3G-packing Nexus 7 saunters through the FCC

The sharp-eyed folks over at TNW spotted something interesting earlier today – a Nexus 7 equipped with a 3G cell radio zipped through FCC approval, just days before the Android love-fest from Google next Monday, which now looks like it will be a day packed with new hardware and new software. ASUS asked for all of the non-essential information to remain secret, so we don’t know if this device will sport 32GB of memory like the Wi-Fi versions that have been popping up lately, but this does confirm the rumors we reported on a month and a half ago that stated that Google and ASUS wanted to get a 3G version of the Nexus 7 ready in about 6 weeks. It would appear that it’s mission accomplished for Google’s budget Android tablet.

This also adds credence to the idea that we will be seeing multiple new Nexus devices Monday – at the least it would appear that the LG Nexus 4 will be introduced, along with a 32GB Wi-Fi Nexus 7 that will probably sell for $249, and now a 3G-enabled Nexus 7 as well. Obviously we have no word on pricing at this point, but Google has been trying to keep prices down, so it’s not hard to imagine a $299 device or less. One thing to watch for is whether Google will try to match Amazon’s Fire HD scheme and include a monthly data plan along with the price of the wireless version.

We should know all this and more in a couple of days, and we’ll be sure to bring it to you as it happens.