Google's announcement of the much-rumored Nexus 7 on the opening day of its Google I/O conference June 27 saw Google go head-to-head with Amazon, not Apple, in the tablet market. At $199, Google's Nexus 7 tablet is definitely for budget users but has the company created a compelling device to complement the compelling price? 

Hardware

The Nexus 7 measures 7.82 x 4.72 inches and weighs .42 pounds and measures .41 inches thick. The Kindle Fire measures 7.5 x 4.7 inches, weighs .91 pounds and measures .45 inches thick. Both devices come in a black color, though Google I/O attendees got a white version of the Nexus 7.

Both devices have a 7-inch display, compared to the iPad's larger 10.6-inch display, with a 1280 x 800 resolution on the Nexus 7 and a 600 x 1024 display on the Kindle Fire. Boths screens are capacitive with multitouch.

Operating System

The major difference between the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire as of writing is the software: the Nexus 7 uses a Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the latest version of Android, while the Kindle Fire uses Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread. However, Kindle Fire uses Amazon's custom skin to link into the Amazon App Store and highlight services such as the Kindle. It's a similar situation to the Samsung Galaxy S3: TouchWiz is layered on top, so the features missing between the different versions of Android are less apparent at least in terms of design. It's therefore a question of how much a user is invested into Amazon's services, and whether that brings value.

Processor, GPU, Memory, Motion Detection

The Nexus 7 uses a 1.3GHz, quad-core, Nvidia Tegra 3 processor which combined with the introduction of Project Butter in Android 4.1 Jelly Bean means performance is very smooth. It's a common praise of iOS: despite the new iPad using just a 1GHz processor, the experience is consistent throughout the operating system.

Amazon's Kindle Fire uses the dual-core OMAP4430 1GHz processor, and any sub-par performance compare to the Nexus 7 is negated by the fact that Amazon loads its custom skin on the device.

Google's Nexus 7 uses a Nvidia GeForce GPU, while the Kindle Fire uses Imagination Technologies' PowerVR SGX540 GPU.

1GB of RAM is in the Nexus 7 - the same as the new iPad - while 512MB of RAM is in the Kindle Fire. Amazon doesn't pitch the Kindle Fire as a full featured tablet, like the iPad, and instead wants people to consume content whether reading or watching movies or browsing the Web. In that sense 512MB of RAM is fine, but for the same price, Google is storing 1GB of RAM and offering the same services and new features such as Google Now and allows full access to Google Play apps. Therefore the Nexus 7 seems a better choice overall, but it'll be interesting to see if: a) Jelly Bean comes to the Kindle Fire and b) how it performs if it arrives.

Both devices have an Accelerometer for motion control, while the Kindle Fire uses Ambient Light. The Nexus 7 has a Gyroscope, Compass and Magnetometer.

Storage

The Nexus 7 offers 8GB and 16GB of internal storage, while the Kindle Fire offers just 8GB. Obviously the Nexus 7 is the better option if more content is going to be downloaded, though the iPad's lowest storage options is 16GB for $499 and the 64GB options is available for $699 with WiFi only. The Nexus 7 costs $199.99 for 8GB of storage and $249.99 for 16GB, while the Kindle Fire retails for $199.99.

Neither device supports microSD card expansion, but Amazon Cloud is available for storage. Google Play also stores content such as movies, books and music in the Google Play cloud. That lines up with Matias Duarte's, head of design at Google, claims in an interview on The Verge than the Nexus 7 is a "content consumption device."

Connectivity

Wi-Fi is of course supported with the Nexus 7 supported 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b and 802.11a; the Kindle Fire supports those same Wi-Fi connections, apart from 802.11a. The Nexus 7 includes GPS and Bluetooth - the Kindle Fire doesn't - and the Nexus 7 has NFC.

Both devices have 3.5mm headphone jacks, and micro-USB. The Nexus 7 also has video out.

Cameras

The Nexus 7 has a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, unlike the Kindle Fire. The Nexus 7 might legitimize using tablets as a camera, because of the smaller form factor unlike the iPad. Amazon's Kindle Fire doesn't include cameras, so perhaps Amazon will remedy the issue in the Kindle Fire 2. Kindle Vice President at Amazon, David Limp, said in an interview with The Seattle Times Amazon didn't include cameras on the Kindle Fire because it thinks people carry smartphones or other camera-enabled devices alongside the tablet.

Battery

Google's Nexus 7 has a 4325 mAh battery, while Amazon's Kindle Fire just edges ahead at 4400 mAh. The respective makers claim to offer 8 and 7.5 hours of battery life - Apple claims the new iPad offers 10 - while the battery in the Kindle Fire is not removable.