Google 'to launch Android tablet at I/O'

By Shane Richmond

An Australian gadget website claimed to have seen specifications for a 7-inch tablet that Google would unveil during its three-day conference in San Francisco. It is thought that Google wants to show other manufacturers what can be done with an Android tablet, in the same way that it has with its Nexus series of smartphones.

The same source says that Google will sell the standard version of the tablet for less than $200, possibly in an attempt to limit the success of Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet.

Other announcements at this year's conference are expected to include more details on Android Jelly Bean - the latest update to Google's Android operating system for smartphones and tablet computers - as well as a possible extension to Google Wallet to include mobile payments.

Google has not confirmed any announcements ahead of the conference but it has scheduled two keynote speeches - one on Wednesday and another on Thursday. Both speeches and many of the sessions for developers will be streamed live online.

More than 5,000 developers will attend Google I/O to hear the latest from the company and to get technical tips from experienced engineers.

At last year's conference Google's announcements included Google Music, its streaming music service, the Ice Cream Sandwich update to Android and Chromebooks - Google's range of laptop computers running its Chrome operating system.

However, products announced at Google I/O have not always been hits. The 2009 conference saw the debut of Google Wave, a collaboration tool that the search company eventually closed earlier this year.

A year later the company unveiled Google TV, its apps driven television platform. Google TV has struggled in the US, where the interface has undergone several redesigns. A Sony-branded Google TV set-top box will launch in Britain next month. Telegraph