There have already been rumours about an Asus-made Google tablet with hints from manufacturer to support them and now more evidence has emerged to suggest such a device is on its way. This time DigiTimes is reporting that the device is in the works and could be arriving as soon as May. The main purpose of the tablet doesn't seem to be as a high-end flagship device like the first Xoom but rather as an affordable slate in the same vein as the Kindle Fire.
According to the report several names were in the running before Google decided to partner with Asus at the end of 2011. Other names on the shortlist included HTC and Acer but supposedly the first didn't want to develop a budget device and the latter didn't have the necessary R&D resources. However the brains behind Android is said to have been impressed with the quality of Asus' devices and its ODM capabilities. Though Asus declined to comment on the rumours when asked by the site it is said to be keen on working with Google to further the development of its own Android tablets.
News of the partnership emerged alongside talk that the company would be among the first to deliver devices running the next iteration of Android known as Jelly Bean. As it's been fairly on the ball with its Android updates, especially with its well spec'd Transformer Prime slate, Asus looks set to make more of an impact in the tablet market this year.
Even if such a tablet didn't materialise Asus has already revealed a 7" tablet this year which features an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, front-facing 8mp camera and Android 4.0. It's set to be released for just $249.99 and is due to be released in Q2 this year.
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