7 ms·

Fred Wilson: My New Nexus 7"

99 points by JOfferijns 14y ago

marknutter 14y ago
It is not a forgone conclusion that Apple will release a 7" iPad.
- freehunter 14y ago
  "The good news for iPad/iOS fans is that Apple is apparently going to come out with a 7" iPad soon." sounds an awful lot like the 2009 "The good news for iPhone fans is that Apple is apparently going to come out with a OSX tablet soon." Apple speculation has a history of being high profile and also wrong.
  - achompas 14y ago
    I don't remember any credible rumors (WSJ, NYT, Bloomberg) in 2009 about an OSX tablet. All the rumors back the centered around a iOS tablet (and they were right). This time there's a lot of smoke from credible sources, as well as some great explanations (iPad mini screens cut from 3GS glass). I'd be surprised if we didn't see it hit by next February.
  - froo 14y ago
    I guess one could say that since iOS is based off OSX that that is indeed true.
- ConstantineXVI 14y ago
  It is fairly plausible, however. A shrunken iPad would be a perfect replacement for the (hasn't been updated in nearly 2 years) iPod touch as the iOS "gateway drug"; and it could still get away with a slightly higher (~$250) price point without lagging too far behind the iPhone and regular iPad in terms of components. That it would happen to put pressure on a segment Amazon and Google are currently exploiting Apple's non-presence in is just convenient.
- jaems33 14y ago
  Disagree. http://www.macrumors.com/2012/07/03/bloomberg-ipad-mini-coming-in-october/ http://www.macrumors.com/2012/07/03/bloomberg-ipad-mini-comi...
  - bryanlarsen 14y ago
    That's a rumor from a reputable source, but it's still a rumor.
aw3c2 14y ago
The Kindle app screenshot shows a huge margin on the sides of the text. Readability feature to make the lines shorter or what is the purpose of that? Is that configurable?
- etherealG 14y ago
  it's a margin setting and is configurable yes. both the margins on the sides and top/bottom and the line height is.
Kartificial 14y ago
Man, these kind of reviews only make me want the Nexus 7 more. Are there any dates released on when it's coming to Europe?
- mtgx 14y ago
  I think it's coming to UK around mid-July, too. From there you might not get it in your country through Google and their partners, but I'm sure there will be plenty of offline and online retailers getting it from UK and reselling it in your own country, probably for around 200 euro or so.
  - Kartificial 14y ago
    OK, unfortunately I'm not in the UK. I guess it's not possible to pre-order in the US/UK and then ship it elsewhere in Europe?
- jgroome 14y ago
  UK here. I'm expecting mine in a couple of weeks.
topbanana 14y ago
I can't understand how anyone would prefer reading a backlit screen. I find e-ink so much easier on the eyes, especially after a day of staring at screens. I hope e-ink doesn't die out.
- jakeonthemove 14y ago
  Yeah, obviously an e-ink display is easier on the eyes, but having a separate grayscale e-reader is a waste of space and resources. A color e-ink screen would be perfect - I'd say we'll see tablets using them in a couple of years...
- randlet 14y ago
  I love the e-ink on the Kindle with the only downside being that reading in the dark requires a lamp. Battery life is another huge plus in favour of e-ink.
  - bergie 14y ago
    Sometimes I also find it a bonus that you really can't do anything else on the device than read. Focus on the text with zero distractions...
    - jgroome 14y ago
      Absolutely. When I first got mine my friend was shocked that I could be so enthusiastic about a device that doesn't have social apps and integration or notifications. Like what you'd want when you're concentrating on a book is constant reminders of what's happening on Facebook.
  - ZeroGravitas 14y ago
    I bought a Galaxy Note since my main reading time is either spent in the dark or grabbed in small gaps of time when I'm on the move. And since it's AMOLED it's not technically back-light and gray on black text works very well for me.
  - bookwormAT 14y ago
vidarh 14y ago
The one thing that really annoys me is that in the UK there's a 40 GBP difference between the 8GB and 16GB version. I'd rather pay extra for an SD card slot when I can get a 32GB class 10 SD card for around half that.
- ConstantineXVI 14y ago
  It seems like Google's deprecated external storage in Android. I'm under the impression they don't want to force the average user into seeing the filesystem, and they couldn't find a way to make ext. storage seamlessly coexist with onboard (apps, etc.) without showing the FS.
