That is not a small number!
That is a big number!
Yo Apple. No need for a 7″ tablet, Google’s got this. 😉
I think Josh just justified my purchase. Thanks a bunch.
I’m waiting for more tablet centric content. I’ll pass for now.
It’s still not better than an iPad in terms of it’s battery life, screen, wealth of content & apps made for it’s size. The iPad still reigns supreme in that division & if Apple comes out with a 7″ version of the iPad 2/3, I’d argue that it’d still be a better buy than the Nexus 7.
haters are always going to hate…..
I’m not hating, it’s just not that amazing. It’s big Galaxy Nexus with updated software. A cool device but it’s just not better than the iPad.
The iPad is 2½ times as expensive. It really does sound like you are hating.
Quality costs money dude.
if that’s the case then the Nexus Q is head overheels 200 dollars better than Apple TV….
And it really isn’t.
Obvious statement, is obvious.
Three ways to monetize tablets
1.) Make them desirable and expensive.
2.) Make them affordable, functional, and ad-supported.
3.) Make them affordable, functional, and tied directly into a content/product web store.
It might be a problem that the Nexus 7 is none of these.
Many would say number 3, however, I’d point out that with stock Android, you can just as easily download 3rd party apps such as those from B&N and Amazon.
Google will be capturing a lower percentage of the content dollars than Amazon captures on their less open Kindle for example.
It’s a bit of 2 as well, Google makes a lot of money from apps that use AdMob
to the last of the first comments so that it can be read.
http//bit.ly/5NNEJC <- unrelated.
ok
The thing is, the Nexus 7’s mission is more complex than simply making a profit. Think of the N7 is a marketing tool, aimed at creating and sustaining an recognisable brand identity for Android tablets. It is intended to undercut the rest of the market and sell in buckets, not to directly make a profit, but as a hype generator for future android tablets.
Also, like all of Google’s expansions, all android activations give a boost to their ad revenue, which still accounts for 98% of the company’s profits.
Mobile search is relatively rare on Android as Google testified to Congress. 2 thirds of mobile search is through iOS.
Irrelevant. It’s the data that they get from these users through GMail, Google Now, etc that allows them to improve ad targeting and keep themselves on top of the pile.
“It is intended to undercut the rest of the market and sell in buckets, not to directly make a profit, but as a hype generator for future android tablets.”
Contradictory. At that price, future tablets are cut out of the market. Just how is someone else supposed to create a profitable Android tablet when Google is selling theirs at cost?
As component prices come down, the N7’s successors will be able to exploit android’s reputation for affordability whilst selling at a profit.
I dont agree with that statement. I’m looking across my office at a pile of ematic and coby tablets priced at $89 to $259.
These tablets for most intents and purposes are complete garbage… yet people buy them.
Until the fire, $299-ish was the closest an of the big name manufacturers got, and they clearly did it wrong.
I think ultimately, most manufacturers had absolutely no clue what they were doing. Apple showed them the form factor, but beyond that they couldn’t wrap their heads around what it means to provide a fully baked tablet experience. I’m not sure Google even knew how to do it at that point.
With the N7 Google drew a line in the sand. They’re saying the Kindle Fire was a decent value and here’s another example. Anything less than this is crapwear along with the Ematics and Cobys out there.
If your price point is higher than what we’ve done here, then it better damn well be worth it! No more half-assing your industrial design just to ride the “tablet craze” (that doesnt exist). If you do, people will just buy our tablet instead.
Excellent synopsis. Honestly.
The Nexus 7 makes no profit, they are selling it at cost. Make no mistake they are not aiming this at apple, they are shooting at Amazon. And they are willing to sell these at cost to cut into amazon’s sales.
There is one tablet market, with a finite amount of dollars consumers have to spend in it. Every sale of one tablet not only takes away from another’s sale of one tablet…it also takes away a customer for the foreseeable future as the vast majority will likely never leave the competitors ecosystem.
Therefore, anyone attempting to claim they don’t care about a subset of that easily scaleable tablet market, are ignorant of reality (posters) or putting on a Public Relation stunt until they enter it under guise of not entering it (Apple, reduced price of ipad 2).
In addition, getting a foothold in 7″ is hugely important for when a 10″ nexus is released and when such 7″ users go to buy their next tablet.
Which leads to my next point in resposne to everyone who has
Yes, I re
Interested in your conclusory statement that those already in ios or android cannot be convinced to switch. Source? Anecdotally, I am very happy with both my galaxy nexus and my iPad. I suppose if pushed, I would say I identify more with android, but I’m going to buy whatever device suits my particular tastes and needs.
Nevertheless there do seem to be a fair amount of people choosing sides (which really is kind of a silly thing for a consumer in 2012 to do), so I’m hoping you have a link to some kind of analysis on this point.
And now that you’ve mentioned that it can be nicknamed N7, the coffin has been nailed on my wallet. I mean, who wouldn’t want Commander Shepard’s tablet?
I’m Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite tablet on the Citadel.
search.
And it really isn’t.
Well, he said Quality costs money, the quality of Nexus Q as a device itself might be better than the Apple TV, it’s made in America. Functionality wise, Apple TV might be better, not necessarily the quality.
Oh god man, shut up your drooling fanboy all over my comment,
He said quality costs money, well if we take his “example” then the Nexus Q is better than the AppleTV because its 200 dollars more expensive, if you’re here you know its not and all my comment proved was that Quality doesnt always equal large lumps of cash.
The fact is that just because the Nexus Q is made in America doesn’t at all mean it’s better quality. And that for any other product.
My AppleTV cost $99, has a 55″ screen (optional extra) and plays HD movies in real HD. I can also drive over and pound nails with my AppleTV because it’s a solid block of resin [some sarcasm there].
Comparison to AppleTV is a little odd. It’s a totally different product.
Unlike all Apple products, the Q is built in the US, hence it cost more money.
Sure but not everyone wants quality for a higher price. Apple themselves have dipped into this before and I expect them to do it again. The second any 7″ tablet has real market success they will be right there either with a 7″ iPad or, more likely IMO, something more like a 5-6″ iPod Touch.
Quality costs money, yes but it doesn’t cost as much as Apple used to forward to customers in the cost. Think. They were able to become the richest company in the U.S from their product sales. It’s no secret that Apple sells at an astronomical markup. Everything they’ve ever sold they make a giant profit on. Why? Because they’ve tricked certain people into thinking they are the best items on earth and if you own one, you’re cool/smarter/better than others. As human beings, many of us secretly want to feel that way. Apple has remarkably played this up so potently as to trick their fans into paying the highest premium for their devices. That is an impressive feat.
Isn’t it obvious that they are selling a perception more so than quality if they’re able to make those kinds of profits?
What you’re likely getting is a device with similar guts as the competition, save for a metal casing and the fallacy that it’s of better quality than the competition. But you refuse to believe that, and so the fanboy emotions get all heated.
Of course folks will have to justify buying iDevices until they bleed; if you buy 1 of 2 items for more money and they are in reality, equal to each other in design and makeup then you’d be labeled a sucker. No one wants to be a sucker, especially if they believe they are better than someone else. God forbid.
To each his own I say. I like to see the quality and function in all tech. The Nexus 7 is impressive for the price, and if Apple can release a 7 iPad with similar specs for a similar price then that will only be better for us all as consumers.
I just want to point out that having a bunch of money sitting in a bank account does not make you “the richest company in America”. It just means you have the most cash.
The iPad is 2 ½ times expensive because Apple chooses to have incredible profit margins. Google is making that sacrifice. The iPad could be a $300, maybe $250 device if Apple didn’t care about it’s margins, what would be the end result then? Or is the screen size still a big enough difference to not warrant a comparison. I’m not hating, I’m stating my opinion.
But it’s not. It’s $500. Your argument of “could be” doesn’t matter. The iPad is $500, this is $200. This is a fantastic bang for its buck.
Yes it’s a great bang for it’s buck, that isn’t my argument. My argument is that it is still not better than an iPad, which is truly isn’t, in it’s whole.
My argument is that it is, on the whole, for its price.
I believe, even at it’s price the iPad 2 would still be a more worthwhile & full featured device to but at $400.
buy*
The problem with there is, the iPad 2 only support iOS 6 lite. You don’t get all of the OS features like the iPad 3.
And it’s still twice as expensive, with a lower resolution display thant the Nexus 7.
iOS 6 “lite” as you like to call it doesn’t take away from the hundreds of thousands of useful creation & media consumption apps available. On top of what Apple already provides. The screen is another issue. But even with the inferior screen you still get an overall better & more useful device.
Wow you really are trolling a review about the Google Nexus 7 pretty hard. I always feel like someone has done something incredibly right when someone like you has to come out of the woodworks and defend your precious iPad so hard when it’s nearly irrelevant to this article.
Then let’s hope for Google’s sake that your feeling is totally off since no device in competition with the iPad has been very successful at all.
Why don’t they have a 10″ one? What’s the deal with Android phones being huge and their tablets being small?
http//www.slashgear.com/google-nexus-10-reportedly-in-pipeline-29236412/
The reason is simple, the biggest cost of the tablet is the screen. No Android vendor can match the cost and the quality of large retina display. So Google is going to the cheap and inferior small display route! People ought to know why 40″ HDTV costs more than 20″ TV.
Of course they can. It’s not like Apple makes the display themselves, Samsung does. And Samsung is also an Android vendor.
The reason is simple, the biggest cost of the tablet is the screen. No Android vendor can match the cost and the quality of large retina display. So Google is going to the cheap and inferior small display route! People ought to know why 40″ HDTV costs more than 20″ TV
Because 10″ tablets make no sense. You can’t fit them in any pocket or purse, and if I’m going to carry something extra around with me, it’s going to be an air or ultrabook because they are WAY more versatile.
You can fit the 7″ in your pocket? That’s nuts.
yes.w
“You can fit the 7” in your pocket? That’s nuts.”
Yep, it fits nicely in my back jeans pocket or a coat pocket.
I still don’t know how people fit a note into their pockets.
Because 10″ tablets make no sense
You are seriously arguing that 10″ tablets make no sense? After the success of iPad?
Look the Nexus 7 is a great tablet, and the 7″ form factor is very nice. But don’t say stupid things like “10” tablets make no sense.” That is just plain false.
Just because something sells well doesn’t mean people continue to find the device ideal after purchase. Especially when something is marketed as hard as the iPad in a market that changes as quickly as technology.
You think everyone that bought a snuggy still uses it and finds it to be better than a microplush blanket that can be had for a few bucks less?
10″ tablets did make sense when the iPad first came to market because they were much more portable and had much better battery life than any laptop.
However, in today’s market you can get a thin laptop in the same price range that competes on battery life but gives you extra versatility. (and everyone that I know that had 10+” tablets now find themselves migrating back toward macbooks and ultrabooks.)
So why buy a 10″+ tablet in today’s market?
10″ tablets did make sense when the iPad first came to market because they were much more portable and had much better battery life than any laptop.
I think you completely miss the point. A 10″ tablet may not make sense to you, but they make perfect sense in the current market they are still selling extremely well — as in, right now. They are orders of magnitude more popular than any other tablet..
When they stop selling well (we’ll see when that happens), it’s fine to say they don’t make sense. But currently they make a lot of sense.
I sold my iPad for $275 (considering Apple is selling them for $299, that’s pretty good.) because it was just too big. At 225.77 (after shipping and taxes), I bought the Nexus 7 8GB. For me, 7″ will be perfect. It’s small enough to truly be portable, but big enough that I can see with squinting.
It’s because phone apps don’t look good on a 10″ screen. But on a 7″ they are passable.
Being huge is being different from the tiny iPhone, being small is being different from the big iPad.
Toshiba has an Android tablet bigger than any iOS device.
They probably feel a Chromebook would be the better choice for bigger sized devices?
