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What’s new in Android 4.2 Jelly Bean: Photo Sphere, gesture typing, multi-user support on tablets, more

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0poff-mHQ4Q]

As we covered earlier today, Google is getting ready to introduce a brand new lineup of Nexus branded devices for the holidays and to accompany the launch is Android 4.2. We already got a good look at some of the features in this latest version of Jelly Bean in a promo video and walkthrough with Google engineers, but Google has a full run down of what’s new in 4.2 on its Android website here. It also posted the video above showing off the new Photo Sphere camera experience.

One of the biggest new features that Google is talking about is the new Photo Sphere camera mode. It allows users to snap pictures in every direction “that come together into incredible, immersive photo spheres that put you right inside the scene.” You can check out photo spheres from a few photographers here.

Some of the other features included in 4.2: enhancements to the lockscreen with widgets and camera access, Miracast wireless display support, multi-user support on tablets, and improvements to Google Now and accessibility. Google explained the multi-user support available to tablet users:

It’s your fully customized tablet. And theirs, too. With support for multiple users, you can give each person their own space. Everyone can have their own homescreen, background, widgets, apps and games – even individual high scores and levels! And since Android is built with multitasking at its core, it’s a snap to switch between users – no need to log in and out. Available only on tablets.

Android 4.2 also includes a smarter keyboard with Gesture Typing:
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Google’s upcoming Nexus 10 further shown-off on video

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[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-4zeAyxCmNY”]

There have been several leaks of Google and Samsung’s joint venture into the 10-inch tablet space —during the anticipation for the unveiling of Google’s slew of new Android products (whenever that may be)—dubbed the “Nexus 10“. Adding to thd leaks yesterday, BriefMobile posted a brief video showing off the Nexus 10’s over-all structure. Past the overview, nothing is really shocking here. It looks like we’re seeing the same dual-core Samsung Exynos 5250 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a 10.1-inch Super AMOLED display at 2,560-by-1,600-pixel resolution, 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED, front-facing camera, NFC, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0 capability, as well as Android 4.2 Jelly Bean preloaded, which we’ve seen over the last week. We hope you like a little bezel with your tablet.


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Google’s Vic Gundotra posts photos taken with Nexus 10

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Google Senior Vice President of Engineering Vic Gundotra posted some vacation photos to his Google+ (via AndroidCentral) page that appear to have been snapped by a yet-to-be unveiled Samsung Nexus 10. Some information that we learn about the tablet’s camera specs: the image is shot at 2,048-by-1,536 resolution (3.1 megapixels), which is rather low, but that’s likely because Google+ resized the images. It seems unlikely Vic would post images from another device with the camera listed as “Nexus 10,” but we’ll know for sure on Monday when Google is expected to announce the Nexus 10 alongside the new LG Nexus 4 in New York.

Another one of the images is below:


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Nexus 7 variant pops up in FCC filing with 3G

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A French website just dug up a Federal Communications Commission filing for a 3G variant of the Nexus 7.

The filing, as first discovered by Galaxus (translated), detailed a codenamed “ME370tg” ASUS device. This, of course, would point to Google’s ASUS-made Nexus 7.

Another noteworthy aspect to the filing is that the ME370TG will receive certification Oct. 29. This date should probably sound familiar, as it is also the day of Google’s upcoming New York City event.

Unfortunately, the 3G-enabled Nexus 7 does not appear to sport LTE connectivity.


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Samsung Nexus 10 manual leaks ahead of Google event?

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Apparently, keeping secrets isn’t in Google’s DNA. Following a leak of the LG Nexus 4 this morning, ahead of Google’s press event on Monday, we now get a look at what appears to be the support manual for the rumored Samsung-built Nexus 10 tablet. The Verge pointed us to these pair of images from Korean website Seeko, showing some basic specs for the 10-inch tablet.