  - Spearchucker 14y ago
    If I'm not mistaken (it happens often) the exclusion of external storage was to avoid paying licensing costs for FAT/FAT32. So really just to keep the price down.
    - ConstantineXVI 14y ago
      Here's[0] a relevant thread (morrildl == Android dev). [0] http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/mg14z/whoa_whoa_ics_doesnt_support_usb_mass_storage/ http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/mg14z/whoa_whoa_ics...
    - piechlediech 14y ago
      i would be super happy if it was ext3/4 anyways. not sure why they could not mount that transparently as additional storage.
  - huggyface 14y ago
    Optional external storage doesn't force anyone into anything. You can live in long-term bliss with a device having an SD card slot having never plugged a memory card in. Having said that it does seem that Google is trying to move away from external storage, likely to try to recover from the horrendous original implementation of it (still one of the nastiest, ugliest parts of Android). The original intent of external storage was largely as a read mechanism allowing you to plug in a card with your entire music collection, etc. When it got delegated to read/write needs, primarily because early devices had ridiculously low internal storage, things fell apart.
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jgroome 14y ago
I've been reading as many Nexus 7 reviews as I can in a vain effort to sedate my excitement for its arrival later this month. I know this is going to sound ungrateful, but this review seems a bit thin. The idea of using the Nexus 7 as an ereader seems kind of silly to me - surely if you're into ebooks (like I am) then you'd be better off with an actual Kindle. Staring at a backlit screen like that for hours on end can't be good for your eyes. And I still haven't seen anybody take photos or video conference with it yet, so I have no idea how good that 1.2mp camera is.
- ditojim 14y ago
  the camera app is not included with the device. the front-facing camera is intended for hangouts/video calls. i just tried installing Camera+ from the marketplace and it says my 7 is not compatible. this is one way Google kept the device below $200.
  - ZeroGravitas 14y ago
    I'm guessing a lot of the camera apps check for a rear camera and block themselves if it's not present. Since Google seems set to sell a bunch of these Nexus Tablets I'd imagine those apps will all get updated to work with its front camera.
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
    - ditojim 14y ago
      well i think google's exclusion of their native camera app is telling. this device is not intended to be used as a camera. you most likely have a much better one in your pocket at any given time: your mobile phone.
  - c0m47053 14y ago
    Paul O'Brien from MoDaCo created an 'app' that adds the shortcut to the default camera app back into the Nexus 7. For some reason, even though Google included the entire camera application in the build, they removed the launcher icon. You can find it on the Play store at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.modaco.cameralauncher https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.modaco.cam...
watmough 14y ago
Just ordered one. It looks great, and at $200, you can now regard the iPad as a different class of device. Really looking forward to getting mine, and hopefully looking forward to developing a few apps for it.
- thoradam 14y ago
  I've been wondering if I should get the Nexus 7 as my main and only development device. I imagine it could be great to test both mobile and tablet layouts on the same device.
  - fidotron 14y ago
    It could prove very good for that. If you root the device it's possible to run apps (from Google Play) allowing you to modify the reported screen density, which you should be using to alter the layout of your apps. Given the screen res, price and capability if you're going to have one dev device it looks like the one to get.
needle0 14y ago
I noticed the Nexus 7 home screen uses a "smartphone style" layout, with the favorites tray at the bottom of the screen, the All Apps button located in the center of the tray, and the Back/Home/Multitask soft buttons centered. As far as I remember, previous Android tablets after Honeycomb used a dedicated "tablet style" layout, with no favorites tray, the All Apps button located in the top right of the screen, and the soft keys left-aligned. Why isn't the Nexus 7 using this? Is it because the 7-inch screen was deemed too small for the tablet style layout? Or has the tablet style layout been deprecated entirely from Jelly Bean?