Android apps market growing quickly with buit-in google products and services. I thought it’s not the issue anymore?? The new jelly bean has offline GPS and better voice search quality than Siri as I read the review. 199$ is a real deal. I’ll buy 2 for my family intead of the ipad2 anytime
The problem is the severe lack of tablet apps.
atleast normal apps can adapt to the screen instead of having to be magnified
Every time I hear someone say, “severe lack of tablet apps,” I get confused — do regular non-tablet apps not work on tablets? Just because they aren’t optimized for tablets, doesn’t mean they don’t work at all. There’s a big difference between core functionality and extras — as far as I can tell, Google Maps works the same on a phone, just that the detail window is a separate fragment in the tablet-optimized version. I don’t get why Josh and so many others have to complain, as if when you buy a tablet, you literally only have 100 apps to choose from.
Help me out here, tablet-app-shortage people, what am I missing? Obviously it would be nice to have every app optimized for tablets, but what keeps you from using “phone apps” on a tablet?
Not true at all. My Transformer Prime was filled with mostly tablet apps.
Not as many as ios doesn’t automatically mean severe lack.
That is a ridiculous “problem” without specifics. The iPad 2 is getting 99% of iOS 6. If you can explain which lacking features make an iPad 2 with iOS 6 a poor device, you might have an actual argument. Is there even anything other than Siri the iPad 2 won’t get with iOS 6?
Siri gets 99% of Apples advertising time on the telly… So, is it really insignificant? Facetime for 3g is also disabled for some unexplainable reason.
And the lower resolution at twice the cost is a ridiculous claim? How about last gen internals then? )
But the iPad 2 already didn’t have Siri. So I guess since people have used it with iOS 5 “Light” they won’t exactly think iOS 6 is any “lighter”? )
I bet the last generation internals can keep up with this tablet in just about anything and will power software that just won’t be available for this tablet for quite a while.
But the iPad 2 already didn’t have Siri. So I guess since people have used it with iOS 5 “Light” they won’t exactly think iOS 6 is any “lighter”? )
We are talking about new devices here. People might not quite understand why one iPad gets Siri, but not the new one they bought, just because it was cheaper.
The last sentence is , to be fair, pure guessing/wishing from your part.
I ¤&”#&%# hate this lack of edit. )
Let me help you then
I fucking hate this lack of edit. )
lol
I think people are pretty prepared to understand that buying a cheap device in a given product line has fewer features than the more expensive one )
I think people are pretty prepared to understand that buying a cheap device in a given product line has fewer features than the more expensive one )
Not when in every other computing ecosystem where those features are a result of software.
When it is software, you expect to be able to upgrade to the better features down the line. There is no reason the iPad 2 can’t run Siri or Facetime 3G. The buyers should in fact be able to purchase those apps. In every other computing environment this is considered normal.
Apple is continuing their alienation of value conscious buyers by crippling their own products. I had hoped that Mr. Cook would get rid of that attitude at Apple following Jobs’ death. Unfortunately this has not been the case. Growing up in the 80’s I saw that attitude which permanently turned me off from Apple back then. It is actually a bit of a surprise to me that Apple’s company character has not improved, especially given their success.
The main difference will be that the iPad 2 as a crazy abundance of tablet apps, and the Nexus 7 doesn’t.
The iPad 2 gets almost every iOS 6 feature, including Flyover.
Too bad it’s still twice the price of the Nexus 7, which has a higher resolution and better chipset.
Your logic so far are good, but for general people. BUT. Google OS is still better for me when I want to do more than just consuming content. I say this as a owner of an iPad 3 and a Galaxy Nexus.
Like Garageband or a full office suite, of which Google tablets have neither?
99% of ppl are fine with what Google docs provides. Garageband? Niche at best
99% is a number you pulled out of your ass…
Much like what digitalbobby pulled out of his ass about not having a full office suite?
Heh, so it’s justified to lie when it suits your opinion eh? Regardless, he’s right, 99% is just pulled out of his ass. You’re right too, but the fact you attacked the one person that made a true statement shows you likely care more about your liar’s opinion than the truth.
So he provides an example of content creation, and you dismiss it because he’s right? Cool.
Quickoffice Pro https//play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.qo.android.am3&feature=search_result
Officesuite Viewer https//play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobisystems.office&feature=search_result
Officesuite Pro https//play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobisystems.editor.office_registered&feature=search_result
Smart Office 2 https//play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.picsel.tgv.app.smartoffice&feature=search_result
Documents To Go https//play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dataviz.docstogo&feature=search_result
What were you saying again? Do we need to bring up that Google Docs now has offline editing enabled?
Those are all clunky. In fact, Polaris is probably the best, and it has nothing on Pages and co.
You have got to be joking. Polaris Office is a full MS Office compatible suite. Pages is just a pretty looking version of a rather primitive text editor like Wordpad.
Polaris office is lightyears ahead of Pages. It’s not even in the same league
Lol… have you even used the office equivalents on iOS? They’re clunky, feature lacking, pieces of crap.
Kingsoft Office
https//play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cn.wps.moffice_eng#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDIxMiwiY24ud3BzLm1vZmZpY2VfZW5nIl0.
Probably the best office app on Android.,
Since when does the iPad have full office suite? I assume you mean MS Office?
well… you can purchase the iWork apps (Pages, Numbers, Keynote) on the App Store.
Me and a lot of people I know who owns an iPad, didn’t get the Garageband and full office suite from Apple. I use my laptop for Office. iPad ain’t really designed for that. Maybe the Surface is. But not the iPad.
please shut up.
Perhaps. But it’s harder for me to share the iPad with my wife than to buy 2 of these and not have to worry about that.
At least you won’t have to worry about buying apps for either device, too, because there are none! 😉
Wrong. There are 600K apps in the the Play Store, and most of them would run in Nexus 7 just fine. Maybe most are not tablet optimized, but it will run. And it won’t look like the iPhone Apps in the middle of your iPad screen. You just don’t have any idea.
I have close to 100 apps on my iPad and there’s only one app that doesn’t have an iPad version Speedtest.net. Running it on iPad gives me an app with tiny black borders around the edges. It’s annoying, but no big deal for the few instances I need to use it.
The point is that there’s almost no apps that AREN’T tablet optimized for iPad. On Android, it’s the opposite.
But it’s got Chrome, the best browser out there (citation needed)!
Not trying to get into the middle of the circle-jerk, but so does iOS now.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled platform flame-war….
How many times can the same comment be said by the same person in the same thread? Thank you, Shenmue. Reading it this time made it perfectly clear, finally.
What’cha hiding from your wife? 😉
You should buy an iPad and then place it on your altar.
The $400 iPad2 has half the RAM, less than half the CPU speed and a lower display resolution for twice the price.
Unless you are an Apple fanboy, it isn’t worth it at all.
iOS is less resource intensive than Android. That means it needs less battery-draining RAM and CPU to eke out the same performance. And it has perhaps a hundred times as many tablet optimized apps as Android. I’m not trolling, but to say the iPad 2 isn’t worth its price is silly. It’s the cheapest way to get access to the iOS tablet ecosystem.
When $400 is the cheapest way to an ecosystem, you know you’re in the wrong ecosystem.
Tuan X If you want to spend $400 for a slow tablet go ahead. If you want something fast and will respond when you touch it. I will buy this tablet at half the price.
How would a tablet that is twice as much with a lower resolution screen and a slower processor/gpu be a better device to buy? I fail to understand your logic. If you just want a tablet for web browsing, media consumption, and reading (which are the main reasons an average consumer buys a tablet), then why would saving $200 dollars and getting a more feature-rich tablet be a bad idea? Please enlighten us.
Haven’t you heard? There are millions of tablet apps on the App store and only one on the Play Store. Obviously it is impossible to develop tablet apps for Android, it has nothing to do with the fact that the worst offenders have hundreds of terrible programmers and designers.
Price is independent of it’s usefulness.
nobody argues on that. but, still, in this world, money matter. I am a apple “guy” with MBpro and iPhone, but I (I mean, “I”, not “everyone”) have no use for a $500 tablet, as I would use it only for browsing / mail and as reader, so the app portfolio is no issue for me. The nature of my work forces me to stick with a “PC era” device. but I can see the benefits of a much more portable 7’ cheap tablet with very solid specs.
so it is individual, for me. a “worse” $200 device is actually better than the “better” iPad, because I simply have no use for it (tried it).
there is no overall “winner” and price does matter a lot, especially with such comparable specs.
Great, and a Honda Accord isnt better than a BMW 535i. Doesnt mean that the honda is probably a very smart decision for a lot of buyers
Except in this case of your poor attempt at an analogy the Honda is faster, has a nicer engine/interior and drives better. The only thing is you can’t brag to your friends about your Ipad… I mean your BMW.
@Tuan X — Firstly, it’s pretty hard to base your arguments on hypotheticals. Secondly, It’s a bit ridiculous to compare a $500 tablet to a $200 tablet. It’s like comparing a Kia to a Lexus, BMW, etc. and saying “The Lexus has more options, a better interior, etc. than the Kia.” DUH! It costs 2.5x more, and when something costs more, people typically expect more as well. Very weak argument my friend…
He’s talking about the ecosystem, however, which is far more fleshed out on iOS. Not hardware features, software. And you’re totally missing that.
Comparisons between this and the iPad are inevitable, but in all honesty that’s not really fair.
They have completely different form factors and are in completely different price brackets.
As for the whole tablet app vs phone app thing, I’m not sure that’s so big of a deal either. This tablet is not that much bigger than any of the android phones, I’m sure flipboard looks great on it, netflix looks great on it, chrome looks great on it, gmail looks great. I don’t know about you but that’s really what I want a tablet for. I have a laptop if I need anything more.
It’s not competing with the iPad. Yes it’s an Android tablet, but it’s competing with the Kindle Fire, hence the low amount of storage and emphasis on getting/streaming everything from Google Play/Cloud; just as the Kindle Fire does with Instant Video and eBooks and the like.
“IN IT’S WHOLE.” is what you said. price would be considered in this. gNex 7 wins, handily.
I’m not going to argue with your opinion over whether it’s better or not…but to say it wins handily shows some heavy bias.
the iPad is just better in terms of Screen resolution, Apps and maybe a better build quality. Definitely not the OS.
I’m an iPad user only because of the Apps. But there are a lot of things that my Nexus S is better.
simple examples
1. When I want to share a URL, other than to Twitter…how would I do that in iOS? How much easier is it to do in Android? You probably don’t know don’t you?
2. I’m in the photo gallery app of my device and finds a photo that I would like to edit in a third party app or share to Instagram, how would I do that in iOS? How easy would it be to do in Android? You also probably don’t have an idea don’t you?
1. Copy the URL. iOS6 does FB integration.
2. Open the editing app, and wow! Look at all of your photos right there, ready for editing!
iOS 6 won’t even be available till October if last year is any indication.
1. No. In iOS — From the browser, it’s copy the URL. Home button or “switch App gesture”. Open the other App. Paste the URL. Then Share. Home again or “switch App gesture”. Back to browser and continue reading.
In Android — From the browser, hit share, select which app you want to share it, done. You’re still in the browser, continue reading.
Also, in Android FB integration and other Apps integration have been there since forever. So iOS6 what’s to get too excited about that.
2. That’s when you’re in editing app already, not from the photo gallery app when you suddenly find a photo that you’d want to share.
Well, in Android — it’s just as easy as Number 1.
As a whole, regardless of price, the iPad would be a better device. But that’s not a valid argument b/c ultimately price is a huge factor in consumer choice. So comparing a $500 device against a $200 one isn’t a very effective argument.
For people with a ton of money, they can buy an iPad. Or hell, pick up both. For the rest of us, there’s now a valid offering in the $200 price range in the form of the Nexus 7.
and a Ferrari is better than a Civic.
But in this case the Civic is faster than the Ferrari, has a nicer engine/interior and drives better. You just can’t brag to your friends about your Ipad… I mean Ferrari.
That is entirely dependent on what you plan to use it for, is it not?
For $200 if you get the same functionality that you as a user would get from an iPad, at a much reduced price, then for an individual it can be better than an iPad.
iPad 3 starts at $399.