It’s not clear if these images are legitimate. Moreover, unfortunately, we don’t learn much from the images. If they are the real deal, it appears the new Nexus 10 will sport a design much different from the current Nexus 7 lineup. As you can see in the images above, the placement of the volume rockers, and other components, line up with the Galaxy Note 10.1, but the sides of the device in landscape orientation appear to have a slight curve. None of the specs listed that we can see are surprising, including: a micro USB port, headphone jack, LED indicator, micro HDMI port, and a back camera with flash. We’ll be at Google’s event in New York on Monday where we hope to get a better look at the new device.


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LG Nexus 4 up for pre-order on Carphone Warehouse, delivers Oct. 30

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Google is set to take the stage this Monday in New York City for what many expect will be the launch of the new LG Nexus 4, among other things. Just a few days before the event, U.K. retailer Carphone Warehouse is now listing the device, specs, and more, as well as accepting pre-orders with a delivery date of Oct. 30. The phone is listed as being free with a two-year contract through Vodafone or O2 UK. This isn’t the first time the retailer has leaked a device prior to launch, but it’s always a possibility the details will change.

[tweet https://twitter.com/hack_in_the_box/status/261442508704329728]

Many of the specs listed on the retailer’s website seem to line up with previous leaks, including: 2GB of RAM, a 320ppi HD display similar to the Optimus G, a 1.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor, and 8-megapixel camera. The website lists the device as shipping with Jelly Bean rather than Key Lime Pie, but the new OS is expected to be unveiled during Google’s media event on Monday. Other specs listed include 8GB of storage, 1080p@30fps video, and NFC. There is of course no telling how legit this, but the retailer does appear to be pretty confident. U.K. readers can pre-order the device now through Carphone Warehouse, with an expected delivery date of Oct. 30. We’ll be on hand in New York on Monday to bring you live coverage of the event.

Google announces AdWords conversion tracking for iOS app downloads

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Google announced today on its Inside AdWords blog that it will now allow AdWords users to track iOS downloads from in-app display ads, a feature that was previously only available for Android app downloads. Google said iOS conversion tracking allows advertisers to “better understand which campaigns are most effective at driving app downloads.”

The feature allows marketers to track downloads that originate from “in-app” display ads, meaning the iOS conversion tracking feature at this point doesn’t include app downloads driven by Google Search or Google Display Network ads. For iOS app downloads, Google explained marketers will have to go through a couple extra steps, requiring them install an SDK, grab a code snippet from their AdWords account, and then install it into their app. The same feature is currently available to Android as a codeless solution requiring users to simply create a new conversion in their account.

Tracking downloads of an iOS app requires integrating a small SDK into your app and pasting a small snippet of code in your app’s didFinishLaunchingWithOptions method to call the SDK.

Full instructions from Google on setting up iOS conversion tracking are below:
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Google confirms ‘next version’ of Google Wallet coming soon

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BusinessInsider pointed us to an interesting update to the Google Wallet website today: Google is now advertising “the next version” of its mobile wallet app and providing a link a to request an invite. The website has a link to “Request an invite” for when the new version is ready, but even more interesting is what happens after users do so. After clicking the link, Google asks users to select the type of mobile device they use. The three options include: Android, iOS, and Other.

There is no details regarding what might be included in the next generation of the Wallet service, but many are speculating Google might have plans to extend some portion of the Google Wallet app to iOS and possibly other devices. An iPhone version of Google Wallet would of course not include the NFC capabilities that have limited the service to select Android devices, but perhaps it could provide some type of integration with Apple’s Passbook feature on iOS? We have requested an invite to the new version of Wallet, and we will keep you updated when we learn more.

Google also announced today that Google Wallet is now available to Galaxy S III users on MetroPCS:

[tweet https://twitter.com/googlewallet/status/260476513567256576]


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How to claim free Google Chromebook goodies: 100GB Google Drive storage, 12 Gogo in-air Wi-Fi passes

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Google launched its new ARM-powered Chromebook last week with two years of 100GB Google Drive storage and 12 Gogo in-air, Wi-Fi passes for free, and it even published FAQ pages so folks could access the perks in just a few quick steps.

