Google & Asus teaming to launch a low cost tablet; Potential Jelly Bean device

It appears the close relationship between Asus and Google, as touted by Benson Lin, Corporate VP at Asus, has just gone closer. According to Digitimes, Google is working with Asus to develop a new 7 inch tablet which could be launched as early as May this year.

This nicely ties in with rumours of Q2 2012 launch of Jelly Bean and Asus' assertion that they will be among the first to release Jelly Bean on their devices. Though, according to Slashgear, the device will have ICS — in which case one can expect a quick upgrade to Jelly Bean very soon after launching.

Asus confirms next Android version as Jelly Bean

We had earlier reported that Jelly Bean is rumored to launch in Q2 with an aim to target Windows 8 tablets.

Now, according to TechRadar, Benson Lin, Asus’ Corporate VP, has said that “Asus is very close to Google, so once they have Android 5.0 I think there will be a high possibility that we will be the first wave to offer the Jelly Bean update.”

Android 5.0 Jelly Bean interface concept screenshots

There have been frenetic rumours of Google releasing the next Android version, Jelly Bean, later this year. And i am sure most of us are waiting for an official confirmation, leaked features or just about anything related to it.

Bob Freking, a designer, has taken it a step forward and designed a few cool screenshots incorporating the various rumours which have been floating like dual boot between Android and Chrome and hosted them at Concept Phones.

Hopefully the real Jelly Bean interface would look at least as good as the concept one!

Jelly Bean to launch in Q2, Google targeting Windows 8 tablets

A Taiwanese news publication, DigiTimes, has claimed that Google will launch the next version of Android, code named Jelly Bean, in Q2 2012. According to the news report, Chrome is going to be integrated with Android. (It is to be noted that Google had recently released a version of Chrome capable of running on Android.)

DigiTimes further states that Google will oush vendors to adopt a dual-boot system design capable of running Android and Windows.

DigiTimes further claims that "However, since Android 4.0 did not perform as well as expected, several of Google's downstream partners are turning conservative about Android 5.0."

I think the claims of Q2 launch are very aggressive. Fragmentation is very high in Android, and as per Google only 1.0% of devices so far have ICS.