ASUS Malaysia is hosting a media event today to launch the Nexus 7 here in Malaysia. Want in on the scoop live? Our new website, CrackTech.net ,will be liveblogging it, so tune in on time! The event starts at Friday , 21 September 3PM ( GMT + 8 Malaysian Time ). Also, please comment on what questions you may have for ASUS , and we’ll ask them for you . Please visit the new site here http://cracktech.net/2012/09/21/nexus-7-malaysian-launch-liveblog/ where the liveblog is happening.
Tons of Malaysians have been anxiously waiting for the much hyped Jelly Bean tablet, the ASUS and Google Nexus 7 . We ourselves coudn’t stand the wait and imported a unit from the US. ASUS have sent us a media invite to attend the launch event of the Nexus 7 , happening on the September 21st , 3PM. The event will be liveblogged on the new CrackTech website here, so please remember to tune in to the new website. So, mark those calendars folks. Of course, CrackTech will be there liveblogging the event live, and livetweeting it so be sure to tune in on time! Our very own Chief Editor Vishnuu Panickar and Co-Chief Editor Kumaran Ganesh will on liveblog duty. Just a recap of the specs, the Nexus 7 runs on an NVIDIA Tegra 3 CPU with 1GB of RAM and a 7 – inch IPS HD display – hence the name. We expect the tablet to do exceptionally well here, penetrating the below RM1000 price of a tablet, especially with no Kindle to compete with here.
Remember guys, the event will be live on the new website here.
Ever since Google launched the Nexus 7 in Google I/O 2012, every Malaysian has been searching high and low for a way to purchase the Nexus 7 , and for a reasonable price at that. Because of that I’ve tried my best to search through the internet and all the online stores to try and find possible ways for us to get our hands on Google’s latest and greatest.
IP-Mart
IPMart has been one of the fastest local resellers to offer the Nexus 7 , priced at RM949 for the 8GB version and RM1149 for the 16GB version. Yes , this might be RM300 more than the RRP price from the Play Store, but its the only option that ships fast and the only store locally selling it. I have gotten confirmation from Google Malaysia that they have no immediate plans to release the Nexus 7 here yet, so this may be a viable option. You have an option to pay either by Bank In, Credit Card , PayPal or even Cash On Delivery ( select States). Click here for more details.
Negri Electronics
Negri Electronics is well known for offering all the latest devices the fastest and they ship internationally – including Malaysia! The 8Gb version is RM780 and the 16GB model is RM1000 . It is slightly cheaper than IPMart, but when you take into account the shipping costs and delivery time, it comes up to the same. More info here.
Google Play Store
This is the cheapest but hardest option, as it requires you to ship to a US address, and have your friend ship it to you. You have the advantage of buying it with the RRP price of $199 / @249 but it’s quite troublesome to find a friend who is willing to go through the trouble to ship it to you. You will also have to get your friend in the US to purhase it for you, as the Play Store website isn’t accessible from Malaysia.
I hope these options certainly help you to get your hands on the much coveted Nexus 7 . We ourselves are working on purchasing one and we’ll definitely review the device when we get it. Stay tuned.
After Google unveiled its latest flavor of Android during Google I/O 2012, everyone was anxious to know when their device would get the update, or IF? Samsung has been open about updating the Galaxy SIII to Jelly Bean, and reports are coming in from SamMobille and GSMArena that Samsung are working on the update and are expecting to release it on August 29. This date may ring a bell, as its the day that Samsung will be unveiling its Note 2 during the Unpacked event for IFA in Berlin. Looks like Samsung may have other announcements besides the Note’s successor.
Skeptics may say that this rumour may be just that, – a rumour – , as test builds of future OTA updates always end up leaking on XDA, with devs releasing the leaked updates to users. However, don’t take this with a grain of salt just yet, Samsung have certainly tightened up security on their part and are avoiding any leaks as far as possible. We haven’t even gotten a glimpse of the Note 2 yet, which clearly shows Sammy’s efforts.
