sentimentalist belladonna: Leaked Google Nexus 7 images and video show newer, sleeker iPad mini competitor

Google readying new, sleeker Nexus 7 to try and better compete with the iPad mini

Apple wasn't the first small-sized tablet on the market but it's iPad mini has been far and away the most successful to date, so it's no surprise Google wants to get back into the game with a new, improved Nexus 7. Rumors of just such a sequel device have been circulating for a while now, but our sibling site has now gotten their hands on the first pictures and video of what just might be the next Nexus 7. Phil Nickinson from Android Central:

The specs slapped onto this little lost tablet include the expected 7-inch LCD display and, new this time around, a pair of cameras. There's a 1.2-megapixel shooter from LITEONMOBILE on the front, and 5-megapixel camera by Chicony on the back. The rear camera appears to be situated in the same corner as the 3.5mm headphone jack. The listed motherboard points to Qualcomm's APQ8064 with a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor.

I still have the original Nexus 7 and haven't used it in months. It just wasn't very good. The aspect ratio was awkward for portrait use and it took way too long to get pervasive landscape support. It also suffered from a bunch of weird battery issues. However, since then the iPad mini has proven there's huge volume and huge money to be made in the small tablet market, and Google's proven nothing if not that they're a persistent, intelligent, and adaptive competitor.

Sadly, the aspect ratio doesn't look to have been improved here, but everything else looks much, much better. Combine it with the latest version of Android, and a super-low price, and it could be hugely attractive to the non-Apple market.

And let's face it, the tablet market is still desperate for great, non-Apple products. I'll be getting one, of course, and here's hoping Google nails it. Check out the video and additional images via the link below, and then come back and tell me - will this be a seriously competitive small sized tablet?

Source: Android Central