On what planet?
hmm. I goofed.
what’s an iPad 3?
There’s no such thing.
Is so. I just bought mine a couple months ago. Sweet screen, too 😉
technically no. According to apple it is “The iPad.” or New iPad. NOT iPad 3.
Thanks. Dunno what I was smoking.
iPad 2 is for sale at $399.
Yeah, that’s where I tripped up.
but he has a point, if people are comparing ‘specs’ then spec for spec iPad would seem to be better consider google in selling this at a 0% profit margin.
That is a LUDICROUS argument. Apple is a hardware company, first and foremost. In terms of revenue, the hardware makes up almost their entire revenue pie. Google is a SERVICES company. Google’s not really that vested in hardware. Google can basically care less about making money off the hardware. Why? Because it’s not their core business. Their core business is to track users and making a TON of money from that tracked user data. Google’s point with the Nexus 7 is to gain a larger user base, pure and simple., The larger their user base, the larger their revenue stream from selling user tracking data.
Basically two completely different types of businesses. Do you think Google doesn’t care about ridiculous margins? Google cares DEARLY about ridiculously high margins except for Google, the margin is in the business of selling the data they get from tracking the user. It’s just like Microsoft, Microsoft could care less about making money from hardware. Heck, the whole point of Surface for Microsoft is to bring out a great product to support their upcoming Windows 8 in which competitors will finally have to compete with a QUALITY piece of hardware rather than sitting on their toosh churning out generic and badly designed pieces of hardware over and over again just because it’s easy and comfortable.
Fantastic. Completely agree, People need to think about business strategy. Additionally, Google is entering the tablet market late, and being a loss leader much wiser than using a premium pricing strategy right now.
Late? The market has only just opened. Apple might be on their 3rd gen device, but no one had released a serious competitor to the iPad till 18 months ago. Apple were early, they ignited the market for these devices!
The tablet market is barely born!
“Google can basically care less about making money off the hardware.”
Oh, so they are able to care less, which means they do care. Got it.
That read just as Stewie would say it.
Thank you.
Using “Could care less” and “never fails to disappoint” are instant indicators of some serious fails in logical thinking.
It tends to be an international difference. We Brits tend to use “couldn’t care less” whereas in the states I see a lot more people writing “could care less”, intending to mean the same thing.
Oh certainly. They might intend to communicate the same thing, but they’re actually communicating the exact opposite, which is why its a a logical fail in misunderstanding both syntax AND irony.
That’s because Americans are idiots that don’t understand grammar.
Meanwhile, smart Americans don’t say dumb things like “could care less” because they understand the implication of the combination of words instead of just thinking it’s an idiom that makes no sense other than that everyone else gets you.
Google is not a SERVICES company, Google is an ADVERTISING company.
well, advertising is a service.
by that logic Apple is a phone company
No, they are a computer hardware company. You know, you are what you earn money from.
yes most of their revenue is from iPhone/iPad
Indeed. The Nexus line is not intended to suceed in terms of making money of hardware. It’s intended as a look guys, this is what a good peice of android hardware is. Now please make ones similar or better and sell our services for us. And if you don’t, people will buy ours.
the margin is in the business of selling the data they get from tracking the user.
For the umpteenth time, they do NOT sell your data to advertisers.
But overall, good comment.
They do, just not packaged directly.
No, they don’t. They don’t sell personal data. What they sell is analytic data (i.e. “people of age X who live in city Y might be interested in product Z”). They sell statistics, which are based on personal data, but not the personal data itself.
lol, “they sell personal data, but not the personal data itself”
Makes a lot of sense….
They sell personal data, whether it’s the statistics they’ve gained by using the personal data gathered or not, it’s still the sale of personal data.
I agree that the Nexus 7 is certainly no iPad. But for someone who’s willing to try something that’s not iOS (Yes, some people don’t like iPads) and can’t afford a $400-$500 price tag, the Nexus 7 is a great choice and probably the best non iOS tablet around.
It was not meant to compete against the iPad. but the Kindle Fire. Although if Google comes out with a 10 inch tablet that runs as smooth as this one and with a lot more content and apps designed for it, I would argue that it could easily match the iPad.
Hell, even for people who want to use iOS, if they can’t afford the iPad, then the Nexus is a better deal. Until there’s an iPad that costs $200, people who can’t afford it will be drawn to less expensive options. Particularly when said less expensive option offers most of the features of the iPad anyway.
“Making that sacrifice” = “knows the only way to sell this beyond those of us predisposed to it is to undercut on price”.
Not sure if it is a matter of sacrifice. As a traded company, Google has to make a profit. I think Asus is making a profit on the device, while Google will make a profit on selling content. Asus did the best hardware they could for that price.
It’s easier to sell at slim margins when you can save on R&D costs by imitating your competitors’ innovations.
I’d say they’re about equal in the bang for buck barometer.
something will compare Nexus 7 to other 10 inch tablets, but not the ipad. I think its just to keep you apple fan-boys happy, but the lack of a head to head speaks volumes.
The reason it’s cheap because Google isn’t paying for patents. Nokia will sue first and Apple will do the same.
it’s not meant to compete with the ipad – so this entire argument is specious.
Always humorous because the iPad is a giant iPod touch, in reality.
And this is a slightly bigger Galaxy Nexus. What’s your point?
No. Not at all.
How not? It’s not even really a resolution bump! This is almost to the Galaxy Nexus as the first Galaxy Tab was to the Galaxy S phones… Well, no, those had far more in common. But it’s still more comparable than the iPad to iPod touch thing, which is overdone. Especially since the retina display bump on the iPad.
Other than size, how does the iPad differ from the iPod Touch?
There are several things I can do on my Galaxy Nexus that I won’t be able to do with the Nexus 7. Would you say that the iPad is just a larger iPhone?
No because the iPad runs hundreds of thousands of Apps that the iPhone doesn’t, that are built from the ground up to run on a 10″ screen. The Nexus 7 on the other hand runs standard Android phone apps.
Much as the iPad is a giant iPod touch, yes, this is a giant galaxy nexus.
No, it isn’t. And if you believe that than all android tablets are big android phones. Especially now with jelly bean
I own the iPad 3 and I must say it is literally a big iPod touch which isn’t a bad thing. It’s just ironic that Android is now getting crushed for having “just a bigger phone” OS on there. If the experience is great (like the iPad) why get bent over it?
Form factor wise, yes.
However, functionality wise. No.
The real estate alone on the screen is enough to differentiate it, and the apps that are develop to use that extra space are testament to that.
Try Spotify for iPod Touch/iPhone then try the iPad version and you can instantly see the benefits.
Try a music listening app to determine how beneficial tablet apps are vs phone apps?
…
Tuan X
This is not a Galaxy Nexus with new software.
My Galaxy Nexus does not have a quad core Tegra3.
My Galaxy Nexus screen definitely is not scratch resistant.
Updated Software and an updated OS are different things, this has both.
The OS updates coming directly from Google on this one (no carrier or OEM to delay things), means this will be getting a new OS every six months for at least 18 months. My VZW LTE Galaxy Nexus won’t be updated nearly as quickly.
You are correct it is not an iPad. But, my new iPad (3rd gen) has its own set of issues. The retina display is more pixels than the GPU can handle readily. Any creative app (Sketchbook Ink. etc) is extremely laggy when trying to use.
ON POINT!
actually, btw, Verizon GNex got Jelly Bean yesterday, and it is awesome =]
i think he means an OT update not XDA 😉
Actually, The Verizon Galaxy Nexus got a ROM rolled from a preview release OTA’d to devices given away at Google IO. Then people worked to get LTE, and also WiFi issue resolved.
JB hasn’t been released to the public, and the ROM you mentioned is far from official. That being said, it is awesome in many directions. Fast, responsive, Google Now is surprisingly useful. Good stuff.
Consider me shocked if Verizon actually releases this to the Xoom, and to the LTE GNex anytime soon.
they will have it ready to roll out by mid-July, who knows when Verizon will push it OTA.
It will be interesting to see if the RAZR or RAZR Maxx get this before the GN. Considering those both have plenty of proprietary and skinned changes.
We’ll never see JB on the RAZR, we’re lucky it’s getting ICS, just ask Droid 3 owners.
Preach on, brother. I own both as well and can say each one has it’s pros and cons, just like anything else.
my dear fellow, we all get it, you are a “connoisseur” of finer things and we all apreciate your enduring admiration for iThings, but please don’t leave 201 comments like a douchebag, ok? Thank you.
It it was, then Apple might as well pack up and stop selling iPads for the duration of the year. For 200$ there are limitations on how much value you can get, even if its ridiculously good.
Lol, Mr Fanboy, how is the iPad not just a blown up iPhone? infact every review of the iPad when it was launched, their biggest complaint was that it was no different than the iPhone except for a bigger screen
Oh because there haven’t been 200,000 apps specifically designed to use the real estate the iPad provides since that has there… facepalm
Don’t throw that bollocks reasoning around when accusing people of being FanBoys. Pot, kettle.
It’s a big Galaxy Nexus with updated software…. and the ipad is a big iphone with some upgrades…
You know, the iPad was knocked at release for being nothing more than a big iPod touch…so if that is the worst criticism of the Nexus 7, then I think the Nexus 7 is on the right path.
and the ajipad is a big itouch so what´s Up!
I don’t think you’re hating man, I agree with you. I am excitingly waiting for Nexus 7 to arrive to my house, but I have no plans to ditch my iPad with LTE, the content for it is just to rich. It seems people think that all developers do is target the apps for the screens size but that is not the case. They get to experiment more and play around with the U.I., gestures and insert different technology to their apps that just couldn’t be possible on a phone. This makes the iPad apps a much more engaging experience and different from the very same apps available on the phone version.
So why did I get a Nexus 7? Well, I do love iOS and always will. I also have a soft spot for Android as well Windows Phone and most likely always will and I want to see how Project Butter improved things and I really need a small tablet just to take to the couch and to the can with me that is better than the Kindle Fire and this is it. I would have just waited for Jelly Bean on Gnexus but the screen shattered recently and I sold it as is. I also hope HTC is making the next Nexus, but I could live with a Motorola Nexus as well. Man 2012-2013 might be an expensive year for me.. Next iPhone (iPhone 4s resell value take care most of that cost), Next Nexus (as long as it is not Samsung again) And maybe a beefy Windows Phone.
I guess you forgot the iPad is just a big iTouch…
Well the iPad was a bigger iPhone with updates software and hardware… Just saying. Lol.
Remember when everyone said the iPad was a large iPod? Funny how things never change.
I’m not hating, it’s just not that amazing. It’s big Galaxy Nexus with updated software. A cool device but it’s just not better than the iPad.
The exact same thing was said about the iPad when it was announced / released. It’s just a giant iPhone…
Taking this, “I’m not hating, it’s just not that amazing. It’s big Galaxy Nexus with updated software. A cool device but it’s just not better than the iPad.”
And saying this about the iPad, “I’m not hating, it’s just not that amazing. It’s big iPod with updated software. A cool device but it’s just not better than the Nexus 7.”
It really is amazing considering the price of it. It isn’t trying to be better than the iPad. It’s showing what you can get for a fraction of what you would pay for an iPad. I own an iPad 2 and still preordered the Nexus 7. I’m taken with the idea of a 7 inch tablet plus I was won over by seeing some of the games that were tailored specifically for Tegra 3 that actually look better than those on the A5x.
You can’t compare the two. But what I can tell you is, if Apple made a 7″ iPad, it would not even come close to this.
I can also tell you that if Google releases a 10″ Nexus tablet, it will be much better than the iPad.
And stop the “lack of apps” myth already. Android has more than enough tablet apps – just because there’s (unfortunately) no special section in the Play store, that doesn’t mean those tens or hundreds of thousands of tablet optimized apps aren’t there.
Congrats, you responded to his ridiculous claim with your own.
