Nexus 7 – the Google tablet is official

Google has finally gone live with details about its first official tablet PC – the Nexus 7.

The device will come in two SKUs – a 159/$199 8GB version and a 199/$249 16GB version, putting it squarely up against Amazon’s Kindle Fire in the market.

It houses Nvidia’s quad core Tegra 3 processor, a 12 core GPU, runs Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and has a seven-inch 1280×800 pixel display. It weighs 340g. There is no SD card slot.

Battery life is said to be nine hours for video playback. The Google Play marketplace will be an integral part of the OS.

Earlier this month Microsoft revealed its own tablet contender – Surface.

iPad is the undisputed leader of the tablet sector. But with Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Google’s Nexus 7, Microsoft’s Surface and a whole host of offering from vendors such as Samsung, the competition is now ramping up like never before.

Availability is simply listed as soon” for the time being.