Google Pulls Plug On Nexus 7 By Yanking It Off Google Store

Now in the hands of third-party vendors, the 2013 edition of the Asus Nexus 7 has been pulled from Google's online marketplace. In its stead stands the Nexus 9.

The second and last of its kind, this version of Nexus 7 followed the release of the 2012 edition of the tablet.

The specs and pictures are still on the product page, but the text now declares that the Nexus 7 is no longer available for purchase.

Google's focus right now, of course, is on the Nexus 9, with its 8.9-inch screen that just screams bigger is better; 8MP rear camera and 1.6MP front camera; 64-bit NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor; Android Lollipop OS; and 6,700 mAh battery.

Although the more powerful Nexus 9 has replaced its 7-inch predecessor since fall, the Nexus 7 is still a very capable tablet, and Google has regularly updated it with the latest software.

The 2013 Nexus 7's display outputs a resolution of 1200 x 1920, with a pixel density of 323 pixels per inch. It lacks a card slot, but it comes in configurations of 16GB and 32GB of storage space, and has 2GB of RAM.

The tablet has a solid 5MP camera on its back and a now modest 1.2MP cam on its face, modest for the selfie crowd. It captures video at a resolution of 1080, at a speed of 30 frames per second.

Thanks to the loving care Google has given the tablet over the past two years, the Nexus 7 is upgradeable to Android Lollipop version 5.0.2.

For those looking for a workhorse tablet, the Nexus 7 may be just what they are after, and it costs less than half of the Nexus 9's price point. Although Google has discontinued it and the Nexus 9 is certainly more powerful, the Nexus 7 is still available.

Walmart's $260 offering appears to be the best price for the 32GB version of the Nexus 7, while Amazon's $165 listing is about as low as the 16GB version is priced for brand new units. Newegg offers its 16GB Nexus 7 at $179.