Google playing with Fire with Nexus 7

Google has pitched itself into a head-to-head battle with Amazon after launching the Nexus 7, its answer to the Kindle Fire tablet.

The Nexus 7 has a seven-inch screen - the same as the Fire - an HD display, a Tegra 3 processor, a front-facing camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC connectivity and weighs in at just 340 grams - 73g lighter than the Fire.

It will retail for $199 (£127) placing it in exactly the same price bracket as the Fire and far cheaper than the Apple iPad.

However, Salman Chaudhry, an analyst at the research firm Context, told the Guardian that he expects the device to make little impact on Apple's sales.

"Overall, we shouldn't expect this particular tablet to take on the iPad despite Google's efforts to differentiate it," he said.

"The seven-inch tablets - RIM Playbook, HTC Flyer - have been by and large unsuccessful, and are only really suitable for content consumption."