Of course you can compare the two. It’s a tablet. I believe the reason they created a 7″ version & not a 10″ was because they knew they’d be directly compared to the iPad if they did. They chose to target easy tablets to best (The Fire & Nook), & they did best them. But it’s simply NOT better than an iPad, yet. It needs a better dedicated App selection, a better screen, better battery life & a lot more content. It’s marketed as a media consumption device specifically to avoid comparison to the iPad which is just as much content creation as it is media consumption.
They created a 7″ as that’s where the opportunity is. The Kindle Fire proved that.
A 10″ would be a whole different headache and unnecessary for what this device is bringing to the table in terms of features, software and ecosystem.
I agree. I don’t think Google is ready to be compared to an iPad yet. That’s why I don’t think they bothered with a 10 yet.
The Kindle Fire didn’t really prove much of anything.
How has it not proven anything? There’s large demand for a 7″ tablet and the Kindle sales have proven that.
Well given the fact most people have to budget for things and like things cheap and Amazon is a huge brand with TV ads and the largest marketplace on the Internet it was easy to get it in front of billions of people world wide. They also even had retailer partnerships for it and a consumer base from it Kindles, a brand people already trusted. They had a strong presences that help sell the device.
Google has the brand thing down, but they also need to promote it online and offline as well get it into some stores. I doubt really anyone outside of the geek circle really has a clue to what it is at this point unlike the Kindle Fire. Google would be smart to partner with Verizon and a Hotspot device for it like Apple did with the original iPad at the very least that way it is opened up to a bigger consumer base and faster.
I don’t think I’ve ever read so much that was true yet such utter bullshit at the same time.
People can’t like the Kindle Fire better than the iPad? They would ONLY buy a Fire tablet if they are budgeting or too stupid to shop around?
God damn that’s some serious fanboy logic you’ve got going there.
It became the hottest selling Android based tablet, didn’t it? That’s a pretty ignorant statement.
Exactly. There is a big market for 7 inch tablets.
There are two markets for tablets.
The 7 inch market and the iPad.
Amazon had quite impressive sales of the Kindle Fire at the end of last year. Along with that, they managed to cut Google completely out of the application market by releasing their own application store.
Long story short, it seems like a sensible move to go after them, to avoid a fragmented ecosystem run by every device manufacturer and cellular provider. I’m sure direct iPad/Nexus competition will happen, but it doesn’t seem like a focus.
any % of market share for android tablet is a competition with iPad. they all fight in the same ring, but google is clever enough to figure out it is more easy to first “take over” the 7’ market as apple is not there yet. it is much simpler for now to build the nexus brand and lure more android tablet app devs there first and then, with some solid base, to attack iPad directly with an 10’ nexus.
from what we know, I think one day google will take over this market just as they did at the smartphone market. at this point, the competition is ONLY about the content, the OS is just as good as iOS and they actually can push better specs devices for less money. to me, it is a matter of time. on the other hand, apple is less and less flexible in development, as it is tied down by the success of iPad. google has nothing to loose and the hunger for experimentation is evident. I used to take the android as iOS rip off, but I think this year is the turning point and android is getting better, more dynamic and with more and more of original ideas. yes, samsung is ripping off heavily, but google is at least truing to do it’s own things and many of them are maybe half baked, but impressive in concept.
A 7 foot and 10 foot tablet would be cumbersome…
Microsoft sold something like that under the name “Surface” ) It’s now called something different.
A flyweight and a heavyweight fight in the same ring but no one thinks they are fighting against each other…
Reality Check. There is one tablet market, with a finite amount of dollars consumers have to spend in it. Every sale of one tablet not only takes away from another’s sale of one tablet…it also takes away a customer for the foreseeable future as the vast majority will likely never leave the competitors ecosystem. Therefore, anyone attempting to claim they don’t care about a subset of that easily scaleable tablet market, are ignorant of reality (posters) or putting on a Public Relation stunt until they enter it under guise of not entering it (Apple, reduced price of ipad 2).
In addition, getting a foothold in 7″ is hugely important for when a 10″ nexus is released and when such 7″ users go to buy their next tablet.
Which leads to my next point in resposne to everyone who has
This is such a ridiculous argument you’re trying to uphold. Are you going to tell me you can compare a $20,000 Toyota to a $50,000 Lexus? Of course you can, but can you tell me it’s a fair comparison? They’re both cars, just like the Nexus 7 and iPad. A $200 tablet requires sacrifices, which in this case are the screen and battery.
But what’s different? They target different niches in the market, and in this case, a niche where there was more opportunity. Perhaps an iPad 2 is the better purchase, but you’ll get 2 decent media consumption devices for that price.
Wait, what? I can’t get a Porsche GT3 for Honda Civic money???
At the end of the day, both cars still get you from point A to point B.
But it’s not where you’re going, it’s how you get there.
The internet just looks better on an iPad when compared to an Android tablet. Don’t you know? The roads just look better when I’m in my STi instead of my sister’s plain old Impreza.
/s
Road looks much better in my Evo compared to your STi /s
And at the same speeds with similar efficiency!
Or a Nissan Leaf to a Tesla Model S?
Are you gonna start comparing netbooks to gaming laptops as well?
It needs a better dedicated App selection, a better screen, better battery life & a lot more content.
So… Does that statement make MacBook Pro with Retina display a laptop with a not good enough display?!?!?!?!
Also it’s better than an iPad, simple because you can run 2 applications side by side at the same price!
Or you can look at it for what it really is. It’s a 7 inch tablet that’s meant to usurp sales from the Kindle Fire. Amazon is the only Android ‘OEM’ that has managed to sidestep Google’s rules and it uses its own App Store to sidestep Google Play. Why wouldn’t Google want to target that device?
It’s not marketed as an iPad competitor because it isn’t one. Google isn’t stupid. There is no tablet that is an iPad ‘killer’. Everyone knows that in the tablet space the iPad is king right now. Google isn’t trying to take out the most popular tablet. They’re trying to take out the most popular ANDROID tablet. And the Nexus 7 is perfect for that IMO.
You can sit here all day and hoot and holler about how the iPad is better and how they didn’t make it 10 inches because they didn’t want to compete with it…but unless you’re completely nuts you have to understand that was never their intention.
Absolutely.
How do you ‘know’ this?
Are you a witch? Don’t come to our website with your black magic and devil worship. Be away with you.
Oh, can I have next week’s lottery numbers?
“Are you a witch?”
I almost fell out of my chair.
What app store are you looking in? And I can’t wait to see how many accessories will be avalible for this, probably close to none. And what happend to the update alliance they made such a big deal about last year. Good luck getting an update, nexus or not.
I get timely updates on my Galaxy Nexus. What exactly do you mean “good luck getting an update”?
The troll is strong with this one.
Nexus means updates direct from Google. You won’t need the update alliance to work.
talk about a reality distortion field.
TIL there are hundreds of thousands of tablet optimized apps for android. Why didn’t google just say so?
Oh that’s right, because there aren’t that many.
Assuming the rumoured 7″ iPad is based on the iPad 2, with the same resolution display and SoC, then on specs at least the Nexus 7 will completely blow it away. Far, far faster CPU/GPU, and a higher res screen. Plus more RAM too.
Then again iOS has far more tablet apps, but you have to offset that against the price of the Nexus, and the superiority of Android. I say that as an iOS user who is sick of Apple’s failure to do anything of note with iOS, – they seem only capable of ruining the UI with hideous skeumorphic design and of course, ripping out Google Maps to use their own vastly inferior maps.
The Nexus looks pretty damn tempting, and I don’t even need a tablet. (I have an iPad, and rarely use it)
Not to mention in a few months after this monster’s release the android ecosystem should be considerably buffed.
It’ll take more than months to match the Tablet App ecosystem of Apple. The Nexus 7 may blow away a 7 in iPad as far as screen resolution is concerned but it won’t in terms of software options & hardware, I assume, will match that of the new iPad more-so than the iPad 2. Making it, in my opinion, still a better buy as it’ll have a lower price point as well.
Why do I hear that evey year? It’s allways it’s comming, it will be better with the next update and so on. Keep up the faith maybe in 20 years you will have that. But not now or the near future.
Android has gotten leaps and bounds better. Or are you just blind to that fact?
And yes, it IS fact. ICS blows Gingerbread out of the water and Jelly Bean is even better than ICS.
I agree. JB is the first time I’ve looked at android and thought, “That’s as polished as iOS.”
I probably won’t be going full android, but I may save my pennies for a Nexus 7.
I think he’s talking about Android tablet apps, which so far have failed to happen.
There actually is a ton of tablet optimized apps for Android. So yeah ,things really did change a lot.
I guess the benchmark app is Garage band. Which indeed is “missing” (or rather “not available”) on Android. Maybe Google should make something like that to get this nonsensical argument out of the way.
Not going to happen until google fixes their audio layer. Way too much latency.
Jellybean already takes care of that issue. 13ms latency for audio.
I’ll wait and se on that, they said that with the Xoom, Transformer and tab 10.1.
None of those were released with Android 4.x which is leaps and bounds better than Android 2.x and 3.×.
They said that about 3.0 when the Xoom was released.
And I experienced Android 3.0 which sucked. I have ICS on my Xoom and now Jelly Bean on my Galaxy Nexus and I can safely say it’s far better than Honeycomb.
Even Android users recognize that Honeycomb was a half-assed attempt at a tablet OS.
As Matias Duarte would call it, “it’s an emergency landing” OS. They needed to get something out…fast!
Android 3 on a tablet was leaps and bounds better than 2.x on a tablet.
BUT Android 3 was the first version designed for actual tablet use!
ICS and Jelly Bean are the first chance to make changes since this.
People do realise that don’t they??!
I’m fairly sure I’ve seen benchmarks that show the PowerVR GPU in the iPad to be ‘better’ than the Tegra, the benchmarks presented here http//www.anandtech.com/show/6054/google-nexus-7-mini-review appear to show this, but of course the software used to test could be completely skewed to the iPad.
Benchmarks do show speed and fillrate, which are generous on the new iPad no doubt. What it fails to mention is how limited graphically the PowerVR chipset is in what it can render, while the tegra chipset has its roots in nvidia’s PC architecture so it has shaders and can run much more complex geometry. Games play equally well on both, but the tegra 3 has more graphical flair and effects.
Don’t kid yourself. The 7″ ipad, just like the iTV has been rumored for years. Just like the iPhone mini…and on and on and on.
These things will never happen. Stop trolling this article with such nonsense.
The iphone mini? You mean it can actually get a smaller screen than it has now?
Specs and performance are two different things. Superiority of Android? Stopping there.
Ok, so the whole point about iOS having more tablet optimized apps goes out the window if they scale back to a 7″ screen. One major reason iOS Devs are able to optimize apps for tablets is because they only have 1 screen size to deal with. Android however has a multitude of tablet sizes making app scaling and optimization more difficult. If Apple busts out a 7 inch iPad they will have to either stretch iPhone apps, shrink iPad apps, or develop a specific version for the new 7″ screen.
Well then I guess its a good thing that it wasn’t intended to compete with the iPad huh?
i think this is a great tablet, it seems like google knocked it out of the park, unfortunately content is what makes a tablet and if you don’t have it it doesn’t matter how good your tablet is, the good news is that can all be fixed with time
huh? So your saying this tablet doesn’t have content???
What about Google Play? Movies, Music, TV Shows, Books, Magazines.
What about Netflix and Hulu? They run on Android tablets.
What about the Kindle and Nook Apps? They also run on Android.
What about the Audible App? it runs on Android.
What about podcast?
What about 600,000 apps?
What about a huge number of fantastic games?
This isn’t 2 years ago. Android has come a long way. Apps and games have come a long way.
God I really hate this about tech. People get these ideas in their heads early on, and it’s so hard to shake an idea once it’s formed. The idea that Android doesn’t have quality apps is completely ridiculous.
