LOS ANGELES, July 24 — The US retailer may have jumped the gun — Google’s official launch event isn’t until 9 am Pacific time today — but it means that consumers won’t have to sit through a live webcast of its reveal to find out its features, specifications or pricing.

The latest leak proves that the concept of secrecy is all but dead, but at least the official product listing confirms what the next Nexus looks like and what sort of performance consumers can expect if they buy one.

The first thing to note is that the second iteration of the high-specification Android tablet has beaten Apple to the punch in offering a full-HD 7-inch device. This will be a noticeable and more-than-welcome change to anyone who uses a tablet primarily for streaming high-quality video or gaming or whose native language is not character-based. Japanese characters will look just as crisp and clear as their Roman counterparts.

But without the goods to back it up, a full HD display can be sluggish and unresponsive so Google has added 2GB of RAM and a 5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chip so that operation is smooth. It is also the first device in the world to officially ship with Android 4.3 and, because it is a Nexus-branded device, will also be first in line for any future operating system upgrades. In other words it will not become obsolete within the next 18 months to two years.

Other features worth noting include the inclusion of Bluetooth 4.0 (the most energy efficient version of the wireless connectivity technology and therefore great for use with fitness trackers or media streaming devices) and a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera. The original tablet, which is now 13 months old, only featured a 2-megapixel front facing lens of video calling.

The tablet is priced at US$229.99 (RM956) for the 16GB version and US$269.99 for the 32GB and a 3G version (that will require a SIM card and a data contract) is also expected, which will be offered through network operators.

And while the cat’s well and truly out of the bag regarding the Nexus 7, the tablet won’t be the only announcement of note at the launch event. Google is also expected to give a full demonstration of the latest changes to the Android operating system and to reveal the Chromekey, a small USB drive dongle that plugs into a TV and serves as a wireless media-streaming device. — AFP/Relaxnews