Google to unveil Nexus 7 tablet next week, ahead of flawed Microsoft Surface release

Google is set to unveil its own tablet, the Nexus 7, at the Google I/O developer conference next week.

According to BGR, numerous sources are reporting a second-quarter release for Google’s device, possibly coinciding with the release of the Android 5.0 Jellybean operating system.

The news comes after Microsoft announced a Windows RT version of its Surface tablet, which won’t be able to run or emulate any current x86 Windows apps, meaning that all apps will have to be ported or rewritten from scratch. It will also be blocked from booting into other operating systems, and will require all apps to be downloaded through the Windows Store.

A US Senate Judiciary Committee has also announced that it will investigate allegations of anti-competitive behaviour by Microsoft, after Google and Mozilla alleged they had been prevented from developing versions of Firefox or Chrome that are able to run properly on Windows RT devices.

Finally, Windows RT will also not be able to connect to Active Directory domains, meaning that IT managers will instead need to support a new Windows RT management client, which will allow end users to download business apps from a self-service portal.