There is a ton of content available for this and all the other Android tablets. I think instant streaming is the only thing the Fire has over other tablets. But where Android is seriously lacking is in developer support, at least where tablets are concerned. I do think the Nexus 7 will go a long way to getting developers interested but there are other considerations, like the revenue model Google uses vs Apple’s. I would be surprised if the big guns, like Facebook, Twitter, etc aren’t already working on versions of their apps that take advantage of this form factor, but there are other touchstone apps and developers, like Flipboard, that need to move in and make the effort.
maybe i should have clarified, not as much content as the competition, also i can’t download google play content from germany (if there is a fix for this can anyone help?) so the ipad is a better solution for me (and torrent isn’t an option out here because they actually punish people with a fine in the mail, i have seen it first hand)
it has enough stuff to start. i t will grow by time.
This isn’t a competitor to the iPad, nor is it intended as one. If Apple do produce a retina display sporting 7″ tablet (a form factor they have ridiculed) and it is competitive on price, then yes, it might be the better buy. Google are obviously trying to develop the Android tablet market with this release, the intention is to make the platform worth the developers’ time. By all indications this could be the machine that does it for them. This is a very smart move.
its a completely different market, its a media consumption device, which the N7 is not
It depends on what the consumer needs.
I`m an Apple freak, there are two iPads in my house a 1 & 2.
Niether work for me as I want a tablet for lazing around surfing the net & reading and they`re just too /bigheavy.
I`ve been waiting for a good quality 7″ tablet since the first iPad came out.
I think this is the one.
Exactly why I ordered one. The iPad is great. It’s just not a great couch surfing/bed reading device. This is.
one handed thing is what makes this right. i completely agree.
It’s not aimed at the iPad. At all. It’s a $200, 7″ tablet. How could that possibly be construed as remotely comparable to the iPad, except in the minds of click-baiting tech writers?
This is a Kindle Fire competitor, and there it succeeds with flying colors. Any mention of the word “iPad” in a review of the Nexus 7 — particularly in the headline! — should immediately tell you that the article is not worth reading.
if Apple comes out with a 7″ version of the iPad 2/3, I’d argue that it’d still be a better buy than the Nexus 7.
It will also be twice the price, which would make it no competitor at all. It would be a different product aimed at a different user base.
You mean a different income bracket
You have no clue what you’re talking about.
Sure the iPad’s better in many ways. But the price is just not justifiable if you don’t have a use case that involves iPad productivity apps (I don’t mean Facebook…I mean Pages, Garage Band, etc.). All those tablet apps are useless if you have no specific need for productivity apps on the iPad. If you’re buying an iPad to browse and check Facebook, then the iPad really is a bigger iPod Touch for you.
250 000 apps. Big deal. I don’t have a quarter million bucks to spend on apps. I care only about the apps I use regularly. On a daily basis those apps are the browser, GMail, Maps, Flipboard, Pulse, Facebook, Twitter, etc. And guess what? These will work fine on this device.
Do I care that some aren’t optimized for tablets? Not in the least. As long as they are functional, it’s fine. If functionality is as good as it is on my phone, what am I really missing out on?
The iPad’s size also comes with disadvantages. Namely weight. Try reading in bed with an iPad. It sucks. And how likely are you to really carry around an iPad compared to a smaller device like this?
None of this is to say the iPad is a terrible device. It’s an amazing device. But you really have to ask yourself if it’s worthwhile spending $500 if all you’re going to do is browse, read eBooks, watch movies, etc. Different ballgame if you’re going to use iWork, iLife or other real tablet software.
I’m still considering getting an iPad, cause it’ll integrate well with my iMac, Apple TV, Airport and iPod. But the Nexus 7 has effectively quelled the temptation for another year. I can now wait for the iPad to hit the specs I actually want….I was supremely annoyed that Apple gimped the new iPad with a VGA front facing camera.
As for Apple making a 7 incher, I’m not going to say never, but I can’t see it happening. First, they’d be spitting on Jobs’ grave. Next, Apple is just not competitive in the shallow end of the pool. Nothing wrong with that. It’s just not in their DNA. Asus has slim margins on this. Google is selling at cost, hoping to get more profit from content. If you think of Apple’s margins and the likelihood that Apple would offer a slightly better device (better casing, few missing hardware pieces, it would probably be $300. The gulf between $200 and $300 is huge for consumers. So it either won’t sell all that well, or would steal iPad 2 sales, or both. A pointless proposition for Apple when they are selling every iPad they can make.
I’m amazed by the engineering of this devide.
its $200. Holy fuck, and it’s been said and done, Google is no longer trying to compete. Also. No shit iPad is $500. You can buy 2 Nexus 7 for the price of 1 iPad.
True, it is hard to compete with apple especially when according to Hipster #1 @715 Google “makes youtube” thus their issue streaming HD content is odd. This is a 1st party alternative to Amazon who has all the infrastructure it needs to eat away at some mountain view money. They could really care less about supporting it, they just want to have something in place to make kindle folks on the fence go google instead of amazon and not even know they aren’t getting anything but skinned android, gingerbread none the less. Doesn’t matter, fire’s sell and google wants an android OEM to get a piece of it.
You are comparing Apples with peaches son.. How on earth would you expect a 190 dollar device to be equal to or heck even better than an iPad that costs 300 bucks more?
Since it cost less than 1/3 the price, I don’t think you can compare them even in the slightest. It’s a high quality tablet that hits a perfect price point for people looking for a tablet that don’t want or need a $600+ tablet.
That, and the lack of 4G is a deal killer for me. I don’t want to have to tether…
A well designed app shouldn’t be tablet centric. Look at Google+. That’s the ideal way to do it. But iOS users think that having to pay for an iPhone version AND an iPad version is a feature, when it is actually FRAGMENTATION.
is it just me or do gifs speed up the longer i look at them
No, it’s just you.
Go see a doctor ASAP.
You might be dying.
Same, I’m gonna get one despite already owning an iPad. I haven’t yet tried anything android flavour, so it will be nice to try it out.
I carried an iPad to and from work in my previous job and as much as I love the iPad I think a smaller tablet is much more convenient. But I think I’ll wait to see Amazon’s response before I buy.
I think the only way for Amazon’s next offering to be relevant is for the OS to be built on Android 4.×. Otherwise, no amount of hardware will warrant the purchase.
If they neuter the UI like they did with the Fire, the specs won’ t matter much.
The screen resolution certainly matters.
I like that thought. I think the Nexus 7 will be my ‘out in public’ tablet (if I like it). I’m always scared to lose, damage or have my expensive iPad stolen.
Amazon’s response will still be a skinned tablet stripped of all it’s Googleness. And the Google stuff is the best part. It probably won’t have Jelly Bean and instead be based on ICS, and even so it will be so customized that ICS won’t even matter.
The fire won’t get things like Google Now and the new notifications. It won’t be a “complete tablet” the way the Nexus 7 is.
I honestly don’t think it matters what Amazon does, it won’t be better than this as long as they layer it with their own skin and subvert the heart of Android.
At this point, the KF is only relevant if you’re a hardcore Amazon fan.
Let’s say the Kindle Fire 2 matches the Nexus 7 specs (I doubt it…) which should you get?
KF for maybe the discounted Prime membership. But that’s it. With the Kindle Fire you are locked into Amazon’s App Store. And you’re stuck on their version of Gingerbread when in about a year (well shorter than the life of the device) most users will be on Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean and most developers will start coding apps and games at this level.
Get a Nexus 7 and you can just download the Amazon App Store and access Amazon content. Yet, you’ll still get all the native Google Apps. And you can access other content stores. Win-Win.
If all things are equal I’ll get the Nexus, even if they arent’ that equal. I’ll get the KF only if it’s much better… nah fuck that, I bought my teen a KF and it kind of defeats the purpose of android. Ok I’m getting this.
Man, Android adoption is totally rate is totally tied at the hip with two-year contracts, so unless something crazy happens like we’ve never seen before ICS wont be dominant until 2014. There’s a very dedicated and loud group of people who are early adopters but not enough to force a landslide change. I’m inclined to believe it’s got to do with the retail cycle. Not saying it wont be more present in a year, but just its just got off to real whimper of a start. Look at the wayback machine for comparable data 2010/2011 snapshots
You realise the KF2 is right around the corner don’t you?
Amazon Video. That’s the differentiation. The leaked .apks still don’t work on anything other than a fire.
I was thinking the exact same thing.
My thoughts exactly.. I think I’m gonna preorder this baby sometime this weekend.
My thoughts exactly
Interesting times! Google owns the 7″ space, Apple has 9.7″ and Microsoft will probably nail 10.6″.
pretty good assessment.
How do they own the 7 inch space with a tablet that isn’t even out yet? Must be all the other success they have had with other tablets.
Well, the Kindle IS built on Android and it is by FAR the most popular 7″ tablet available so by proxy Google does own the 7″ space.
So you know haw many fires have sold then? You must have numbers to back that up?
http//www.pcworld.com/article/246308/actual_kindle_sales_figures_more_than_3_million_sold_so_far.html
http//money.cnn.com/2011/12/15/technology/amazon_kindle_sales/index.htm
http//latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2011/12/amazon-announces-millions-of-kindle-sales-how-many.html
/
Should I continue?
Yes, please continue. Make sure to include any numbers that don’t involve the Christmas quarter.
OK!
.html
http//www.forbes.com/sites/adriankingsleyhughes/2012/04/27/kindle-fire-grabs-over-50-percent-of-the-android-tablet-market/
http//www.cultofandroid.com/257/leaked-sales-numbers-suggest-amazon-kindle-fire-on-track-to-outsell-ipad-exclusive/
http//www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/kindle-sales-figures-less-relevant-as-amazons-strategy-brand-flourish/42967
http//www.teleread.com/ebooks/kindle-sales-figures-leak-beats-analyst-estimates-by-60/
Want more?
Do you have any article that also mentions wombats?
why do fools fall in love?
Sure. How about actual sales numbers from Amazon?
What? They’re not available? So everyone is just guessing? Yep.
Yes, everyone is just throwing out random numbers. It’s ok, you don’t have to believe it as long as the investors do.
HA!
9.7″ and 10.6″ are the same market.
Apple won’t make a 7″ tablet anyways.
1. They won’t sacrifice enough design and quality to get to $199
2. They won’t sell something at a low enough profit margin to get to $199
3. They hate adding new resolution support to their OS and only do it when they have to. (Although I suppose a 7″ at iPad 2 resolution would make sense)
They can make a premium one and charge more, people are always willing to pay more for apple. the fans know with apple you get a premium product at a premium price. And then there are those that will buy anything apple puts out.
Here’s what I see happening. Apple releases a 7″ iPad in the fall with the launch of the new iPhone. Same internals as the new iPad, and a retina display arround the same DPI as the iPad. It will probably replace the iPod touch, and will always trail the newest iPad as far as internals go, but it will always receive the features of the version of iOS released w/ the iPhone.
And it will start at $250 with $100 jumps for larger storage.
And they would also suddenly be directly compared to products like the Nexus 7. And comparing a great product at $199 to a great product at $299 or higher would usually end favorably to the cheaper product.
Not to mention that this is just silly. Apple will never release a 7″ tablet. Give it up. Stop talking about such nonsense that will never happen, has never even been remotely likely to happen.
The product at $299 comes with 250,000 apps while the $199 product has phone apps.
There’s a new iPad for $299?
Phone AND tablet apps.
That is unless the 7 inch tablet market is a resounding success, and it results in a loss of sales for the 10″ iPad.
Would they really though?
If Apple makes a 7 inch tablet, it’s going to be at least $300. It still won’t be competitive with this. And it might cannibalize some higher margin iPad 2 sales.
Premium customers will just buy the iPad 2.
But this is where you’re wrong. Apple’s products aren’t “premium” in quality or specs, they’re “premium” only in their price.
They don’t even make a laptop that could be compared to a PC laptop that’s half the price and twice the specs.
Don’t even get me started on their computers. They’re a complete joke compared to what you can put together in 10 minutes for 1/4th the price.
Well done Google. This is really a solid device and an amazing price – granted, it needs a little work, but don’t all products at launch?