Here’s how to claim the 100GB of Google Drive storage:

  1. Log into your Chromebook (ARM-powered Chromebook, Samsung Chromebook Series 5 550, or Samsung Chromebox Series 3 only).
  2. Update to to the latest version of Chrome OS (Chrome OS 23 required).
  3. Go to the Google Drive offer page, and the 100GB will soon load in your account (Google will verify the Chrome OS device—only one deal per Google account).

More details are available at Google’s Goodies page.

The steps for Gogo passes are below.


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Brazil’s ANJ boycotts Google News, wants compensation for headlines and lede paragraphs

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The Association of Newspapers in Brazil is not happy with Google News, as it recently opted out of the free news aggregator, over complaints that Google crops news headlines and lede paragraphs for the decade-old service without permission nor monetary reimbursement.

The 154-member ANJ roughly equals 90 percent of Brazil’s newspaper circulation. The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas reported on a dispute that occurred earlier this week between an ANJ member’s lawyer and a Google executive at the American Press Association General Assembly in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The contention apparently “fueled one of the most intense debates during the Inter American Press Association’s 68th General Assembly.”

According to the Knight Center:

On one side of the debate were defenders of news companies’ authoring rights like German attorney Felix Stang, who said, “platforms like Google’s compete directly with newspapers and magazines because they work like home pages and use content from them.”

On the other, Google representatives said their platform provides a way to make journalistic content available to more people. According to Marcel Leonardi, the company’s public policies director, Google News channels a billion clicks to news sites around the world.

ANJ president Carlos Fernando Lindenberg Neto specifically told the Knight Center that providing the “first few lines of our stories to internet users, (Google) reduces the chances that they will look at the entire story in our websites.”

Google Public Policy Director Marcel Leonardi refuted Neto’s comment during the IAPA debate, claiming if the reader is “satisfied with the small blurb (we offer), that means the story did not call his attention that much.”


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Samsung forgot to mention there’s a 3G version of its new Chromebook too

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Image via <a href="//www.engadget.com">Engadget</a>

According to a listing on Amazon and Samsung’s website, a 3G version of the new Chromebook is also available for $329.99. When the latest Chrome OS laptop was announced yesterday, there was no mention. However, it is now available for all to pre-order. Besides 3G technology, specs remain the same on the Chromebook. It packs an 11.6-inch screen, 16GB of storage, 2GB of RAM, and Bluetooth. Like the previous versions of the Chromebook, the new 3G version will be bundled with two free years of 100MB of data per month from Verizon. [The Verge]


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Carrier billing to be available for Verizon Wireless customers who want Google Play content

After rumors over the last week, Google confirmed this evening that Verizon Wireless customers will be able to buy Google Play content from their Verizon account. Google tweeted:

Hey @Verizon Customers! Pay for Google Play apps, music and more on your phone bill. We’re rolling this out over the coming weeks. Enjoy!

Droid Life pointed out that there could be a $25 limit set for how much can be charged to a Verizon account each month. We will know more as this feature rolls out to Verizon customers!

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Google: 20M students and faculty use Google Apps for education, enterprise business ‘strong in retail sector’

During the Q3 2012 earnings call, Google software engineer Amit Singh just elaborated on the company’s enterprise business via Google+ (text version below):

The latest on Enterprise business @ Google from #google earnings. More Fortune 500 companies are #gonegoogle

Our Enterprise business continues to grow at an astounding pace as more and more companies and schools ‘Go Google’ and move to the cloud. We saw especially strong traction in the retail sector with Dillard’s, Kohl’s, Office Depot all using Google’s enterprise products.  In education, there are over 20M students, faculty and staff now on Google Apps, including Princeton, Virginia Tech, and the Philippines Department of Education, which has over 600,000 users. And with the launch of Google+ for enterprise customers, organizations of all sizes including Kaplan and Banshee Wines are starting to use our Hangouts and other tools to work together and get things done from anywhere.