The rollout is expected to hit international versions of the Galaxy S3 first, as carrier branded models have to go through their strict checks and “optimisation” process. Users in Malaysia can expect a brisk update as our models are part of the International rollout.
Stay tuned for more info on CrackTech.
Google has stopped taking orders for its spherical Nexus Q streaming-media player, but customers who have already preordered the device will still be getting theirs, albeit at a much lower price: free.
The Apple vs Samsung court battle started yesterday, and it’s already shed light on an upcoming tablet by the Korean company.The device – codenamed P10 – measures a monster 11.8-inches, which would make it Samsung’s biggest tablet to date.And it’ll also come packing a display on a par with that on Apple’s latest iPad.
Retina display
According to court documents, the screen will have a resolution of 2,560×1,600-pixels. That dwarfs the iPad’s 2,048×1,536-pixels, but spread over the larger screen (the iPad is just 9.7-inches), still has a mighty impressive 256 pixels per inch (ppi).The iPad’s screen is 264ppi, but Samsung’s should still be just as bright and sharp.And standing nearly 12-inches, it should look phenomenal.
Samsung is holding an event in mid-August, pre-IFA, so it could well announce the monster tablet then. Or that could be the official unveiling of the Galaxy Note 10.1 we saw back at CES in January, and haven’t heard much about since.The ‘P10’ tablet should have LTE connectivity, too. Though that’s not much good to us Brits, seeing as we don’t have LTE networks rolled out here yet.
These kinds of revelations are an upside to the court proceedings between Apple and Samsung. Previously Apple’s prototype iPhone mock-ups were revealed, along with a prospective iPad design that had a kickstand.The case is expected to last about a month. A jury of 10 people has now been selected, and they should be hearing the opening statements later today.
Via: The Verge
Finally the moment all devs at XDA and OEMS alike have been waiting for, Android 4.1 Source Code. Android Open Source Project ( AOSP ) lead Jean – Baptiste Queru has announced that Google have dropped the code today. The initial release covers the Nexus 7 and Galaxy Nexus, with the Nexus S and Motorola Xoom sources to be released soon. As always, renowned custom rom makers like CyanogenMOD can finally get started on Cyanogenmod 10. Hit the link to find out more about the details and find out how you can get started on your very own AOSP project.
After every new Android version is out, devs always meet the one day deadline to leak parts of the new OS, as well as whole ports. Today , we have already gotten the whole set of wallpapers from Jelly Bean , available for download and use straight on your device. I’m using it myself, and I have to say , I’m really liking the new wallpapers. The direct download is available here and is a 2.2 MB file , which gives you 12 stunning wallpapers. If you cant wait for the update to arrive, here’s something that can get you that Jellyfied feeling.
Google’s day one conference at I/O was arguably the best conference from the search giant. There were a ton of announcements, all giving glimpses of Android’s future and where it’s headed to. Android 4.1 , the Nexus 7 and Q , and Project Glass were highlights of the show. But what stole the show was definitely the Nexus 7. The fruit of Google’s partnership with Taiwanese manufacturer Asus was unveiled, an certainly whetted many appetites. Google was in the tablet market, and with the best slate for the job. A sub-$200 pricing and flagship specs make this purchase a no brainer. You woudn’t even consider Amazon’s Kindle Fire, with the Nexus beating the Fire in every way possible , except one – content. So what exactly is so great about the Nexus 7? When is it going to be available in Malaysia ,and for how much? Read on to find out.
