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Google CEO: Android ecosystem is about more than just tablets

Google's top executives recognize the potential and success of lower-end Android tablets, but the bigger picture here is unifying the Android experience across multiple devices.
Written by Rachel King, Contributor

While we continue to wait for word about a tablet from Google itself, CEO Larry Page and company might have recognized where Android's strong suit is: the lower-end of the pricing spectrum.

See also: Google's Q1: Earnings strong, revenue a smidge off

During Google's quarterly earnings conference call on Thursday afternoon, Page admitted to investors that "there's also obviously there's been a lot of success on some lower price tablets that run Android, maybe not the full Google version of Android." The most obvious examples here would have to be the glorified e-readers: Amazon's Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble's Nook Tablet -- both of which start at $199.

Maintaining that this is an area where Google is going to focus on, Page asserted the importance of building an ecosystem around Android for more than just tablets.

Thus, it comes down to investing in apps and the Google Play platform, making Android a more unified experience for the end user.

Page continued:

I think people are going to get a lot more devices. We see kind of a convergence between all the services on those devices. Right now, I feel like each device you have is kind of a hassle to deal with. You're thinking about each individual device. I think that's not really right.

I think you're going to have a pretty unified experience and a great experience, from user point of view, and you won't have to manage all these devices. So I think you want to think about all these screens around you, working seamlessly and working well for you, and I think obviously tablets are important. We have Google TV. Big screens are important. Computers are important. Phones are important. All those devices are important, and I expect that they'll work well together.

At the end of the day, Page reiterated that it's not just tablets that Google needs to concerned about as there isn't "any single device out there" that is going to drive "the kind of convergence that needs to happen."

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