Google Apps features several cloud-based Web applications that are similar to traditional office suites. The services vary per edition but generally include: Docs, Gmail, Calendar, Talk, Sites, Groups, Video, and Marketplace. Google Apps’ popularity among businesses and academicians has rapidly increased due to enhanced sharing features, accessibility, and cost.

Google has encouraged businesses and educational institutions to go Google with Google Apps since May as part of its “Go Google” campaign.


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Google’s mobile run rate up to $8B from $2.5B last year

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During Google’s financial call today, which we have full coverage of in our liveblog, CEO Larry Page revealed that Google’s run rate for mobile is now at $8 billion. That is quite the increase from the $2.5 billion it announced last year:

This time last year I announced that our run-rate for mobile advertising hit $2.5 billion.  That seemed like a pretty big number — even for Google.  Now we have built up additional mobile revenue from users paying for content and apps in Google Play.  Including these new sources grossed up, I can announce our new run-rate for mobile is now over $8 billion.  That’s quite a business

However, CFO Patrick Pichette added that its run rate for the quarter also included ads and Google Play content revenue. Not surprisingly, the company noted the majority of that $8 billion figure comes mostly from ads. During the call, Page also confirmed there are still roughly 1.3 million Android activations daily:
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Liveblog: Google Q3 2012 earnings

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Beginning at 4:30PM EST, we’ll be getting the full break-down of Google’s earnings for the third fiscal quarter. In an odd turn of events, Google released its earnings early this afternoon due to a screwup with its SEC filing. The screwup caused Google to close down its stock for the better part of the afternoon, causing a steep drop. Google may discuss the situation on the call… stay tuned after the break:

Check up on Google’s numbers from earlier this afternoon.
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YouTube exec says Google’s 20 percent time helped form ‘YouTube for Good’

Hunter Walk

Google’s Director of Product Management, Hunter Walk, who works specifically on YouTube, just gave Bloomberg a brief insight into his latest project made possible by the company’s famous 20 percent time.

Walk manages roughly a dozen engineers at YouTube, but he also utilizes Google’s 20 percent time—a time Google freely allots to employees every week for side projects— to mold YouTube into a platform for social causes and change, and not just a resource for endless cat videos.

“There is a real desire for YouTube to be a global classroom and a global town square, not just a global living room,” said Walker to Bloomberg in an interview.

According to Bloomberg:

Over the past year, Walk has been quietly evangelizing within Google for his initiative called YouTube for Good. He has convinced about a fifth of YouTube’s 1,000 or so employees, as well as some from Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, to set aside a chunk of their time to build online tools used by organizations including the United Nations World Food Program and Charity: Water.

YouTube for Good also made it possible to live stream last year’s AIDS symposium by the ONE Campaign, and it developed innovative tools like automatic face blurring to protect protest activists in YouTube videos. Aside from YouTube for Good, Google Reader, Gmail, and Google News are a few of the many successful side projects created with Google’s 20 percent time program.

Go to Bloomberg for the full report. 

(Image via GigaOm)


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Google’s thin 11.6-inch ARM based Samsung ChromeBook with 100GB of online space is finally compelling at $249 (Video)

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=S95J5BowMmk

Google just announced some extremely aggressive-priced Samsung Chromebooks starting at $249 at major U.S. retailers:

The new Chromebook is a great computer at any price, but it’s an incredible computer at $249. It’s one of the lightest laptops on the market. You can easily carry it around all day—it’s 2.5 pounds, a mere 0.8 inches thick, with more than 6 hours of battery life for the typical user. And with 100 GB of free storage on Google Drive*, you can get to all of your stuff anytime, anywhere.

