The well-received Nexus 7 now comes with 3G connectivity, expanding the network capability of the tablet previously released by Google (and Asus) with only Wi-Fi access.

That's good news indeed but the better one is this JellyBean slate is definitely hitting local stores in Australia and New Zealand, serving as early Christmas gifts for those planning to click their way on online stores to get a hold of the hot gadget.

The following Aussie and Kiwi stores are listed by SmartHouse as the retail outlets where Nexus 7 will be offered this December (hopefully no delays and no stock outs): Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Dick Smith Electronics, The Good Guys, Bing Lee, Radio Rentals, Office Works, EB Games and BSR.

As expected, the tablet will also be sold be authorised Asus retailers and just to cover everything, the ever 'dependable' Google Play store will take orders of the Nexus 7 and those hunting for a little more bargains can always do so via international sites such as Amazon and eBay.

Asus and Google, however, have expressed confidence that the price tags that come with the quad-core 7-inch tablet are reasonable if not attractive enough. In Australia, the 32GB tablet sells for $369 while in New Zealand it priced $499.

Note that the Wi-Fi models are being sold some $100 less or lower depending on storage capacity but experts said the additional price is all worth it. "The advantage of 3G connectivity is that you can get online practically anywhere that your carrier provides mobile phone coverage," according to Business IT.

And to sweeten the deal, Google made sure that this Nexus tablet is unlocked, giving buyers the freedom to connect with service providers of their choice. This option is most helpful to road warriors who can easily swap SIMs depending on their travel destination.

This Nexus 7 model addition is expected to further heat up the tablet battle within the 7-inch-plus class, which is believed to be currently dominated by Apple's iPad Mini, Amazon's Kindle Fire and a little far contender in Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 7.0.

However, experts have been heaping praises on the Nexus 7 for overhauling the once negligible budget tablet segment.

As Business IT wrote on its earlier review of the Google gadget: "The Nexus 7 isn't a budget tablet in anything but price. It's fast, has a perfectly good screen, and it's built to a quality that we've rarely seen with such an inexpensive device."