$99 Nexus Tablet? A Great Candidate for Higher Ed's Mobile Initiatives

The 1st release of Google's Nexus 7.  Word of a $99 unit?

There is a rumor goin' round on the interwebs that Google has plans to release a $99.00 version of their Nexus tablet.  I am not a tech prophet by trade, but I figured this would be Google's next move as their flagship Nexus came out at a mere $199 for the lower memory unit (Asus appears to be denying the plans, but that is an expected move from a manufacturer).  I expected the $99 version to come out a year later after release of the flagship tablet.

Could the rumored $99.00 Nexus tablet be the piece of technology that educators have been waiting for?  Many in Higher Ed have tried mobile initiatives with the iPad  and many more have toyed with the idea but opted to wait and see. Those institutions that have implemented a mobile initiative (to an incoming freshmen class for example) appeared to have major support from mobile carriers, that most small institutions just don't have.  However, if a WI-FI device could be issued as a secondary device for college students at the price of $99.00 it may make many college administrators take another look.

A colleague bought the first release of the Nexus 7 tablet and dropped it off for me to check out.  Let me just say that it is a great device for the money and a great unit for those that have never owned a tablet (price point alone is accessible at $199).  I can't wait to see a cheaper version and if it is 5 inches or something in the neighborhood of the iPad mini- I am still going to buy it.  The Nexus 7 inch won't give you arm strain from holding it to read an ebook and makes my Xoom feel like a cumbersome paper-weight.

I still appreciate the old Xoom now loaded with Jelly Bean, but frustrated at the performance from the various Android browsers on offer (Dolphin, Chrome, and even Firefox).  Namely Google's Chrome browser for Android should perform well on their own devices but just can't seem to handle modern and popular websites without wanting to shut down (pressing the "wait" button seems to let the page load and avoid closing everything out, but it is a hassle and ruins the consumption of internet and media).

In the latest issue of Wired I just read an article stating that the Google devices have the purest Android experience compared to other flavors out there residing on phones and tablets.  Yes, the bloatware can ruin any OS on the non Google devices, but Google does seem to keep the bloat-factor down, or it could be that we simply no longer consider Google branded Apps bloatware.

                        *Information contained within these pages do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Schreiner University.

Chromebook Presale has Started, though site is broken

Samsung would later produce this white styled C-book.

I received a message today from the Google Chrome Team, stating that I could get my hands on the Samsung Chromebook early.

The email reads,

"Since we announced the Chrome Notebook Pilot Program back in December, we’ve been humbled by the amount of interest that we’ve received from users like you. We’re excited about the brand-new Samsung Chromebook that goes on sale on June 15. Fortunately, we’ve managed to get our hands on a few machines a little earlier, and we’d like to make these available to you, our biggest enthusiasts. When you buy your Chromebook, you’ll also be getting a limited edition, custom-fit Chrome sleeve designed by Rickshaw so you can carry your new Chromebook in style.
Our good friends over at Gilt, the premier invitation-only shopping site, have agreed to put these Chromebooks up for sale -- but only for a very limited time."


Well, going through the link provided in the email lead me to Gilt.com, some sort of trendy "invite only" shopping site that was not so impressive and actually left me a little anxious that they were receiving my Google mail credentials.  I bit and tried to log in to the site.

The site did not recognize me and stated that the page I was requesting was restricted by the Chrome Team.  

I then went to twitter and read all of the other tweets of others (people like me that applied for the CR-48 pilot program and did not get it) and learned that the Chromebook was going on sale for $499.00.  At that price I would have had to pass on it.  I was thinking $299-$350 would have been a good price point for a browser only notebook. 

Update:  Minutes later I received a tweet from Gilt stating:

@vagabond9 We promise this was a real sale! There were technical difficulties for a minute but the sale is back up. Take a look!


I have to admit I really scrutinized the Chrome book email and Gilt website- it did look like a scam or phish at first.  It seems it all went wrong for Gilt and Chrome today and that is a shame, for the Chromebook.  

It sounds (from Gilt's tweet) as if they have it all straightened out now, but if twitter is any indication, it does not sound like there are a lot of (early) buyers at $499.  We will have to see if the Chromebook can compete with the Xoom at a $100 more and other "hot" devices on the market in that price range.

Update 2

A day later I am receiving unsolicited emails from something called Jetsetter, the from field states "concierge" and more emails coming in from "Gilt Groupe".  Wow, unbelievable.  Google & and the Chrome Team should have warned users that by following the "Chromebook" presale link that you would be handing your email over to this website, who are now filling my gmail with a ton of unwanted crap.  This is the first time I can recall that this sort of thing has happened with a Google affiliated website.  I am pretty dissapointed with the whole deal.

*Information contained within these pages do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Schreiner University