Even with its compact design, it’s packed with performance—it boots up in less than 10 seconds and resumes instantly. High-resolution videos (in 1080p) are beautiful to watch and when using the touchpad, you’ll notice smooth scrolling due to a hardware-accelerated user interface. And as you‘d expect from a Chromebook, it’s easy to share with others. Everyone—mom, dad, grandparents, tech lovers, tech haters—can have separate accounts where all of their stuff is kept safe. Finally, if you’re an active Google user of products like Gmail, Drive, Search, Maps, YouTube, Play or Google+ Hangouts, everything just works seamlessly.

The new Chromebook weighs a little less than 2.5 pounds, but it boasts the same 6.5-hour battery life. The screen, however, is 0.5-inches smaller with a 1,366-by-768-pixel resolution. The most notable difference in Google’s thinner Chromebook is the Samsung Exynos 5250 dual-core processor inside, and it features a Cortex-A15 chip that reportedly runs 1080p video and ChromeOS pretty well. GigaOm’s Kevin C. Tofel even noted the overall performance is “comparable to the Intel-powered Chromebook I have, but perhaps a half-step behind; at least in my few hours of using the device.”

This is finally a compelling offer at $249—as long as the hardware is fast. It looks like a base-line MacBook Air (and will surely draw criticism for that) for a quarter of the price. Again, so long as it performs, I don’t think Google will have a problem selling them to its intended audience: grandparents, kids, and as second or third computers for those who are heavy Google service users, and companies that need cheap mobile workstations.

Update: More reviews are starting to come in and unfortunately many are complaining about slowness. Not surprising for a $249 machine but clearly not for power users.

A gallery is below.


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Google reports Q3 revenue of $14.1B, $2.18B net

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It looks like Google’s Q3 earnings have been released early with The Wall Street Journal reporting Google posted revenue of $14.1 billion and a net of $2.18 billion. A summary of the company’s earnings report from a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing is below. In the report, we see Motorola accounted for 18 percent of consolidated revenues. It brought in $2.58 billion, while reporting a $527 million operating loss. Of that $527 million operating loss, $505 million comes from Motorola’s mobile segment and $22 million from its home business. Google reported cash, cash equivalents, and short-term marketable securities at $45.7 billion as of Sept. 30 and operating income of $3.26 billion.

As highlighted in the screenshot above, Google is down almost 10 percent following the news. Google made a statement on what happened with the early filing (via Business Insider):

“Earlier this morning RR Donnelley, the financial printer, informed us that they had filed our draft 8K earnings statement without authorization. We have ceased trading on NASDAQ while we work to finalize the document. Once it’s finalized we will release our earnings, resume trading on NASDAQ and hold our earnings call as normal at 1:30 PM PT.”

Google is scheduled to announce earnings later today at 4:30 p.m. EST.

Q3 Financial Summary
Google Inc. reported consolidated revenues of $14.10 billion for the quarter ended September 30, 2012, an increase of 45% compared to the third quarter of 2011. Google Inc. reports its revenues, consistent with GAAP, on a gross basis without deducting traffic acquisition costs (TAC). In the third quarter of 2012, TAC totaled $2.77 billion, or 26% of advertising revenues.
Operating income, operating margin, net income, and earnings per share (EPS) are reported on a GAAP and non-GAAP basis. The non-GAAP measures, as well as free cash flow, an alternative non-GAAP measure of liquidity, are described below and are reconciled to the corresponding GAAP measures at the end of this release.

Google releases official Google Calendar app on Google Play

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Use Google Calendar to mange your day-to-day? You’re in luck, as Google has released an official Google Calendar for Android app on Google Play this evening, allowing users to keep track of their calendar right from their Android device. The app (which at one time was exclusive to the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S) features that ability to create, edit, and delete events, view calendars (including non-Google) in one spot, and quickly email related people to event with a customizable message. Google Calendar is available for Android 4.0.3 devices or higher. Google does warn that there are some issues with HTC devices: [Google Play via Official Android]


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Google Play Store adds option to buy credit on Web version

Google has apparently added the option to “Buy Google Play Credit” on the Play Store’s web version, so U.S. customers can now go to the bottom of the store to purchase credits in increment starting at $5:

There does not seem to be a choice for gifting credits, but that will feature will likely surface down the road—along with availability in other countries.


