Tecknova

Google Nexus tablet won't have Tegra 3

Google supposedly removed the quad-core Tegra 3 SoC from the Nexus tablet spec list to make it cheaper than Amazon's Kindle Fire.

ZoomAdditional details have surfaced in regards to the rumored 7-inch Google Nexus tablet, details reportedly provided by an anonymous supply chain company based in the United States. The source reports that Google has decided to do away with Nvidia's Tegra 3 quad-core SoC for an unnamed replacement. Thus the overall price will be lower than previously reported, costing $149 to $199 instead of $199 to $249.

As before, little else is known about the tablet. Asus has supposedly signed on to produce the device, and the anonymous source claims that the company actually ditched its Asus MeMo 370T that was revealed back in January at CES 2012 so that it could focus on the Google device. The source even stated that "it's a done deal" and that Google is shooting for "a tablet of the highest quality."

There's a good chance Google removed Nvidia's Tegra 3 from the spec list so that it could undercut Amazon's Kindle Fire with the reported $149 price tag. The company may have also gotten a better volume deal using a different SoC solution -- probably Snapdragon given the strong ties between Qualcomm and Asus. Amazon supposedly chose the Tegra 2 to power the Kindle Fire, but went with the OMAP4 from Texas Instruments because it got a better deal.

As for the actual name of the tablet, the source called it "Nexus tablet" although an official title has not been set in stone. Originally it was theorized that Google would call it Google Play after the company began to secretly gather domains, but that turned out to be a rebranding of its overall media-based network which crammed apps, music, books and movies under one Google Play roof.

There's talk that the tablet will make its debut as early as May, possibly sporting Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich." But if the tablet is truly a Google Experience Device, we just might actually see the debut of Android 5.0 "Jelly Bean" on the device instead. The tablet is expected to be announced at the CTIA Wireless show which takes place in New Orleans from May 8-10.