 4G LTE to get anyone excited about Tablets. We’re looking for something new and exciting – and the Google Chromecast HDMI Streaming Stick is now that new “Thing” as stated in “What’s so revolutionary about Chromecast? It’s cheaper than a tank of gas”, published July 25, 2013 by Jeffrey Van Camp, DigitalTrends.

So what’s the big deal here?

The price of US$35 for the Google Chromecast HDMI Streaming Stick which runs a striped down version of Google Chrome OS, the ability to work with any device from Tablets to Laptops and even Apple Products and coming Developer support means that this device is a “must-buy” for many especially as it’s the same price available on Amazon.

This is basically a product very similar to the US$99 Roku HDMI Streaming Stick that paired with the US$300 3M Roku Streaming Projector as described in my blog article entitled “3M Roku Streaming Projector is the ultimate Mystery Machine for Parties and Corporate Show-and-Tell”. It comes with a mini-USB Port and associated cables needed to power the device, as its main port, the HDMI Port is not MHL Compatible, hence it needs separate power, something Google seems to have forgotten to make plainly obvious in their online advertisements.

Like the Roku HDMI Streaming Stick it basically connects to the HDMI port of you big screen TV and allows you to stream content from any device, be it smartphone, Tablet or Laptop or any Apple product. Your device basically becomes the remote control to control the content streamed to the device and the Television set, which now mirrors the display on your controlling device’s Screen.

Right now Google’s signed up Netflix and YouTube but that’s set to expand with further contract negotiations with other IPTV Service Providers. Here’s a quick setup for your Chromecast thanks to CNET TV:

And speaking of Apple products, It’s also cheaper than the  US$99 Apple iTV  and even the US$50 Roku Streaming Set top Box, making this Google best swipe yet at being a serious competitor in the IPTV Streaming Game as stated in the article “Chromecast: Google's best weapon to breach the TV biz”, published July 24, 2013 4:17 PM PDT by Joan E. Solsman, CNET News.

Google is throwing down the gauntlet challenge to both Apple and Roku in the growing IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) market as stated in the article “Chromecast isn't a Roku/Apple TV killer -- but at $35, it doesn't need to be”, published July 24, 2013 4:45 PM PDT by John P. Falcone, CNET News. 

Yes, as expected, as of yesterday it’s sold out online, with wait times as high as 4 weeks on Amazon as noted in the article “Super-hotcakes? Chromecast wait now up to 4 weeks”, published July 24, 2013 8:32 PM PDT by Eric Mack, CNET News. So this product is hot and is sure to become a must-have gift by the start of the Fourth Quarter – provided you can get your hands on one.

In summary the 7” Google Nexus 7 Tablet upgrades failed to excite the Tablet crowd but the Google Chromecast HDMI Streaming Stick is the US$35 Blue Jasmine (2013) of the Streaming World.

Here’s the link to purchase:

US$35 Google Chromecast HDMI Streaming Stick available on Amazon

7” Google Nexus 7 Tablet on Best Buy