- jan_g 14y ago
  Check out this nexus 7 unboxing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3pePDUVpgI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3pePDUVpgI You have apps and widgets tabs, but probably one can rearrange everything to his own needs. Also, projects like Chameleon offer further customizations.
- ConstantineXVI 14y ago
  That bar could get cramped in portrait mode, the phone arrangement is likely more usable.
- ZeroGravitas 14y ago
  Android team member Dianne Hackborn suggests they tried both and liked this way better for the 7" size: https://plus.google.com/105051985738280261832/posts/6eWwQvFGLV8 https://plus.google.com/105051985738280261832/posts/6eWwQvFG...
- skystorm 14y ago
  The "why?" has already been answered. So I'll just add that you're free to change it, if you're not afraid of rooting the tablet: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1749501 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1749501
yawgmoth 14y ago
I would love to use the Nexus 7 as a home phone. Of course, I would have the right headset / earplug to go with it.
- simmons 14y ago
  That's a great idea! Home and office phones are just begging to be pulled out of the 1980's and into the modern world. I'd love to have a stationary desk phone that runs Android, integrates with my Google contacts, etc. Unfortunately, the 2.4Ghz spectrum is overcrowded in my area, the Nexus only supports 2.4Ghz wi-fi, and packet loss is especially annoying for voice calls. (Although the word on the street is that the Nexus 7 supports USB ethernet. Hmm...)
nickpresta 14y ago
"It is lighter and more comfortable being held in one hand." More comfortable, perhaps, but lighter? The Nexus 7 is 340 grams [1] versus 652 grams on the new iPad [2]. It might feel lighter, but it is all in your head. [1]: http://www.google.com/nexus/#/7/specs http://www.google.com/nexus/#/7/specs [2]: http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/ http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/
- Kiro 14y ago
  So you're saying 652 is lighter than 340?
- Stratoscope 14y ago
  Right, so it's barely half the weight of the new iPad. How is that "all in your head"?
- eitally 14y ago
  My experience this far -- comparing to a Xoom and a Galaxy Tab 10.1 -- is that the Galaxy Tab feels the most comfortable. The Xoom has sharp edges and feels extremely dense/heavy in the hand (and a much worse screen). The Nexus 7 is too small to comfortable hold in two hands, and the keyboard on a 7" screen is too small to comfortable type two-handed. Imho, the 7" form factor is ideal for two things: eReading and sliding into an airplane seat back pocket during takeoff & landing. The Galaxy Tab feels lighter than the Nexus even though I'm sure it probably is is twice the mass, simply because it's thinner and less dense. As Nick said, it's all in my head. :)
- masklinn 14y ago
  I'm sure I must be missing something, but how is 340g not lighter than 652g? You can probably criticize a lot of things about the review, but a 7" tablet being lighter than a 10" one is more of a "well... duh?"
  - gnarbarian 14y ago
    He's gotta be making a reality distortion field joke. "There are four lights!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_eSwq1ewsU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_eSwq1ewsU
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mscrivo 14y ago
I find it really annoying how so many people are now praising 7" as the ideal tablet size when Google puts one out, but when RIM did it a year and a half ago, everyone said it was too small. Us playbook owners have been saying this for over a year, but people are too caught up in the destroy RIM bandwagon to be open minded.
- generalk 14y ago
  I'm sure the same people that were dismissive of the Playbook are also dismissive of the Nexus 7, at least until Apple releases a 7" iPad. That said, the bigger complaints I heard about the Playbook had nothing to do with its size and everything to do with the Blackberry ecosystem as a whole.
  - loceng 14y ago
    Agreed. Setting up big expectations and then not meeting them is a dangerous game to play with your brand.
- megablast 14y ago
  Maybe you should go back and read those comments, you will not find too many complaining about the size. That was the least of its problems.
- w1ntermute 14y ago
  It's exact same thing that happened when the mainstream found out about iOS 5's notification system - there was a big hullabaloo about how revolutionary it was, despite it having been present in Android in a more complete form for almost 3 years. It's probably going to happen again with turn-by-turn navigation when iOS 6 is released.
