Google has unveiled a larger version of its Nexus-branded tablet computer and updated its mobile gadget and online content offerings as competition with Apple, Amazon and Microsoft heats up ahead of the holiday sales season.
The device follows a spate of new product launches by the technology leaders in recent weeks, including Apple's iPad Mini last week and software-maker Microsoft's first-ever home-built tablet, the Surface.
Google's new Nexus 10, made in partnership with consumer electronics company Samsung, is the first 10in tablet to come to market under Google's Nexus brand.
The Nexus 10 will ship with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and features a 10.055in display at 2560x1600 and 300ppi. HD movies are available in full 1080p with front-facing speakers. Battery life allows for nine hours of video and over 500 hours of standby. It also allows for multiple users who can sign on from the lock screen, much like on a computer.
The tablet will sell at 319 for a 16GB and 389 for 32GB version.
Google was scheduled to introduce the device at a media event in New York on Monday, but was forced to cancel because of Hurricane Sandy.
Google also said it was expanding its online movie and music retail businesses to several countries in Europe.
And the company introduced an improvement to its online-music storage service. Users will be able to store their music - up to 20,000 songs for free - from their existing music library, in the cloud for streaming on Android devices. In addition, there is a new matching feature which matches existing songs to those on Google play to minimise upload time.
Google said the music matching feature, which only works with tracks that are part of the Google Play store's music catalog, will be available in Europe on 13 November and in the US soon after.
Google also updated its smaller, Nexus 7 tablet released earlier this year. It increased the storage on the $199 version of the device to 16GB from 8GB, and introduced a new $299 version of the Nexus 7 with a cellular data service option. Google also unveiled a new Nexus 4 smartphone, made in partnership with LG Electronics, that features a quad-core processor and a 4.7-inch display.
The tech giant will also make its new Nexus 4 smartphone available at the same time. The handset is made by LG and boasts wireless charging capabilities, 8GB of storage, 2GB of RAM and a 1.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor. There's also a 1280x768 and 320ppi display, in addition to an eight megapixel camera which also allows for 360 degree panoramas. Prices start at 239.
