Google plans to sell co-branded tablets directly to consumers through an online store, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal. The move is aimed at boosting sales of tablet computers powered by Google's Android software. The company is expected to sell devices from a variety of manufacturers, some of which will carry the Google name. One co-branded tablet that may be sold in the online store is due to be released later this year by Asus, the report said. Details of the project remain unclear, including when Google plans to unveil the online store. To boost the prospects of the store, Google was considering subsidizing the cost of future tablets in order to compete on pricing with Amazon's Kindle Fire, said one person with knowledge of the effort. In addition, Google will lend huge marketing support to the online tablet store. Since its previous experiment selling the Nexus One smartphone online, Google has honed its mass-marketing skills, spending heavily on TV ads and other marketing to promote services other than its search engine.