- gurkendoktor 14y ago
  I got a PlayBook from one of the giveaways. I was really looking forward to the form factor for two things: Skyping and giving it to the gf for reading Facebook. But if your Facebook app is slower than the HTML5-based, universally hated Facebook App on an iPad 1 on iOS5, then you deservedly lose. The only video calling app is limited to PlayBook-to-PlayBook, or maybe RIM-to-RIM. A bad ecosystem is one thing, but builtin apps must be useful.
espeed 14y ago
How is the size for reading PDFs?
- ConstantineXVI 14y ago
  The higher-res screen might change things, but I've never found reading letter/A4-sized PDFs particularly enjoyable on anything under 9". PDF is a print-focused format to begin with, it's never quite handled varying screen sizes well.
mikeevans 14y ago
I wrote a review too, if anyone's interested: http://michaelevans.org/blog/2012/07/03/nexus-7-review/ http://michaelevans.org/blog/2012/07/03/nexus-7-review/
jordibunster 14y ago
"If you look at the bottom of the home screen you'll see a yellow icon next to the Chrome browser". Yeah, that and also Fred Wilson's foot.
- Supermighty 14y ago
  Now it's all I can see.
- fredwilson 14y ago
  i should have cropped that out. oh well.
saturdaysaint 14y ago
The 7" size sounds great. I basically want something that I can use almost exactly like how I use my smartphone around the house (ie browsing the internet while lounging in bed or on the couch) but with a supersized screen. The 10" form factor fails that test for me, getting fairly awkward if I'm reclined at all. The fact that Google have gone out of their way to make it a usable GPS as well (with downloadable maps and functional voice commands even without an internet connection) is a nice bonus.
jwwest 14y ago
I'm torn between getting a Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7. I have a lot of Kindle books, but also a lot of video content purchased through Amazon as well. I feel that the Nexus 7 is a better device as it's not locked down to Amazon's eco system, but the lack of a Amazon video player for Android (without having to sideload the apk that is) leaves me in a weird predicament. My wife has a Kindle Fire, I love the form factor -- my iPad 1 is getting long in the tooth and isn't as "portable" as the KF -- but I'm still bothered by the lock-in of the device.
- GFischer 14y ago
  I haven't seen a Nexus 7 personally, but from my experience with the Kindle, it looks like it will be a better and more flexible device (I appreciate the Play store and other benefits of stock Android). Not that the Kindle Fire would be a bad choice, but I'd personally choose a Nexus 7.
foresterh 14y ago
I'm blown away by how good technical books look on Google Play Books on the Nexus 7 (and maybe all tablets?). I normally use a 2nd generation Kindle and can never read tech books on there because of the code wrapping lines and the monochrome text. But the difference between a tech book on the Kindle app and the Google Play Books app (both on the Nexus 7) is night and day. I highly recommend at least getting a sample of a book and trying it. You can also zoom out far more than you can on Kindle, which probably helps it look so great.
varelse 14y ago
I brought my Galaxy Nexus and Kindle Fire to Asia last month after my Galaxy Tab 10.1 died on me the day of the trip. Within 2 days into the trip in Hong Kong, the Nexus stopped charging itself, leaving me with only the Kindle Fire for the remainder of the trip. Although it was a mediocre email machine due to typical android lag in typing, it survived the trip, and let me read web pages reliably. Ironically, the Galaxy Nexus magically resurrected itself once plugged into a US outlet. Go figure... I noticed that the Samsung Note with its 5.3" screen is really popular in Hong Kong and Vietnam. This makes me think the 7" pad is going to be a real market segment - It's big enough to play games and type email/text yet small enough to stuff in a coat pocket, which is exactly what I saw going on with the Samsung Note. And wherever I took out the Kindle Fire, people were very curious about it.
awolf 14y ago
I disagree. The way I see it the 7" form factor is big enough to be a pain in the ass to carry yet small enough to be useless for most tablet stuff I'd actually want to do anyway. In my opinion, a mobile device should have a keyboard big enough for me to type using ten fingers, or it should fit in my pocket. Using something in between baffles me.

