Rumours suggest 7-inch Nexus tablet to cost as low as $149.

It all started back in December when Eric Schmidt of Google stated that the brand was planning on launching a tablet within the following six months and that it would be of the highest quality. This led to enthusiasts believing that the brand would push its Nexus branding onto the tablets and not just smartphones. In a later report, the size of the tablet came to be known and as opposed to the 10-inch form factor, it is believed that Google would now opt for a 7-inch Nexus tablet. As for the manufacturer, a report confirmed that Asus would be making this slate and not HTC, who were also in the running for the flagship Google tablet. As per the earlier report sources had stated, “Asustek's motivation for cooperating with Google is to win Google's confidence to facilitate development of its Android-based devices, learn Google's technology to develop software and content, as well as enter the tablet US market.” Backing these revelations, a report by Android and Me now speculates that the tablet is a done deal and will retail for as low as $149.

The report starts off by stating, “The ASUS MeMo 370T that was revealed at CES has been scrapped after Google contracted with ASUS to produce their “Nexus tablet.” Earlier reports said the device would retail for $249-199, but we are now told the target price is $149-199. The quad-core Tegra 3 version that was previously leaked is no more. Other than the 7-inch display, no additional information has been provided on the specs.” Further to this bit of information, the anonymous source states, “ASUS has a strong relationship with Qualcomm, so we might see a Snapdragon processor end up inside this “Nexus tablet.”

The website states that the possible announcement date of the device could be anytime between the 8th and 10th of May at New Orleans where the CTIA Wireless show will take place. As for the operating system, this handset is expected to ship with Android Ice Cream Sandwich, but since it will be a Google flagship tablet, it is expected to run Android Jelly Bean, once it becomes available.