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Google Wallet’s prepaid card refund form is now online

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Google Wallet launched with free $10 prepaid cards to welcome users to the mobile payments system, but the company later revealed that it would discontinue the complimentary gifts and issue refunds for remaining balances in October.

Well, the time has now come… and Google is keeping its promise. Folks need to complete Google’s refund form online to get their money. It asks for their Google Wallet device ID, name, phone number, and other sensitive details.

Refunds come via check or prepaid MasterCard. Google will not process the requests until after Oct. 30, however, so do not expect to receive the prepaid card for another 7 to 10 business days. Those who choose the alternative option will receive a check within eight weeks.


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Samsung announces Jelly Bean updates for all US Galaxy S III rolling out in ‘coming months’

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While we heard previously that Samsung was beginning to roll out Galaxy S III Jelly Bean updates in Poland, the carrier confirmed today users in the United States would see the update in the “coming months.” We still do not know exactly when to expect it, but Samsung said Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, and U.S. Cellular will announce specific timing for the over-the-air updates separately. We will of course notify you when they do. Samsung’s full press release is below.


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Google rumored to debut $99 Nexus tablet in Q4 as Android tablets aim for lower price points

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This is not the first time we heard major Android vendors are aiming to hit lower price points in the months to come. With iPad mini expected to eat into a large chunk of the 7-inch tablet market, and recent price drops and refreshes to the Kindle lineups, it makes sense Google and other Android manufacturers are aiming to offer an even better value following its launch. Digitimes, despite not having the best track record, stated confidently in September, while citing its usual supply chain sources, that Google is planning a $99 Nexus 7 tablet. It also claimed an upgraded model would take over the $200 price point. This would seem to make sense with rumors of a 32GB Nexus 7 landing for under $250. Leaked retail inventory listings and even a unit that accidentally shipped have backed up those rumors.

Digitimes is once again claiming today that Google’s $99 Nexus tablet is real, adding that Taiwan-based manufacturers have confirmed it will launch in the fourth quarter of this year. Where this leaves the rest of the Nexus line is unclear. If the $99 tablet and 32GB Nexus for $250 are real, it could mean the $99 tablet comes with 8GB or 16 GB. There is also a chance Google keeps a tablet at the $199 price point. This would seem to point to a 8GB model at $99, 16GB model at $199, and 32GB model at $250. However, we are not quite buying the idea tht Google will offer an extra 16GB for only $50 more than a $199 16GB model…


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Where the Internet Lives: Google opens doors to data centers with virtual tour

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[protected-iframe id=”e89e07f88c510e8717bf4e777a83dd29-22427743-18874939″ info=”http://cnettv.cnet.com/av/video/cbsnews/atlantis2/cbsnews_player_embed.swf” width=”700″ height=”379″]

Google is doing something today that it has never done before, allowing the public to go behind the scenes at its various data centers. They are the same data centers Greenpeace recently praised for its “comprehensive energy reduction plan.” It is also the machine behind the 20 billion web pages indexed per day, 3 billion daily searches, and free mail to 425 million Gmail users. Apart from a few journalists who actually received tours of the data center, the rest of us will be limited to a new website Google has just dubbed “Where the Internet Lives”  (above we get an in-depth video tour from CBS News).

The site includes a collection of photos (some of which are above) from Connie Zhou, for each of Google’s data centers including: Berkley County (SC), Council Bluffs (Iowa), The Dalles (Oregon), Douglas County (Georgia), Hamina (Finland), Lenoir (North Carolina), Mayes County (Oklahoma), and St. Ghislain (Belgium). The site also contains photos and captions for Google employees working in the various data centers. You can even walk right in the front door of the Lenoir, NC data center using StreetView for a virtual tour:
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