99 points by JOfferijns 14y ago

marknutter 14y ago

It is not a forgone conclusion that Apple will release a 7" iPad.

freehunter 14y ago
"The good news for iPad/iOS fans is that Apple is apparently going to come out with a 7" iPad soon." sounds an awful lot like the 2009 "The good news for iPhone fans is that Apple is apparently going to come out with a OSX tablet soon." Apple speculation has a history of being high profile and also wrong.
- achompas 14y ago
  I don't remember any credible rumors (WSJ, NYT, Bloomberg) in 2009 about an OSX tablet. All the rumors back the centered around a iOS tablet (and they were right). This time there's a lot of smoke from credible sources, as well as some great explanations (iPad mini screens cut from 3GS glass). I'd be surprised if we didn't see it hit by next February.
- froo 14y ago
  I guess one could say that since iOS is based off OSX that that is indeed true.
ConstantineXVI 14y ago
It is fairly plausible, however. A shrunken iPad would be a perfect replacement for the (hasn't been updated in nearly 2 years) iPod touch as the iOS "gateway drug"; and it could still get away with a slightly higher (~$250) price point without lagging too far behind the iPhone and regular iPad in terms of components. That it would happen to put pressure on a segment Amazon and Google are currently exploiting Apple's non-presence in is just convenient.
jaems33 14y ago
Disagree. http://www.macrumors.com/2012/07/03/bloomberg-ipad-mini-coming-in-october/ http://www.macrumors.com/2012/07/03/bloomberg-ipad-mini-comi...
- bryanlarsen 14y ago
  That's a rumor from a reputable source, but it's still a rumor.

aw3c2 14y ago

The Kindle app screenshot shows a huge margin on the sides of the text. Readability feature to make the lines shorter or what is the purpose of that? Is that configurable?

etherealG 14y ago
it's a margin setting and is configurable yes. both the margins on the sides and top/bottom and the line height is.

Kartificial 14y ago

Man, these kind of reviews only make me want the Nexus 7 more. Are there any dates released on when it's coming to Europe?

mtgx 14y ago
I think it's coming to UK around mid-July, too. From there you might not get it in your country through Google and their partners, but I'm sure there will be plenty of offline and online retailers getting it from UK and reselling it in your own country, probably for around 200 euro or so.
- Kartificial 14y ago
  OK, unfortunately I'm not in the UK. I guess it's not possible to pre-order in the US/UK and then ship it elsewhere in Europe?
jgroome 14y ago
UK here. I'm expecting mine in a couple of weeks.

topbanana 14y ago

I can't understand how anyone would prefer reading a backlit screen. I find e-ink so much easier on the eyes, especially after a day of staring at screens. I hope e-ink doesn't die out.

jakeonthemove 14y ago
Yeah, obviously an e-ink display is easier on the eyes, but having a separate grayscale e-reader is a waste of space and resources. A color e-ink screen would be perfect - I'd say we'll see tablets using them in a couple of years...
randlet 14y ago
I love the e-ink on the Kindle with the only downside being that reading in the dark requires a lamp. Battery life is another huge plus in favour of e-ink.
- bergie 14y ago
  Sometimes I also find it a bonus that you really can't do anything else on the device than read. Focus on the text with zero distractions...
  - jgroome 14y ago
    Absolutely. When I first got mine my friend was shocked that I could be so enthusiastic about a device that doesn't have social apps and integration or notifications. Like what you'd want when you're concentrating on a book is constant reminders of what's happening on Facebook.
- ZeroGravitas 14y ago
  I bought a Galaxy Note since my main reading time is either spent in the dark or grabbed in small gaps of time when I'm on the move. And since it's AMOLED it's not technically back-light and gray on black text works very well for me.
- bookwormAT 14y ago

vidarh 14y ago

The one thing that really annoys me is that in the UK there's a 40 GBP difference between the 8GB and 16GB version. I'd rather pay extra for an SD card slot when I can get a 32GB class 10 SD card for around half that.

