Touted by many as the first genuine "iPad killer," Google and Samsung's 10.1-inch Nexus 10 tablet won't officially be released in stores until Nov. 13. Walmart appears to be disregarding this. Some astute customers have already found the Nexus 10 for sale at their local Walmarts ahead of its formal release date.
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While doing some late night shopping, a customer who was walking through the tech section of their local Walmart spotted the 32GB Nexus 10 tablet sitting on the shelves with a $500 price tag. Due to the time when the customer spotted the device, there were no employees present to ask about purchasing the new tablet.
A user going by the handle "Encapedseo" on a slickdeals.net forum revealed the Nexus 10's placement in Walmart.
"While I was browsing Walmart yesterday, I found an interesting item. It was Nexus 10 32g!!!" the user posted. "It was kinda late night so there was no one to ask it's for sale or not but it seems it's available now at Walmart."
We weren't able to confirm for ourselves whether or not the local Walmart was carrying the device, but that shouldn't stop any of you from doing so and reporting back to us. Yes?
As early reviews roll in, the Nexus 10 is scoring some of the highest marks yet for Android tablets. Users have really responded to Google's claims of the device's unparalleled display quality and fawned over the Nexus 10's operating system. One big draw back everyone seems to agree on though is the tremendous lack of third-party apps for the device.
"What remains extremely disappointing - and prevents the Nexus 10 from truly being the iPad's peer - is the paucity of third-party software to shine on this tablet. Google Play has plenty of apps, but too few of them are designed with a roomy tablet screen in mind," said Time in its review.
For its part, Google is hoping the mere existence of the Nexus 10 will persuade developers to begin creating more Android tablet optimized apps.
"Part of the reason why we've invested significantly in building [the Nexus 10] is exactly so that we have more and more motivation for the developer community," Hugo Barra, director of product management for Android, told the Verge.
The lack of apps is one of the biggest features holding back Android tablets from wider market appeal and permeation, a similar set issues currently facig Microsoft with its Surface RT. But, that could all be changing soon, enough. More developers are realizing Android tablets are getting impossible to ignore.
Nick Earl, senior vice president for EA's social and mobile studios, said Android is increasingly a platform that game developers can't ignore.
"You can't argue with the volume," he said, citing the 1.3 million Android devices activated a day. "The flat-out growth of the Android platform growth is just enormous."
While iOS users continue to generate more revenue, the gap with Android is declining, Earl said.
Google Nexus 10 specs
Perhaps the most hyped device in Google's new lineup, many view the Nexus 10 as the first device with legitimate potential to become an "iPad killer."
"Nexus 10 is the ultimate tablet for watching movies or reading magazines. We wanted to build a premium entertainment device, so we partnered with Samsung to do just that," Google said in its recent product announcement on the company's blog.
"Nexus 10 is the highest resolution tablet on the planet with a 10.055-inch display at 2560-by-1600 (300ppi), that's over 4 million pixels right in your hands. It comes with a powerful battery that will get you up to nine hours of video playback and more than 500 hours of standby time. With a set of front-facing stereo speakers, you can watch movies right from your Nexus 10 and they simply sound awesome. But what makes Nexus 10 unique is that it's the first truly shareable tablet. With Android 4.2, you can add multiple users and switch between them instantly right from the lockscreen.
"We believe that everyone should have quick and easy access to their own stuff -- email, apps, bookmarks, and more. That way, everyone can have their own home screens, their own music, and even their own high scores."
Price/models
6GB for $399; 32GB for $499; available on Nov. 13 in the Google Play Store in the U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan. You'll also be able to purchase the 32GB version in more than 2,000 Walmart stores in the U.S.
Specs broken down
Dimensions and Weight
10.4 x 6.9 x 0.35 inches, 1.33 lbs
Screen Size
10.06 inches (larger than the Apple iPad's 9.7-inches, smaller than the Microsoft Surface RT's 10.6)
Screen Resolution
2560 x 1600 pixel, 300 ppi (Best available)
Speakers
Dual, Stereo (same as Microsoft Surface RT)
Average Battery Life
10 hours (same as Apple iPad, Microsoft Surface RT)
Processor
1.7 Ghz Samsung
RAM
2GB (larger than the iPad's 1GB, same as Microsoft Surface RT)
Expandable Storage
None (same as iPad, Surface has microSDXC card slot)
Cameras
Back: 5MP photo/1080p video, with LED flash; Front: 1.9MP photo/720p video (back camera and video quality is same as Apple iPad, but has LED flash, front camera is better than iPad's 1.2 MP. Surface hasn't released camera specs, but video quality is the same as Nexus 10)
The Google ad Samsung Nexus 10, will have the highest pixel density of any tablet on the market, and will be released in the first half of 2013, according to CNET.
Google's Nexus 10 tablet will have a 2,560x1,600 pixel density, which CNET says will "push the display manufacturing tech envelope." That high of a pixel density would place the Nexus 10 at the top of the heap with a higher count than Amazon's 8.9-inch display Kindle Fire HD and Apple's 9.7-inch display iPad 3. It's also higher than the rumored screen specs we've been seeing for Microsoft's 10.1-inch Surface tablets.
"By stuffing that density into a 10-inch screen, the PPI jumps to just shy of 300," says CNET.
The Google, Samsung Nexus 10 also features micro USB and micro HDMI ports, a clear advantage over Apple's iPad 4, which has neither.