Google unveils Nexus 7 tablet

Google on Wednesday unveiled its own branded Nexus 7 tablet computer designed to challenge Apple's iPad and be a window into its online shop for films, books, movies and more. The seven-inch tablet powered by the latest generation of Android software was made for Google by Taiwan-based Asus and weighs about as much as a paperback book, according to Android team head Hugo Barra. "We wanted to design a best-of Google experience optimized around the content available at Google Play," Barra said during a presentation opening the Internet titan's annual developers conference in San Francisco. Nexus tablets were available for order in Australia, Canada, Britain, and the United States at the Google Play store at a price of $199 and would begin shipping in mid-July, Barra said. The tablets come with a $25 coupon for Google Play content. Google also Introduced an Android-powered Nexus Q device for wirelessly streaming films or music to televisions or speakers.