ConstantineXVI 14y ago
It seems like Google's deprecated external storage in Android. I'm under the impression they don't want to force the average user into seeing the filesystem, and they couldn't find a way to make ext. storage seamlessly coexist with onboard (apps, etc.) without showing the FS.
- Spearchucker 14y ago
  If I'm not mistaken (it happens often) the exclusion of external storage was to avoid paying licensing costs for FAT/FAT32. So really just to keep the price down.
  - ConstantineXVI 14y ago
    Here's[0] a relevant thread (morrildl == Android dev). [0] http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/mg14z/whoa_whoa_ics_doesnt_support_usb_mass_storage/ http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/mg14z/whoa_whoa_ics...
  - piechlediech 14y ago
    i would be super happy if it was ext3/4 anyways. not sure why they could not mount that transparently as additional storage.
- huggyface 14y ago
  Optional external storage doesn't force anyone into anything. You can live in long-term bliss with a device having an SD card slot having never plugged a memory card in. Having said that it does seem that Google is trying to move away from external storage, likely to try to recover from the horrendous original implementation of it (still one of the nastiest, ugliest parts of Android). The original intent of external storage was largely as a read mechanism allowing you to plug in a card with your entire music collection, etc. When it got delegated to read/write needs, primarily because early devices had ridiculously low internal storage, things fell apart.

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jgroome 14y ago

I've been reading as many Nexus 7 reviews as I can in a vain effort to sedate my excitement for its arrival later this month. I know this is going to sound ungrateful, but this review seems a bit thin. The idea of using the Nexus 7 as an ereader seems kind of silly to me - surely if you're into ebooks (like I am) then you'd be better off with an actual Kindle. Staring at a backlit screen like that for hours on end can't be good for your eyes. And I still haven't seen anybody take photos or video conference with it yet, so I have no idea how good that 1.2mp camera is.

ditojim 14y ago
the camera app is not included with the device. the front-facing camera is intended for hangouts/video calls. i just tried installing Camera+ from the marketplace and it says my 7 is not compatible. this is one way Google kept the device below $200.
- ZeroGravitas 14y ago
  I'm guessing a lot of the camera apps check for a rear camera and block themselves if it's not present. Since Google seems set to sell a bunch of these Nexus Tablets I'd imagine those apps will all get updated to work with its front camera.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  - ditojim 14y ago
    well i think google's exclusion of their native camera app is telling. this device is not intended to be used as a camera. you most likely have a much better one in your pocket at any given time: your mobile phone.
- c0m47053 14y ago
  Paul O'Brien from MoDaCo created an 'app' that adds the shortcut to the default camera app back into the Nexus 7. For some reason, even though Google included the entire camera application in the build, they removed the launcher icon. You can find it on the Play store at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.modaco.cameralauncher https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.modaco.cam...

watmough 14y ago

Just ordered one. It looks great, and at $200, you can now regard the iPad as a different class of device. Really looking forward to getting mine, and hopefully looking forward to developing a few apps for it.

thoradam 14y ago
I've been wondering if I should get the Nexus 7 as my main and only development device. I imagine it could be great to test both mobile and tablet layouts on the same device.
- fidotron 14y ago
  It could prove very good for that. If you root the device it's possible to run apps (from Google Play) allowing you to modify the reported screen density, which you should be using to alter the layout of your apps. Given the screen res, price and capability if you're going to have one dev device it looks like the one to get.

needle0 14y ago

I noticed the Nexus 7 home screen uses a "smartphone style" layout, with the favorites tray at the bottom of the screen, the All Apps button located in the center of the tray, and the Back/Home/Multitask soft buttons centered. As far as I remember, previous Android tablets after Honeycomb used a dedicated "tablet style" layout, with no favorites tray, the All Apps button located in the top right of the screen, and the soft keys left-aligned. Why isn't the Nexus 7 using this? Is it because the 7-inch screen was deemed too small for the tablet style layout? Or has the tablet style layout been deprecated entirely from Jelly Bean?

