UPDATE: Google Nexus 7 tablet goes on sale without music, magazines or TV shows

Google Nexus 7

Update 18.07.12

Google's Nexus 7 tablet goes on sale in the UK today, with retalers such as Currys and PC World now stocking the device. It's available in 8GB and 16GB versions for £159 and £199.

But it's very much a 'soft launch' without any of the hype that surrounded the introduction of Apple's iPad.

It remains to be seen if Google can break Apple's stranglehold on the booming tablet market.

Published 06.07.12

Google will launch its flagship Nexus 7 tablet in the UK without music, magazines or TV shows when it goes on sale from July 18th, according to The Guardian.

The search company has failed to strike the necessary deals with several media companies to provide content for its £169 device.

A Google spokesman told The Guardian: "We want to bring different types of content to as many places as we can, but we don't have anything more to share on timing. We plan to continue expanding the Movies & TV shows category to more countries in the coming months."

Rival Amazon also failed to settle rights issues with media groups last year, so was unable to launch its Kindle Fire in the UK.

Published 27.06.12

Google has confirmed details of its Nexus 7 tablet.

The 340g, 7in slate’s got a quad-core Tegra 3 hitched up to 1GB RAM to drive the all-new Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) OS to its 1200x800 IPS Gorilla Glass screen. It's also the first Android device to run Chrome as the default browser.

Google’s offering a choice of 8GB and 16GB models, and there’s NFC (near Field Communication) alongside the usual glut of connectivity apparatus (GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Micro USB) and sensors (gyro, magnetometer and accelerometer).

The Google Nexus 7 will be released in mid-July, with pre-orders starting today on Google Play. Prices start at £160 (or US$200).

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Andy Clough

Andy is Global Brand Director of What Hi-Fi? and has been a technology journalist for 30 years. During that time he has covered everything from VHS and Betamax, MiniDisc and DCC to CDi, Laserdisc and 3D TV, and any number of other formats that have come and gone. He loves nothing better than a good old format war. Andy edited several hi-fi and home cinema magazines before relaunching whathifi.com in 2008 and helping turn it into the global success it is today. When not listening to music or watching TV, he spends far too much of his time reading about cars he can't afford to buy.