According to screenshots posted by GottaBeMobile, an Asus customer service representative has very candidly confirmed that the Asus K009 is, in fact, the upcoming Nexus 7 2 tablet.
In the screenshots, which appear to have been taken from an iPod using a Wi-Fi connection, the source says, “I just talked to customer service about the new asus k009 they said it is a note book, is a notebook a tablet?” Asus customer service then replies, “Its a tablet, not a notebook.”
The source then very bluntly asks, “Is it the new nexus 7, I am hoping to get one.” The customer service agent doesn’t hold back: “Yes its great, its the new nexus.”
Further exchanges with Asus customer service, posted to Google +, may have also revealed the new slate’s specs and release date. The agent claimed that it will be coming “before the ending of July.”
As far as the technical details are concerned, the Asus rep said, “There has not been confirmed specification as yet, but here is some basics specification, that you can look at.”
This list followed:
· 7 inch LED with 1890 x 1200 resolution
· Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 Quad Core CPU
· 2GB RAM
· 32GB internal storage
· 5MP rear camera and 1.2MP front-facing camera
· Android 4.3
· 4000mAh battery
· Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC enabled
· LTE/WCDMA/GSM support
Asus customer service ends the conversation by saying, “This is internal specs but it is not available to the Public as yet but because I know you are eager so I just forwarded it to you.”
While the screenshots look legitimate, the poor grammar and punctuation indicate that we are not very likely to be looking at an exchange between native English speakers. The customer service representative could have simply been trying to please the customer without necessarily relaying the truth.
“As we’ve said many times in the past, information from customer service representatives is hard to trust,” wrote GottaBeMobile. “However, customer service reps have in the past been deadly accurate with inside information, the Verizon Galaxy Nexus Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update comes to mind, so this new information is impossible to ignore, especially with Nexus 7 2 rumors swirling around.”
A report in the International Business Times last month provided an allegedly leaked server log that showed and Asus tablet running Android 4.3 with a Snapdragon S4 Pro chip. IBTimes pointed out that the Asus K008 tablet, also 7 inches, was listen in an FCC filing as having similar specs.
Only time will tell which Asus tablet ends up with the official Google branding. Regardless, many tech junkies will be looking forward to the popular Nexus 7’s successor, if simply because the price is right.
“Google may choose to sell the new gadget for $199, the same as the first generation rolled out last June, while the old model may be discounted,” a source told Reuters. “Alternatively, the new tablet could be priced more competitively at $149 and the previous model discontinued, the source added.”
Apple’s cheapest iteration of the iPad Mini sells for $329, making the upcoming Nexus 7 2 a very attractive option in the smaller-sized tablet market.