jan_g 14y ago
Check out this nexus 7 unboxing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3pePDUVpgI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3pePDUVpgI You have apps and widgets tabs, but probably one can rearrange everything to his own needs. Also, projects like Chameleon offer further customizations.
ConstantineXVI 14y ago
That bar could get cramped in portrait mode, the phone arrangement is likely more usable.
ZeroGravitas 14y ago
Android team member Dianne Hackborn suggests they tried both and liked this way better for the 7" size: https://plus.google.com/105051985738280261832/posts/6eWwQvFGLV8 https://plus.google.com/105051985738280261832/posts/6eWwQvFG...
skystorm 14y ago
The "why?" has already been answered. So I'll just add that you're free to change it, if you're not afraid of rooting the tablet: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1749501 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1749501

yawgmoth 14y ago

I would love to use the Nexus 7 as a home phone. Of course, I would have the right headset / earplug to go with it.

simmons 14y ago
That's a great idea! Home and office phones are just begging to be pulled out of the 1980's and into the modern world. I'd love to have a stationary desk phone that runs Android, integrates with my Google contacts, etc. Unfortunately, the 2.4Ghz spectrum is overcrowded in my area, the Nexus only supports 2.4Ghz wi-fi, and packet loss is especially annoying for voice calls. (Although the word on the street is that the Nexus 7 supports USB ethernet. Hmm...)

nickpresta 14y ago

"It is lighter and more comfortable being held in one hand." More comfortable, perhaps, but lighter? The Nexus 7 is 340 grams [1] versus 652 grams on the new iPad [2]. It might feel lighter, but it is all in your head. [1]: http://www.google.com/nexus/#/7/specs http://www.google.com/nexus/#/7/specs [2]: http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/ http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/

Kiro 14y ago
So you're saying 652 is lighter than 340?
Stratoscope 14y ago
Right, so it's barely half the weight of the new iPad. How is that "all in your head"?
eitally 14y ago
My experience this far -- comparing to a Xoom and a Galaxy Tab 10.1 -- is that the Galaxy Tab feels the most comfortable. The Xoom has sharp edges and feels extremely dense/heavy in the hand (and a much worse screen). The Nexus 7 is too small to comfortable hold in two hands, and the keyboard on a 7" screen is too small to comfortable type two-handed. Imho, the 7" form factor is ideal for two things: eReading and sliding into an airplane seat back pocket during takeoff & landing. The Galaxy Tab feels lighter than the Nexus even though I'm sure it probably is is twice the mass, simply because it's thinner and less dense. As Nick said, it's all in my head. :)
masklinn 14y ago
I'm sure I must be missing something, but how is 340g not lighter than 652g? You can probably criticize a lot of things about the review, but a 7" tablet being lighter than a 10" one is more of a "well... duh?"
- gnarbarian 14y ago
  He's gotta be making a reality distortion field joke. "There are four lights!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_eSwq1ewsU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_eSwq1ewsU

deleted 14y ago

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mscrivo 14y ago

I find it really annoying how so many people are now praising 7" as the ideal tablet size when Google puts one out, but when RIM did it a year and a half ago, everyone said it was too small. Us playbook owners have been saying this for over a year, but people are too caught up in the destroy RIM bandwagon to be open minded.

generalk 14y ago
I'm sure the same people that were dismissive of the Playbook are also dismissive of the Nexus 7, at least until Apple releases a 7" iPad. That said, the bigger complaints I heard about the Playbook had nothing to do with its size and everything to do with the Blackberry ecosystem as a whole.
- loceng 14y ago
  Agreed. Setting up big expectations and then not meeting them is a dangerous game to play with your brand.
megablast 14y ago
Maybe you should go back and read those comments, you will not find too many complaining about the size. That was the least of its problems.
w1ntermute 14y ago
It's exact same thing that happened when the mainstream found out about iOS 5's notification system - there was a big hullabaloo about how revolutionary it was, despite it having been present in Android in a more complete form for almost 3 years. It's probably going to happen again with turn-by-turn navigation when iOS 6 is released.
gurkendoktor 14y ago
I got a PlayBook from one of the giveaways. I was really looking forward to the form factor for two things: Skyping and giving it to the gf for reading Facebook. But if your Facebook app is slower than the HTML5-based, universally hated Facebook App on an iPad 1 on iOS5, then you deservedly lose. The only video calling app is limited to PlayBook-to-PlayBook, or maybe RIM-to-RIM. A bad ecosystem is one thing, but builtin apps must be useful.

espeed 14y ago

How is the size for reading PDFs?

