Google Nexus 7 priced from $199/£159, out July

Google made a slew of Android announcements in San Francisco overnight, including confirmation that its Nexus 7 tablet will release this July at a $199 starting point.

Speaking at Google I/O 2012, the company announced that Android has now surpassed 400 million device activations, with 1 million new Android-powered devices being activated every day. According to Google Android product management director Hugo Barra there has been nearly 300 million activations since I/O 2011.

Google also revealed that the latest version of the operating system will release sometime this July. Android 4.1, nicknamed Jelly Bean, will feature voice typing, a more intuitive arrangement of icons, and the introduction of a new service called Google Now.

Jelly Bean will come pre-installed on the Google Nexus 7 tablet, due for release this July. Unveiled during the company's main presentation, the tablet will feature a 7-inch, 1280x800 IPS display, and will be powered by Nvidia's Tegra 3 quad-core processor.

In terms of pricing, the device will cost $199 for an 8GB model and $249 for a 16GB model. Pre-orders are available now through Google Play. The 8GB version is coming to the UK in mid-July for £159. The 16GB device hits retailers July 27 for £199.

Google's move will be seen in certain circles as yet further confirmation that the future of video games is tablet-shaped.