If I weren’t so heavily invested in the Microsoft Ecosystem I’d hop on this! (I’m waiting on Windows 8 Devices X)
I couldn’t agree more with your statement. I really hope Google pushes out a Nexus 10 next year though!
I agree, of course I would say let them, so Google can sure Apple like they sued Samsung. Seriously, the lawsuits they began against Samsung don’t have any teeth. Anyone remember the Prada came before the iPhone?
Your comment makes no sense. Google hasn’t sued anybody, they were sued by Oracle and won. Apple sued Samsung, and every other android manufacturer, probably hoping to stop android by proxy.
Oh joy. Another copycat tablet, just in time for the next round of patent-infringement summary judgements and preliminary injunctions. What will Google replicate next?
Full screen tablet and phone? Check. Smooth and responsive touchscreen software? We’re still working on that one. Hardware with an Apple look and feel? Sort of. Siri-like, female personal assistant with attitude for US voice search? Check, but we had to go with a sci-fi knock-off voice with less personality, fewer answers and more advertiser responses.
Inexpensive, AppleTV-like media box? Check, but it’s actually kind of pricey and looks more like a Magic 8 Ball. First-rate App Store and ecosystem? Um, hold on there, chief. Legendary Apple quality, desirability, tech support and customer sevice? Err, wait a second.
Google spyware that tracks every online activity, notifies advertisers and is “open” for hackers? Check. Check. Check.
I don’t get why most people just wouldn’t get an original – the Apple iPad or iPod Touch. In fact, I believe they will. And if Apple does release a 7-inch tablet in the fall, as rumored, I pity the developers and buyers who settle for this, or other knock-offs. This device may interest Amazon cheapskates and Android geeks, but I can’t imagine it will motivate the masses, especially Apple buyers who expect the very best.
Finally, I also wonder why the Googlopoly is producing a smaller tablet that won’t fit into standard, double-DIN automotive dashboard openings. Why 7.85 inches? Why not 7 inches? Oh well, what’s another product or two that slightly misses a target market…
Hostile much? Dude, chill. Choice is good. Anger is bad. Be cool. R-E-L-A-X.
These Google devices are all about tracking your online activities. You pay for the “low-cost” — with your privacy. See “How a lone grad student uncovered the Google privacy scandal”
http//www.propublica.org/article/how-a-grad-student-scooped-the-ftc-and-what-it-means-for-your-online-privac
Indeed, the something team is being generous to Android today.
It’s a $200 tablet that’s basically an Ipad without a 10’’ screen. I’d say that warrants some praise considering the price point of an Ipad.
Indeed, old chap. I’d say, I want one myself.
Holy magicarp, is this the first android tablet that has sccored a bigger number than 8?
Well.. Second…
http//www.thesomething.com/2011/12/1/2601558/asus-eee-pad-transformer-prime-review
What’s the best score, they have given to a tablet ?
I’m guessing the new iPad at 9.3
Its amazing that the Nexus 7 scored an 8.8 despite scoring so low on the camera, battery life and ecosystem sections. If it would have had a good rear camera and a bigger battery that thing would have easily crossed the 9 mark. But on another note, Engadget has the battery on the Nexus 7 lasting the same as the iPad in their battery rundown test.
Overall scores they give are not an average, not even a weighted average.
Which is a great thing, because if it got a lower rating just because it didn’t have a back-facing camera… I’d be pretty ticked. Like Josh said, ” If you’re one of those people who likes to snap pics with their tablet — first, shame on you.”
Camera should have been lower.
Why? It has a front-facing camera, which is the camera that matters.
Supposedly the battery life is over 9 hours. This is the thing with quick reviews like this. They don’t really get a good grasp of battery life. But the stated battery life is over 9 hours. That’s great for a 7″ tablet and right up there with the iPad.
The camera is a front facing camera. Intended for video chat and not for picture taking. So of course it’s not given much weight as I’m sure it does great for what it’s intended to do….Video Skype, Google Talk Video messages, etc.
something rated the battery at 6 hours and Engadget around 8. Your milage may vary.
If you play video, the battery life will probably be well over 9 hours. For CPU intensive tasks like web browsing, the battery life is a lot shorter.
Except it’s BETTER than an iPad without a 10″ screen. Huzzah!
You can’t compare them with such different screen sizes. I’ve owned a 7″ and a 10″ tablet, I can tell you those are totally different things.
Would it be better than an iPad if they had the same screen size? Yes, absolutely.
Just add a 1080p or better display and raise the price point to 250$ for the 8Gb version and I’d say that is undeniably true, now that Android is such a mature operating system.
but then you could store one tv show, and run out of space…
I’m sure a better screen would cost less than $50, thus giving Google a bigger margin and allowing for more storage. I mean 8 gigs of storage probably costs like $5 or less, so i can’t imagine it would be a problem.
Ah, such a naive view. For a start, panels of that density are harder to come by. Then you’re pushing the GPU harder – can it keep up? You’re pushing the battery harder – how do you balance battery life? What seems like a simple layman “just add a better screen with no consequences!” actually has a lot of effect on the entire device’s cost and design.
Just look at the iPad 3 for this in practice – The display is lovely, but it can’t game to the same visual quality as the iPad 2 and it takes twice as long to charge for the same run time.
Compromise is a wonderful thing.
Well the 3rd gen iPad can game with much better visual effects than the iPad 2 at iPad 2 resolution. Just not with the same visual effects at 3rd gen iPad resolution )
One of the reasons I’m buying the Nexus 7 and holding off for the next iPad.
True. Not naïve, just barely conscious 3AM haha
I wish I didn’t agree. I JUST WANT A RETINA 7in TABLET, JEEZ. )
2013 Nexus 8 specs.
It’s not better than an iPad. It’s close, but not quite.
ipad isn’t quad core cpu…. its a DUAL core CPU with a QUAD CORE CPU. The nexus is a quad core CPU (really 5 cores) with a 12 core GPU!
Your CPU comparison has some merit as they are basically the same architecture. It would be interesting to see which real world applications benefit – I haven’t seen it yet but I’m sure it’s out there somewhere?
Your GPU comparison is completely meaningless. The 12 cores in the Tegra 3 are not as powerful as a quad core PowerVR SGX543MP4. You can not just count cores across different architectures and make any kind of assumption about performance. Counting transistors would be a step in a better direction.
You are discounting the architecture though, the tegra 3 is based off of nvidia’s pc line-up and thus comes with programmable shaders that the PowerVR lacks, so the tegra can actually have more effects with less effect on performance.
The only real feather in the PowerVR’s hat is its ability to push pixels, the fill rate on it is very very high. While the memory bandwidth is the limiting factor for tegra 3, which is why in the newer implementations it gets faster ram and has no trouble with the higher resolution of the transformer pad infinity.
a dual core CPU with a quad core CPU?
Holy shit the first Hexa core tablet? P
It’s basically an ipad without the 10″ screen or the 250,000 tablet specific apps.
No, it’s a kindle fire without the quality controlled amazon app store to keep the crappy, non tablet apps from showing up.
Tablet specific apps is a dumb idea. Apps should adapt to the full range of devices. As Duarte explains in the interview.
It’s incredibly annoying to have different apps for each device.
As a phone and tablet app developer, I disagree with you in part.
There are a certain number of my apps I just would not want people to run on their phones, because it would guarantee a worse experience (coding apps, painting apps, for example). And I wouldn’t want to be responsible for that poor user experience.
Also there is one game we have developed that can just not be played on a phone — as it requires four simultaneous touches with two hands. Anything lower than a 9″ screen for that game is very uncomfortable.
But for a large selection of apps (especially information consumption apps), having them run on both phone and tablet is a very good idea.
That’s another matter. Sure you can restrict apps from being used on certain devices.
The point is that IF an app is supposed to run on the full range of devices, you should not have a different app for a small phone, big phone, 7″tablet and then a 10″tablet. One app should simply be able to work on all those. It should also work pretty much the same way on all these devices. Just use the extra screen real estate for combining functionality on a bigger screen.
Again I agree in part — I think the app should be the same for both tablet and phone devices (i.e. universal binary or whatever). But some apps need drastically re-designed UIs to work on a smaller (or larger) screen.
Look at Apple’s iPhoto, Keynote, and Numbers apps. They’ve re-imagined the workflow for them when they run on iPhone. It’s really good, and well thought out (I was amazed that Keynote was actually usable at phone size). These are very complicated applications, and they really need a lot of thought about how you approach them at different sizes. The tablet interface for iPhoto on a phone would be ridiculously cluttered and would just not work.
So for a lot of simpler apps, I agree with you — they can mostly preserve their form and show more content. But when you get to more advanced and complex interactions you start to need dedicated designs for different device forms.
I didn’t say more content, but more functionality. Like showing a menu in a column on the left for a tablet device (in landscape orientation!) and have the menu on a separate screen from the content on a phone.
True, though I think it goes a bit deeper than optional menus. Sometimes the app’s design needs to be started from scratch for an alternate form factor.
I’ve done this a few times with the universal apps I’ve developed — I was able to reuse some code (individual views) but the best result came when I went back to the design stage and threw everything away. Then thought about how my users would approach the app on a different device, what emotions they would feel, how much time they would have, and so on.
So in the end you essentially design two apps that share some implementation code. I don’t think this is a bad way to do things, you end up creating a very focused experience on every device you support.
Uh, no.
Twitter on a phone works great with just a single column table view. On a tablet (even 7″) every tweet becomes only a single line long, and is a pain to read and looks ugly. Go to 10 inches and it is even worse.
Phone apps are designed with a single pane of content as that is about all you can fit. A tablet should have more than that.
Yes, so add more columns on a tablet. What’s your issue?
You are only correct in regards to apps that have both phone and tablet apps separately available, rather than unifying.
I was predicting the score would be 8.4, but I don’t think 8.8 is too high. It’s pretty incredible what you’re getting for the price. If they sell a lot of these which they likely will, there will be pressure for devs to get their Android apps working great on tablets.
If they sell a lot?
I pre-ordered two just on the announcement.
Google/Asus has hit a home run on this Tab.
Two isn’t a lot 😉
(yes, lots of people are excited, and I’ll probably buy at least 1 for my mom, but the something could all buy 1 and it wouldn’t sell “a lot”. The metric these days is in the millions. Let’s not ramp the expectations too high, considering how little known success Google has had with their other Nexus devices.)
But with the phones there were other choices that were as good or better and cheaper. This kicks every android tablets ass. anyone who’s been holding out will probably jump on this one. j
But most people probably won’t even know it exists.
In the video review, Josh browsed to the NYTimes, where there was a prominent ad for the Nexus 7. Not Apple-level marketing, but I’m sure there’ll be at least some consumer awareness.
Let’s remember who makes all those advertisements you see on web pages appear… I think Google can make their tablet known.
The Galaxy Nexus is one of the best phones available. It was the best phone at the time. Since it’s so much cheaper than the Galaxy SIII and One X, I’d say it still is the best option for most people buying a smartphone now.
Yet they aren’t selling much Galaxy Nexii. Or at least not nearly enough as they should be selling based on the merits of the device.
You’re not accounting for the fact that there are no carrier restrictions or favorites being played against them now. All the previous nexus devices were pretty much ignored by carriers that were supposed to be selling them. I would bet that Google sells more nexus 7’s by Christmas than all nexus phones combined up to this point.
Some apps scale fine from Android phones to tablets but having a developer specifically spend time to make those tablet apps perfect is what he means. You obviously have never compared iPad apps to Android tablet apps otherwise you would not be so defensive.
Google is giving him cash, so what’d you expect?
What’re we gonna do?!
Prepare for Android tablet domination
I’m calling it now. 1.5 million activations by Christmas
Double that just in the US.
I think he means per day…
Has to.
Kindle Fire did over a million in a short Christmas shopping window in the US alone.
This’ll blow that away. Although I expect Google & Asus will keep the numbers close to their chest for competitive reasons.
They’ll need a serious ad campaign to get more of these to the general public… It’ll sell well through tech enthusiasts and word of mouth, but I hope Google can augment this with some quality advertising.