ConstantineXVI 14y ago
The higher-res screen might change things, but I've never found reading letter/A4-sized PDFs particularly enjoyable on anything under 9". PDF is a print-focused format to begin with, it's never quite handled varying screen sizes well.

mikeevans 14y ago

I wrote a review too, if anyone's interested: http://michaelevans.org/blog/2012/07/03/nexus-7-review/ http://michaelevans.org/blog/2012/07/03/nexus-7-review/

jordibunster 14y ago

"If you look at the bottom of the home screen you'll see a yellow icon next to the Chrome browser". Yeah, that and also Fred Wilson's foot.

Supermighty 14y ago
Now it's all I can see.
fredwilson 14y ago
i should have cropped that out. oh well.

saturdaysaint 14y ago

The 7" size sounds great. I basically want something that I can use almost exactly like how I use my smartphone around the house (ie browsing the internet while lounging in bed or on the couch) but with a supersized screen. The 10" form factor fails that test for me, getting fairly awkward if I'm reclined at all. The fact that Google have gone out of their way to make it a usable GPS as well (with downloadable maps and functional voice commands even without an internet connection) is a nice bonus.

jwwest 14y ago

I'm torn between getting a Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7. I have a lot of Kindle books, but also a lot of video content purchased through Amazon as well. I feel that the Nexus 7 is a better device as it's not locked down to Amazon's eco system, but the lack of a Amazon video player for Android (without having to sideload the apk that is) leaves me in a weird predicament. My wife has a Kindle Fire, I love the form factor -- my iPad 1 is getting long in the tooth and isn't as "portable" as the KF -- but I'm still bothered by the lock-in of the device.

GFischer 14y ago
I haven't seen a Nexus 7 personally, but from my experience with the Kindle, it looks like it will be a better and more flexible device (I appreciate the Play store and other benefits of stock Android). Not that the Kindle Fire would be a bad choice, but I'd personally choose a Nexus 7.

foresterh 14y ago

I'm blown away by how good technical books look on Google Play Books on the Nexus 7 (and maybe all tablets?). I normally use a 2nd generation Kindle and can never read tech books on there because of the code wrapping lines and the monochrome text. But the difference between a tech book on the Kindle app and the Google Play Books app (both on the Nexus 7) is night and day. I highly recommend at least getting a sample of a book and trying it. You can also zoom out far more than you can on Kindle, which probably helps it look so great.

varelse 14y ago

I brought my Galaxy Nexus and Kindle Fire to Asia last month after my Galaxy Tab 10.1 died on me the day of the trip. Within 2 days into the trip in Hong Kong, the Nexus stopped charging itself, leaving me with only the Kindle Fire for the remainder of the trip. Although it was a mediocre email machine due to typical android lag in typing, it survived the trip, and let me read web pages reliably. Ironically, the Galaxy Nexus magically resurrected itself once plugged into a US outlet. Go figure... I noticed that the Samsung Note with its 5.3" screen is really popular in Hong Kong and Vietnam. This makes me think the 7" pad is going to be a real market segment - It's big enough to play games and type email/text yet small enough to stuff in a coat pocket, which is exactly what I saw going on with the Samsung Note. And wherever I took out the Kindle Fire, people were very curious about it.

awolf 14y ago

I disagree. The way I see it the 7" form factor is big enough to be a pain in the ass to carry yet small enough to be useless for most tablet stuff I'd actually want to do anyway. In my opinion, a mobile device should have a keyboard big enough for me to type using ten fingers, or it should fit in my pocket. Using something in between baffles me.