7-inch Google Tablet Coming From ASUS

First time accepted submitter Sez Zero writes "Google and ASUS have been collaborating on a co-branded 7-inch Android tablet, with a launch as early as May, according to sources, challenging low-cost rivals and the iPad with a $199-249 price tag. The fruits of the partnership, whispered to the runes readers at DigiTimes by industry sources, will take on the NOOK Tablet and the Kindle Fire, with ASUS selected for its willingness to flex to Google's requirements."

Re:Google is going for low price

[Kagetsuki]

Actually I'll call bullshit on this and for a good reason: I recently purchased an Asus Zenbook UX21. Up untill this point I have never purchased Asus gear and have always gone for Toshiba and Fujitsu notebooks which have never let me down. But this Zenbook was preposteriously inexepensive, exactly the form factor I needed, and immediately available so I went for it. I'm so glad I did - I love the thing. It's well constructed and has killer hardware, the screen is nice, the keyboard is nice, it even looks nice. There are some small complaints about it sure but they are negligable unless I want to spend twice the price for a Toshiba Ultrabook (which looks fantastic, but basically the same specs + some minor polish and a few bells and whistles at 2x the price).

If anyone can pull off a great Android tablet on a budget it's Asus.

Already a failure

[Lumpy]

Android needs Horsepower and memory. 1 gig ram, dual core 1.2ghz processor, and at LEAST a 1024x768 screen res to be any real competition.

If this does not have all of those, it is a failure as I can buy one of the other android tablets from a better company name, you can get the Samsung or Motorola tablets at Staples for $299-$399 right now and I know that hardware is better than ASUS.

Come on ASUS, you guys used to know what you were doing. Now it's a year late and a processor core short.

Re:Google is going for low price

[symbolset]

Oh yeah, Android is horribly fragmented into camps that like physical keyboards or not, HD cams or no, front facing cams or not, items in pink, blue or prints.

Android vendors have better margins even than Apple, and that's saying something. I enjoy choosing, so I like the mess that Android is.

Finally; Hopefully Google and Asus Delivers

[oakgrove]

I have a Xoom and an iPad. When the Xoom had HC on it the iPad got a lot of use as Honeycomb was a little too raw. But the day ICS as installed on this device the iPad was sat down and hasn't been picked up since. The experience has been wonderful. Even this tegra2 flies with Android 4.0 on it. All of the apps I have ever looked for have been available even apps to mmake apps right on the device itself. How cool is that? Nothing as complex as a modern smartphone or tablet will ever be perfect but the TMobile Nexus S and now Verizon Galaxy Nexus have been nothing short of superb. Fast fluid stable fun. Every Thing I've wanted in one of these devices and I've used them all. In my collection I have an iPad an HD7 windows phone, a Nokia N770 mid, and several Android devices.

Android OEMs have struggled by themselves but with Google's help and Asus' engineering they could come up with something really great at a price point that is easily palatable by people not well off enough to afford 4 and 5 hundred dollar plus devices.The naysayers should wait until something is delivered before throwing irrational hate at a piece of circuitry and glass they've never even touched.