A singe, very popular android tablet other than the kindle fire can work wonders for the ecosystem this year.
They seem to have some bricks & mortar deals arranged already and it’s only 48 hour old. You are right, they’ll need marketing, but am sure it’s coming.
Can you imagine a better advertisement than the front page of www.google.com? I’m betting it shows up there for a while
no they won’t. it’s not even a Google made product. But accepted that they can crush anyone’s marketing by having this on their home page, if they want to.
Apple and Google don’t build their products either, but this is a Google BRANDED product made by Asus for them.
To all intent and purpose this is a Google product.
Dude we’ve been preparing for this for years now, it’s getting kinda boring.
Hmm sorta on the ropes about the score. While the Android tablet ecosytem is improving I don’t think it’s to point where the device can capture an 8.8. Other ecosystems don’t usually get this pass. Pretty good tab though especially for the price.
There’s nothing wrong with the ecosystem. The lack of tablet apps is a myth. The number of Android apps that are designed for tablets is huge.
I think 7″ is the size where both phone and tablet apps could work.
a dual panel for productivity apps like email, even though everything are too smushed and busy, it works. phone app like twitter, content a bit sparse, but it’s okay.
I believe that’s why google went with a 7″er. It’s the 1610 aspect ratio that makes me curious, I hate 169 including computer screens.
otherwise.
The “lack of tablet apps” on Android is a bit overstated. The Twitter app is always thrown out there but no one ever mentions the alternatives that are optimised for tablets (e.g. TweetCaster, Plume).
That said, the situation still needs to improve. Between the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7, there’s no excuse for developers not to optimize for tablets now.
The Twitter app is just one example, but it’s an important one. If you ask people about the things that people actually want to do on a tablet, they want simple things. Nobody cares about hundreds of thousands of apps; they want to read, browse the internet, check Facebook and Twitter, and they maybe want to play games. This tablet will do all those things, but the Facebook and Twitter apps suck, and iOS has better games. So, it’s really only good at 2 out of the 5 things that people actually want to do.
In games you can’t say it doesn’t have good games, particularly cos of it’s Tegra Chipset.
Chipset doesn’t matter if it has to run the phone app version.
It’s called the Tegrazone, you should check it out sometime.
Seriously why should I have to? This is the problem. Only tech readers even know about this tablet. Even less know that the tablet area of google play has improved, and even less care. Apple puts out high quality apps all the time for each device. You shouldn’t have to hunt and seArch for the good ones. They should be front and center, like on the amazon app store.
Android hasn’t had an OS worthy of developing tablet apps for. You people, yes you people, keep dogging it as if the ecosystem will remain stagnant.
Everything changes, even your beloved iOS and iDevices.
My point is amazon was smart enough to add some quality control. They made it easy like apple. Google hasn’t even tried, it seems.
As a dev I can tell you it is not that there aren’t any “worthy” tablets, the problem is discovery.
Those with tablets will never find your tablet optimized app, making it not worth the effort. If google had some kind of “tablet optimized” designator than adoption would increase, I guarantee it.
That’s missing the point a little bit. I shouldn’t be able to download an app on a device it wasn’t made for. I know you can open iPhone apps on the iPad, but by not trying to make the apps work and rather just scaling them in a weird looking way, Apple kind of shamed devs into updating for the new size quickly. In contrast Google made sure devs supported multiple phone sizes from the beginning, so when tablets started arriving the the designs technically worked, nobody seemed to bother making them work better.
The Android Tablet app system is a bit weird. There are apps that have technically been updated for a tablet that sucked, like Google+ before the update, but then there are apps that work perfectly even when they’re not updated, too. The bottom line is that you can’t just search “tablet” on the Play Store and get all the good apps.
Supporting multiple screen sizes and densities is a real pain. Even though they’ve got it pretty standardized the emulation just isn’t good enough, and it feels like there’s a huge hidden expense there. You really can’t get a good look of how somethings going to feel without having the device in your hand. Buying all those devices with modernish components and standard screens is almost looking like a necessity. It’s just not good enough not have something you can feel as a frame of reference.
Our designers also hate it.
When we do iOS apps the designers give the programmers pixel perfect comps of how they want the UI to look, how they want it to move. Their vision gets recreated exactly.
Then when we do Android apps, the most common thing that happens is the iOS design is jammed into the Android system (usually due to client budget constraints). However on the rare occasion we’ve had more time to spend, the programmers are happy to create flexible layouts, but the designers lament their loss over exact placement, having to use tile-able textures, (and probably until now, lack of something as good as Core Animation on iOS).
Also the HiDPI thing on Android is handled atrociously — they have a lot more DPIs to support, to be fair. But the simplicity of iOS’ automated @2x system is just so easy. We have scripts that we run over our asset folder to generate all the retina and non-retina content. With Android dev that’s a lot harder due to some of the whacky middle-range DPIs and requirements for everything to be resizable.
quite simply put building an android app is more like building a pc app rather than a dos app supporting only 320×200 and 640×480.
it’s harder for the designers, sure. but it’s a lot more future proof.
I understand and value that aspect of it. But so far I have not really seen it done well on Android — I haven’t seen apps equivalent to some of the most beautiful and usable on iOS. When you let designers have their way, sometimes they make really great things.
Also I question the usefulness of “future proofing” apps that are generally priced from $1 to $10 (or mostly free, as is the case on Android). Apple has shown time and time again that they can make their developers jump through hoops. Introduce a new resolution? Every developer is on it immediately, updating to the new system.
I agree with your point when it comes to PC apps. But for devices like the iPad, as a developer, I would be happy to re-write or re-build my app when a brand new Apple device is released (every few years, say). Because it leads to more sales, and forces me to keep my customers happy.
Coding and programming is not sacred — we don’t have to future proof it and keep it around. Throwing stuff out and starting from scratch can sometimes be the best thing you ever do for your products.
The real problem is that Twitter doesn’t feel that the Android tablet platform is important enough to optimize their own app. Same with Facebook and Flipboard. If they would bother, why should smaller developers?
Don’t think that Android get smartphone apps is out of the goodness of developers hearts. Supporting an app costs time and money whereas doing nothing does not.
I find the iPad version of Facebook to be as useful as Facebook on any Android tablet. Sure, it may be a little prettier, but aside from that, I don’t see any benefit.
But…but…but…it’s not tablet specific! OMG!
It’s tablet optimized.
It takes a very long time to develop an app let alone retrofit it to add functionality, and much like anything else in Android learning how to do things for tablets is time-consuming commitment. Even though I think the Nexus 7 looks promising is spending three months just learning tablet functionality a good use of time? Unless you’re designing from ground up you’re almost certainly going to be introducing new bugs you don’t know how to fix.
Not to mention the word ‘developer’ is consistently misused. It’s like when people talk about OEMs without knowing what they are. On android you’ve got companies with product teams adding to their service with apps, you got solo guys who develop for search results, there’s studios producing and managing projects for clients, and there’s also solo guys who offer a service and are their own product team. That’s a lot of different scenarios you got to account for. It’s shit, although most people and companies aren’t going to add a feature unless it pays them handsomely.
The main problem is finding the apps. They exist, but it’s hard to see which ones are designed for tablets. And a phone UI just doesn’t cut it.
Guess that is where we disagree. I think the phone UI cuts it in most situations.
It’s not even close to 250,000 huge.
The problem isn’t apps, it’s discovery of them.
There are 600,000 Apps available. Only a few are optimized for tablets, but all the phone-centric Apps work perfectly fine, a lot better than iPhone-Apps on an iPad, even more so on a 7″ tablet.
Except for I’ve never had to use an iPhone app for the iPad. The stuff I wanna use on a tab;let always has a native version. Which thank god that’s not an issue since the iPad is now at 2048 × 1536. But I disagree that they look fine on the tablet. Do they work? sure…. but they are far inferior than a native tablet app most of the time.
Eh I just got an iPad and I was shocked to run into apps that are only available to the iPhone. The experience is similar on both platforms, except Apple makes a huge deal out of it and screams THIS IS NOT A TABLET APP and for me that makes my experience much worse than just scaling like Android. It feels as if I’m not even supposed to use the app at all on iOS.
That’s to encourage developers to update their apps. It’s what Google should be doing, too.
Except the way you build apps for iOS and Android is drastically different. On both accounts devs are either being lazy or don’t have the time/funding. One companies approach is to make my end experience not so hot, the others is to make it tolerable. Usually Apple is out for the consumer, but I feel in this scenario it’s reverse.
Such as? I have over one hundred apps on my iPad. Only one is not a universal or iPad only, and it is a specific todo list app.
I mean cool story for you and your apps, but my experience is different. There are certainly more tablet specific apps in iOS, but some big ones like Tumblr seem to come to mind. I don’t download them all, just stumble across them.
I’m guessing you didn’t use Spotify till about 3 months ago?
Facebook only released their iPad app last year…
sure if you count skinds, widgets, lock screens, launchers as apps. I don’t see any quality, amazing apps on Android. Most are just ported from iOS and look rediculous in Android UI.
I’ve preordered one because it looks cool to play around with, but I’d agree with you. 8.8 seems way too high. Clearly it’s not time to stop giving Google a pass.
Apparently an “incredible lack of developer support.” still nets you a 7/10 for ecosystem.
Windows phone, which has an ecosystem where MSFT is being forced to write apps for big companies in house because those companies have no interest in developing for windows phone, also got a 7. And then people complained it was too low.
Are you telling me that you honestly feel that the ecosystem for a 7″ android tablet is worse? Bearing in mind if you watched the video you should notice that phone apps work remarkably well due to the smaller gap between 7 inches and 5 inches.
Are you telling me that you honestly feel that the ecosystem for a 7″ android tablet is worse?
What? Not at all. Josh was 100% correct in his assessment of the WP7 situation and obviously Android tablets aren’t as bad.
But when a paragraph is dedicated to app support or the lack thereof and features the words “suffers from an incredible lack of developer support”, “mainstream apps … have yet to be updated to an appropriate tablet-friendly design”, “not working 100% correctly”, “aren’t optimized for the tablet in any way”, “.hopefully that’ll be changing soon”, and “A problem Gogole needs to tackle”, I certainly wouldn’t be expecting a 7/10 for ecosystem and 8.8 overall.
ICS and Jelly Bean are very, very good OSes, but it’s been 18 months since Android hit tablets, and mainstream apps like Twitter still don’t have an acceptable tablet layout.
Is the app situation as dire as WP7? Or the Blackberry/Playbook? Or WebOS? Of course not. Can you run phone apps just fine? Absolutely. But Josh is still giving Google a pass when it comes to the app ecosystem — something that will be very important particularly in non-US countries where Google Play doesn’t offer the the same breadth of content as it does in the US.
Windows phone got a 7 for ecosystem, this got a 7 for ecosystem. If you think this score should be lower what you are saying is you feel that the android ecosystem is comparatively weaker than windows phone.
I don’t think we can critique the overall score until we actually use the product, saying the review is wrong when you haven’t even seen the tablet for yourself is stupid. When deciding if you can trust a reviewer, be IRA movie reviewer or a tech reviewer find some products you are familiar with and read their reviews on those products that you know well and see if you agree. If you agree then you can trust the reviews on the products that you haven’t used by that same person. I have done that for Josh so I personally trust his scores.
The ecosystem and software are the only things we can talk about. The tablet app selection is poor but the phone selection is decent and phone apps work very well on his particular form factor. I think a 7 is reasonable, especially when you compare it windows phone which you have to do with reviews. It does not deserve worse than windows phone in my opinion.
Windows phone got a 4 for ecosystem, and there are hardly any GOOD android tablet apps available. I think its fair to say that ecosystem should be lower, you are reviewing a tablet after all, not a phone. (I still pre-ordered this to play around with though)
http//www.thesomething.com/2012/4/3/2921472/lumia-900-review
Isn’t the point that Apple essentially force you to target iPhone and iPad seperately but combine it into a Universal Binary, whereas Google have an API add-on called Fragments that tries to do the work in a fuzzy way?
