3G NEXUS 7 GOOGLE

Google 'secretly readying 3G Nexus 7 tablet' to take on Apple's rumoured iPad Mini

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Media tablet: The Google Nexus 7 is a seven-inch machine which finally broke the market for budget tablets

Google is about to launch a new version of its critically-acclaimed Nexus 7 tablet, which will come with 3G to allow data on-the-move, according to industry insiders.

The search engine's Android-powered Nexus 7 tablet received praise when it launched next month, bringing a premium tablet experience to the market for a 'bargain bucket' rate of £159.

But critics disliked the WiFi-only approach, and with Apple due to announce the iPad Mini next week, Google is believed to be preparing for battle.

Paul O'Brien, who founded popular mobile website MoDaCo in 2002, said today: 'There's not a huge amount to say... A 3G version of the Nexus 7 is coming, with no other hardware changes.

'Asus is currently ramping production in preparation for launch in around six weeks, with the exact launch date and territories still to be confirmed.'

The Nexus packs a high-definition screen, the latest 'quad-core' processor, runs the latest version of Android, and has a battery life which can handle nine hours of continuous video playback.

The lack of 3G was one of the few complaints to the Nexus 7, although some critics disliked the lack of micro-SD cards, lack of HDMI-out, and lack of removable battery.

Apple is believed to be launching an iPad Mini later this year - with details expected at an Apple launch event later this month.

It is expected to be similar in specification to the iPad 2, so there is unlikely to be a 'Retina' screen, as appeared on the most recent iPad.

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