Google launches Nexus 4 smartphone, Nexus 10 tablet

Google unveiled a Nexus 4 smartphone, an updated Nexus 7 tablet and a new Nexus 10 tablet.

Computerworld - As expected, Google on Monday announced a Nexus 4 smartphone, an updated Nexus 7 tablet with a fast cellular connection and a Nexus 10 tablet.

The announcement was made in a blog by Google's Andy Rubin, senior vice present of mobile and digital content, in lieu of an event that was going to be held in New York City. That event was canceled due to Hurricane Sandy's impact on the eastern seaboard.

The trio will run Android 4.2, also called Jelly Bean, which supports a Gesture Typing keyboard, and a Photo Sphere camera. All three will be available Nov. 13.

The 4.7-in. Nexus 4 smartphone by LG will start at $299 for the 8GB model and $349 for a 16GB version, and will be available unlocked without a contract in the U.S. and six other countries in the Google Play store. T-Mobile will offer the 16GB version at the same time for $199 with a two-year contract.

The Nexus 4 features wireless charging and the Photo Sphere, which lets a user snap photos up, down and left and right to create360-degree images. Gesture Typing, which lets a user glide a finger over letters to type, is also supported.

The updated Nexus 7 with 32GB of storage and HSPA+ cellular will cost $299 and can be operated on AT&T in the U.S. It will also be unlocked and on sale in the Google Play store.

The Nexus 10 by Samsung will be offered with 16GB of storage for $399 and 32GB of storage for $499 in the Google Play store. It will have the highest resolution of any tablet at 2560 x 1600 pixels for a 300-pixels-per-inch screen. It also offers a battery with nine hours of video playback.

Google described Android 4.2 in a blog that described its features on both Nexus tablets and phones.

The Nexus 10 has a dual-core A15 processor and two cameras1.5 megapixels in the rear-facing camera and 1.9 megapixels in the front camera.

The Nexus 4 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon s4 Pro processor and an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3-megapixel front camera. It includes 16GB of internal storage and the battery is rated at 2,100 mAh.

All three devices include NFC with support for Android Beam contact-less sharing.

Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at  @matthamblen or subscribe to Matt's RSS feed. His email address is mhamblen@computerworld.com.

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