Nexus 8 Tablet Tipped for Mid-2014 Launch

[dgstorm]

The latest Android tablet rumor to hit the news bin is that Google is planning to release a Nexus 8 tablet in the middle of this year. Supposedly, the success of the Apple iPad Mini has forced Google to take notice and offer a compelling alternative in that size range. One other interesting thing to note about this rumored Nexus 8 tablet is that Google is mulling over using Intel's Bay Trail architecture instead of NVIDIA or Qualcomm this time.

The rumor also suggests that the device will not be LG-made which has been speculated previously. Currently Asus is once again the front-runner to build the device for Google. Here's a quote with the details,

The sources pointed out that Google's Nexus 8 reportedly may adopt Intel's Bay Trail-T platform, but Qualcomm is still striving for related orders. As for Google's R&D partner for the new Nexus 8, Asustek Computer is currently having the best chance.

Because Asustek has already established a close relationship with Google and has advantages in product design and component purchasing, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Lenovo are unlikely to be able to take the orders away easily. More Nexus 8 details are expected to be revealed after February, the sources added.

Sound off and share whether you think a Nexus 8 tablet would be of interest to you. Could the 8-inch form factor be the perfect median between the 7-inch tablet and the 10-inch? Perhaps this size is big enough to be able to read better, but light enough to reduce hand fatigue...

Source: DigiTimes

 

[kodiak799]

I'm definitely interested in a 7-8" tablet. But probably not this one as I'm guessing it won't have an SD slot.

 

[gadgetrants]

Absolutely love my 10" OG Asus Transformer. But after holding a new Nexus 7 in my hands -- and realizing how heavy and clunky the 10" form factor is -- I could easily imagine myself adopting an 8" cousin.

-Matt

 

[johnomaz]

If the dimensions were the same as the Nexus 7 tablets, bring it on. Keep it in a 1080p aspect ratio and it should be great. As for competing with the iPad Mini in the 8" market, I bet its more after the Galaxy Note 8. The iPad Mini, IMO, is no competition.

 

[kodiak799]

Absolutely love my 10" OG Asus Transformer. But after holding a new Nexus 7 in my hands -- and realizing how heavy and clunky the 10" form factor is -- I could easily imagine myself adopting an 8" cousin.

-Matt

I'm glad to hear someone else with this opinion. It's basically where I stand as I think holding the 10" tablets really have to be propped up for extended viewing - for reading I think a 7-8" is ideal (not sure which size I'd go for).

And, actually, you need some bezel to facilitate holding it comfortably without interfering with navigation or viewing.

 

[tgyberg]

If the dimensions were the same as the Nexus 7 tablets, bring it on. Keep it in a 1080p aspect ratio and it should be great. As for competing with the iPad Mini in the 8" market, I bet its more after the Galaxy Note 8. The iPad Mini, IMO, is no competition.

Agreed. The bezel on the 7 is pretty huge so I think this could be done

 

[gadgetrants]

I hate to sound greedy, but my one concern is (and this is pure second-hand marketing logic), if the N7 debuted for roughly $230/$280 (for the 16/32GB), then it stands to reason an equivalent N8 would have to be something like $260/$320 (or whatever). So yeah, I'd expect a small price-premium for that additional inch, which sort of frustrates me because I'd imagine in tear-down costs it would be a near-negligible increase.

Or well, I suppose that given the imaginary tablet shown above is just that, all bets are off. There's no reason in principle that the N8 couldn't have some additional features, e.g., a middle- to high-end digitizer, which would "justify" the higher price tag over the N7. But personally what I secretly wish for is EXACTLY the N7 my wife has now, but 1 inch larger!

-Matt

 

[kodiak799]

With bezels disappearing, especially on tablets, they need to create a "dead touch" area around the edges for holding without registering touch input. Or at least on the sides.

Seems like it would be a relatively easily software tweak. I think Google may have been after that "how do you hold it?" issue when they put a ton of bezel on the Nexus 7

 

[gadgetrants]

With bezels disappearing, especially on tablets, they need to create a "dead touch" area around the edges for holding without registering touch input. Or at least on the sides.

I'd imagine that could be picked up by the gesture system, i.e., a "non-touch bezel hold" is:

- along the edge of the screen
- with more force/pressure than a typical touch
- significantly longer than a long-press (e.g., 2+ seconds)

Like you said, I don't think it would take 5 minutes of coding in software to treat such touches as "ignored." And I'm assuming at this point...I forget, but isn't the N7 10-touch capable? I'd guess the average user is rarely activating more than a few of those multi-touch points, and if so, dedicating a few to filtering out grip/hold touches should cost nothing. Come to think of it, it should be pretty much analogous to the heuristics for palm-rejection used on other "writable" touchscreens.

-Matt