Google unveils large tablet, revamped Nexus lineup

NEW YORK —

Google unveiled a large-format tablet computer to compete against the original iPad as part of a revamped line of its Nexus devices, and touted a new music service for Europe. Google said on its blog that its Nexus 10, a rival to the market-leading iPad, would be the highest resolution tablet on the planet and would offer settings for multiple user accounts.

The Nexus 10 appeared to be the firm’s entry into the 10-inch screen tablet market pioneered by Apple, which last week unveiled a smaller seven-inch iPad mini to be sold alongside its 10-inch original iPad. Google also said it would be selling its Nexus 7, which has a seven-inch screen, with mobile access for GSM networks worldwide. And Google unveiled its Nexus 4, a smartphone with a 4.7-inch screen manufactured with South Korea’s LG.

Google said the music offerings on Google Play, the firm’s online store, would be launched in Europe on Nov 13, with a new feature to allow music in a customer’s online collection to be automatically uploaded to the cloud. It will be offered in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Google also said, We’ll scan user music collection and any song we match against the Google Play catalog will be automatically added to user online library without needing to upload it, saving you time. This will be available in Europe at launch on Nov 13 and is coming to the US soon after. This will all be for free, free storage of user music, free matching, free syncing across user devices and free listening.

Google had scheduled a news conference in New York for the announcement but canceled the event due to Hurricane Sandy. The entry-level Nexus 10 will be sold at $399, or about $100 less than the least expensive iPad, starting Nov 13 in the U.S., Britain, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan.

Nexus 7, which was launched earlier this year, is available in the same countries, and the version with mobile data will go on sale Nov 13 in those countries except for Japan. Nexus 4 will be offered in the U.S. through T-Mobile and unlocked in Britain, Australia, France, Germany, Spain and Canada.