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" Google is planning to release a super-cheap $99 Nexus 7 tablet computer by the end of 2012, according to a new report.  The US search engine giant only entered the tablet space in July this year with its seven-inch screen Android slate.  However, there have now been claims that it will update the line within less than six months, as it responds to increasing competition from rivals.   According to Digitimes, Google is readying two new Nexus 7 tablets that are thinner than the current model, and use TN panels made by Taiwan-based panel maker HannStar Display.  One of the models is said to be priced at $199 (around \u00A3120) while the other will cost just $99 (around \u00A360), which would vastly undercut all other products at the budget end of the market.  The Taiwanese website, which has a patchy track record when it comes to predictions, said that the two tablets would &amp;quot;hit markets by the end of 2012&amp;quot;.  The sources said that Google is making the move so soon after unleashing the Nexus 7 due to expected competition from Apple&amp;#039;s rumoured iPad Mini.  Various reports have indicated that the iPhone maker will announce a 7.85-inch iPad next month, and release the product in the fourth quarter of 2012.  Google is claimed to want to ensure that its own tablet device can &amp;quot;maintain growing sales&amp;quot;. Asus, which makes the Nexus 7 for Google, has denied the reports. Alongside the potential arrival of Apple in the small-screen tablet market, Google is also facing competition from Amazon&amp;#039;s Kindle Fire and new HD devices from US bookseller Barnes &amp;amp;amp; Noble.  Separately, Google is widely thought to be preparing to announce a new Nexus smartphone before the end of the year.  There have been reports that this is a new 5-inch screen tablet/phone hybrid rumoured to be in the works at HTC.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tech/news/a408752/google-rumoured-for-99-nexus-7-tablet-launch/>