Specifications and Hardware
As you can see from the pic above, the Nexus 7 has some very eye catching features, some only available to flagship tablets like the Transformer Prime, which also costs RM1000 more. It’s a miracle how Google and Asus managed to keep costs down in spite of the specs. The Nexus 7 is a buttonless tablet has a 7″ 1280 x 800 HD display , that’s strengthened by Gorilla Glass. It runs on a quad – core Tegra 3 CPU , clocked at 1.2Ghz but it can upscale to 1.3Ghz anytime paired with its 12 – core GPU which proved to boost this tablet’s gaming performance dramatically in the demo. There’s no back- facing camera, but there’s a front facing 1.2 MP one. The Nexus also comes with the standard slew of sensors and of course NFC. The highlight of this tablet that sets it apart from every Android device available, is that it comes with Android’s latest version, Jelly Bean. Jelly Bean brings a lot of new and much wanted features to the table. Among the new features is a new search , Google Now, new Maps features , auto resizing widgets and finally , Android is going to be silky smooth with the introduction of Project Butter. The tablet is also being branded a Google Play tablet, with all Play’s services integrated very well with the OS. Magazines, Books, Games, Apps, Music and Chrome are all readily accessible and offer robust features.
Pricing and Availabilty
After looking at the specs, you’d sure to be looking at a RM1500 – 1800 ( $400-500) pricing for the slate. Well, you were wrong. Google has set the price of the tablet at $199 ( RM 600 ) for the 8GB version and $249 ( RM 780 ) for the 16GB version. That’s incredibly cheap and more than half the price of the cheapest iPad 3 model available. Which also brings us to the availability of the tablet itself. Google is already taking pre-orders for the tablet in its own Google Play Store, and is expected to ship the Nexus sometime mid – July. It’s unfortunate that the Play Store isn’t available in Malaysia currently. However , Google have assured us that the Nexus would be sold in other stores around the world, with Google absorbing marketing costs. When that will reach Malaysia, we don’t know . But ASUS is an Asian company, and they have been quick with Transformer launches here. We have reason to believe that ASUS will push the Nexus sales in Malaysia, and expect it to arrive here around August – September. We have reached out to ASUS on the matter of availability and will let you know when we have confirmation.
Stay tuned to CrackTech for all the latest info.
Asus’s Transformer Pad Infinity is the best Android tablet on the market. Unfortunately, its reign may be short lived, as Google’s Nexus 7 is hitting consumer hands in mid-July. (Ironically, Asus is responsible for manufacturing both.) There are obvious discrepancies in size, and the Nexus 7 doesn’t transform into a faux laptop via a keyboard dock. But folks will likely pay no mind to that, as the Nexus 7 is just $199 for the 8GB model. Basically, it’s like the blueprints from every great Android tablet was implemented into one 7-inch super device. So which one should you choose?
| Nexus 7 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Quad-Core Tegra 3 | NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-core T33 1.6GHz |
| RAM | 1GB | 1GB |
| Display Type | 7-inch HD | 10.1-inch Super IPS+ display with 600 nits brightness |
| Display Specs | 1280 x 800 (216 ppi) | 1920 × 1200 |
| Operating System | Android 4.1 | Android 4.0 |
| Storage | 8GB or 16GB | 32GB or 64GB |
| Rear Camera | No | 8-megapixel Auto-focus w/LED Flash, F/2.2 Aperture, 1080p video recording |
| Front Camera | 1.2-megapixel | 2-megapixel |
| Battery | 4325 mAh (Up to 8 hours of active use) | Pad only: 25Wh – 9.5 hours Pad + Dock: 25Wh+ 19.5Wh – 14 hours |
| Cellular (on select models) | NA | NA |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 b/g/n | 802.11 b/g/n |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Bluetooth 3.0 |
| Ports | Micro USB, 3.5mm headphone jack | 2-in-1 Audio Jack (Head Phone / Mic-in) / 1 × Micro-D HDMI 1.4a port / 1 × microSD Card Slot / |
| Connectivity | “ | 40-pin connector |
| Height | 7.81 inches (198.5 mm) | 10.3 inches (263 mm) |
| Width | 4.72 inches (120 mm) | 7.11 inches (180.8 mm) |
| Depth | 0.41 inch (10.45 mm) | 0.33 inch (8.5 mm) |
| Weight | 0.74 pounds (340 grams) | 1.31 pounds (598g) |
| Colors | Black | Amethyst Gray, Champagne Gold |
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