If the API is used, you don’t need to target an Android tablet, it just works.
I don’t know how it works to be honest (yet), but i’d guess it’s like screensize & platform targeting in CSS.
You do sort of need to target tablets (whether to start a new screen or place it on the same screen), but its not too difficult to get a basic master/detail set up
Because just about every phone app scales up and typically gives you more information on the screen then it would on a smaller screen. So, right off the bat, you are benefiting from the larger screen. So while Apple does have a lot of tablet apps, many of them are probably just manually scaled up versions of their phone apps.
For example, the new Podcast app from Apple. http//tinyurl.com/7sme4ul . The tablet optimized version is just a manually scaled up phone version.
Yeah but then take a look at something like iPhoto, Keynote (or any of the iWork apps). The UI is completely overhauled for the phone size. And it needs to be —
A Podcast app doesn’t need much special treatment, because you consume with it. It just needs to show pretty pictures and let you choose a cast.
But their productivity apps have an amazing amount of thought put into both the phone and tablet versions. They are entirely different in their designs, yet still meet the same goals.
when you say other eco system, you mean ios? Cause there is no other eco systems for tablets… WP/RIM etc are all dead in this space!
WP = Windows Phone? That’s for phones.
Windows RT is for tablets. Kinda hard to ignore.
HP is going to ignore it …
Good for them. Their hardware was cheap shit even at high-end, and even then most of them looked like Apple ripoffs.
Also, have you seen the Touchpad?
(PalmOS is no issue, the hardware is.)
WTF is RT? Is this another Windowz XP crap?
I think I just shat my pants.
Well, at least it won’t get 400,000 viruses.
Poor Compy.
This is how I felt when Sergey Brin took the stage.
again I have to recommend you simply because I find Tony Stark and Iron Man to be one of the most interesting superheroes ever….. the movies really bring him to life as well <3
i stole this…just letting you know this…haha
haha, the one on the right is far more cheesier than on the left. At least the one on the left had a working piece on technology, not some plastic gimmick, even though it was a movie.
“Strong Bad, did you get a virus?”
“Yes… very yes!”
For a Tablet with no apps. Nice!
S
no apps? really? nice try….
Lets not forgot that this is a pure Google Tablet that will get upgrades and love directly from Google. The main reason i want it…It is a NEXUS! That’s it, pure and simple. Love the price, love android, and of course the Google ecosystem. I’m ordering 2 of them.
I feel like the scoring system means little since the average is 7.75, not 8.8…why even bother?
This tablet is going to kick Kindle Fire out of the market. Anyways help me out in making my blog better, donate on this link please http//igg.me/p/134639?a=751826
I want one.
At this price, I think I can justify getting one for myself AND a few family members.
play.google.com
it is not that easy if you live in Europe…
….it is with American friends D
Can’t wait for this…. can’t afford an iPad but this gives me all the power of the iPad, more portable form factor and still a HD screen for 2/5ths of the price!
It’s still lacking in the app department, so a full iPad replacement it is not.
Considering the only apps I use are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and a few games which are already on my Samsung Galaxy Tab anyway, I’m sure I could get Shadowgun and more on this tablet. I already have an iPhone so I can still use both app ecosystems. Doesn’t need to be a full iPad replacement anyway, it is $300 cheaper!
Agree. However, what I feel is so awesome about the iPad is that I can leave my laptop at home a lot of the time. I’m yet to see a 7″ tablet that changes my mind about them, but for the price….I’m seriously considering this one. The review and the price help it a lot.
With this device and a VNC app, do you think you could leave your laptop at home?
You might find that 7 inches is better after you get used to it. Using 7 inch talents before I hated it at first but then felt the size was a sweet spot because you can fit it in a big pocket, it fits in one hand etc. it’s perfect for reading books and watching movies.
I envy you though, the iPad has never been ale to be a laptop replacement for me. The better web browsing experience often isn’t enough to convince me to take it with me very often. My phone does the trick, i bring it with me if I am going on a trip but it’s not a daily thing for me. That’s why I am excited by the Surface, I feel that could honestly be a laptop replacement, meaning you can be productive on it.
you summarized my thinking perfectly
Exactly. Right now it feels like the sweet spot is to own a laptop and a 7″ tablet. 10 inches right now feels like a s trange compromise between the two. 10″ tablets need to come closer to being laptop replacements if they want to stay relevant.
Hehe.
For me, right now it feels like the sweet spot is to own a small smartphone and a 10″ tablet. 7″ right now feels like a strange compromise between the two… 😉
I suppose thats why they all exist!
, I am a student, I seriously tried, it doesn’t work.)
You think magazines look better on a 7 inch than a 10 inch? I’m not sure I understand why, but as CTRLALT said, that’s why they all exist.
For me, right now it feels like the sweet spot is to own a big smartphone and a laptop.
I really doubt a 7″ screen will be that much useful than a 4.7″ screen. Especially since I can do pretty much everything that I would do on a 10″ tablet already on my GNex.
I find I prefer actual web browsing on my iPad but I prefer certain websites on my other devices (primarily Youtube on OS X/ Linux > iPad) but for watching my subscriptions it’s pretty good. I wish they’d overhaul the Youtube app on iOS to make it sooo much better, I think I could use the iPad more.
Don’t need to envy, I said, most of the time. The Surface…well…that’s a whole other subject. Let’s just say I’ll wait about a year before getting a Metro product. I have no idea about their ARM vs. Intel, Metro Apps, etc. There’re so many unanswered questions, that only time will tell. Just one man’s opinion though.
If that’s all you use then there are probably better things you could spend $200 on.
No offense, but $200 is pretty much impulse buy category.
Like 1/2 of an iPad 2? or 2/5 of an iPad 3rd generation?
Not only do you have most games, i love android tablets because you don’t have to buy the same app twice.
A lot of people don’t think of this when they say “no tablet apps!!!!”. This is actually better. You’re not paying twice for a tablet and a smartphone app.
I’ve purchased lots of high end games for my smartphone like GTA and they work great on the tablet. No need to pay for a tablet version.
For a significant (and growing) number of iOS apps, this is not an issue either. Many apps are universal, and include both a phone-optimized AND a tablet-optimized version for one price.
further fragmentation of Android OS.
what app is it lacking that you want?
Nexus 7 is far better than iPad in every way except for the lack of Game Center and the resolution isn’t as good.
Ok, the fanboi in you is showing. We all know this isn’t true.
Also, I’m curious – what’s Google Play like outside of the US? In Australia it’s pretty bare – no TV shows, no Music, Movie rentals only.
here in the Netherlands, we only have apps…
Here in Brazil, we only have access to Apps too.
I guess you need to come to America! We have compulsory health insurance! “”Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free and watch Tv on a Nexus tablet”
(apologies to Emma Lazarus)
Most western countries have a state medical system so your taxes are higher but you are gaurunteed coverage or compulsory health insurance and have had for a long long time because their governments actually look out for their citizens and their electorates are smart enough not to critise the government for something that is clearly better for them.
Now talk tech, this is a tech blog.
Singapore, Hong Kong and Switzerland have such low taxes most americans can’t even imagine it, yet, they all have universal coverage (and in switzerland you don’t have a state owned health system). Not only that, but Singapore spends 1/4 per capita of what the US spends in health.
Just making a joke, mon frere. Easy does it on the lecturing!
Apps only in Sweden too. I think the only countries that have anything beyond apps are the English-speaking ones, with US being the only one having everything.
Outside America, most of the countries only have apps.
In France we have already the movies and books should come soon, too
in italy we have apps and books, but rumor is that movies are coming pretty soon..
I think outside US they’re still working out licensing deals.
We get Books and Movies in the UK, although Goolge really seems to be pushing Google Play with dedicated devices such as the Q. I think one reason the Q is US only for the time being is that most of the world has limited Play content. I would guess, and hope, that Google will be planning on expanding Play across other countries in the not too distant future and get Android in homes across the world.
Overpriced books and movies (
Movies and Books are no different in price to iTunes. Granted Kindle is cheaper but Amazon subsidises quite a few of the books. Play Books just needs more content here!
Really? I find that books in the Play store are usually less expensive than their Kindle counterparts.
Not really googles call, it’s the publishing houses etc. I am sure google is doing their upmost to try and get it expanded but the houses are resistant. Even apples selection isn’t complete outside the US, it’s annoying
Also maybe the movie studios and publishers aren’t big monoliths like here in the States and you have to cut deals with each individual company.
In the UK, we have movies, apps, and books. I’m using Google Music as I type this, but that’s only because I used a proxy to get an invite when it was still in beta. I can’t buy anything from Google Play yet, music wise.
Hoping we get magazine stuff soon. Pumped about that; hope Engadget put their Distro on there. Only thing I like about Engadget.
Or you could just, you know, download the Distro app.
But it’s a magazine. Why not put it in the magazines section of Google Play?
From the demo magazines looked identical to paper magazines. Distro is different, it’s an interactive magazine style app which admittedly is what magazines on a tablet should be but judging by the examples the shown that’s not what magazines are to them. To them magazines were static pictures that you could zoom in and out of.
Here in the pihlippines, only Apps are currently available.
I went to the nexus 7 page yesterday only to be met with a Not yet available in your country page.
I really hope Google delivers this internationally as it is an automatic sell for people in the know, and at the current price range, it will shit bricks, literally.
Considering the track record of Nexus devices, I don’t see why Nexus 7 won’t be available in a broader range of countries. Only issue, however, is the availability of content. /
Just move in to the states. )
? I live in Australia, should I sell my hundreds of thousands of non-existent assets and move to “the greatest country on earth” (it’s not) just for better choice of content from one of several services. Grow up.
I know video games are much more expensive in Australia, how about apps? do you know if you get charged more for them also?
PS. Us Americans can be silly please don’t hold it against us.
So, what you are saying is that not only do you not get TV Shows and Music from Google Play, but you a;so don’t get jokes.
Oh so sorry, I didn’t realise that you knew RangersK personally and you can speak with such authority when confidently justifying his unhelpful suggestion as a joke.
When someone complains about the state of such services in their country, you don’t just mock them with implausible solutions and let other people justify said comment as a joke.
I’m pretty sure he was kidding… I don’t think you were looking for that kind of level of advice from this comment section right?
in Germany we get Apps & Books
and my Xoom got 4.04 today …
It’s not like there are any hardware differences between The US Wifi version an the EMEA version …
sorry for the rant
I really hope this makes a big dent in the tablet market. In my opinion, this is the only Android tablet that is worth my money (and it is so cheap!). I really want this to push Apple with competition.
The new Asus Transformer Infinity is also a option that seems to be very interesting – more expensive, but also bigger and with a lot of interesting features (like the usual keyboard dock)
I love both of those tablets, but I’m going to hold on to my AOKP Touchpad another month or two to see if Samsung announces an Exynos 5 powered Galaxy Tab.
I think this is a huge win for Google. More powerful than the iPad, but still smaller and way cheaper!
Smaller is an objective fact. Cheaper is an objective fact.
More powerful. Hmmm.
It’s close enough really. When you account for the massive resolution of the iPad, this easily keeps up with it (and outperforms it in some ways).
It is barely more powerful in processing power (which iOS needs very little of), but Anand tested the new iPad and its graphics were about 3.7 times better than Nvidia’s Tegra 3. In real world benchmarks including the display, the iPad performed graphically about twice as well. So it is not really close.
You are missing the point. The new iPad also has 2-3 times more pixels to push.
Maybe you should read his comment again.
Oh, it wasn’t clear. He said Anand tested the Tegra 3, not that he tested the Nexus 7.
The 3rd gen iPad is horribly under powered for creative apps. Try using sketchbook ink, art rage etc. they are barely usable.
See, this is a better discussion. What does “more powerful” even mean without respect to particular functions?
So what’s less usable for that type of content creation – a struggling processor or a smaller screen? I don’t think there’s a clear cut answer to that question.
Can I also point out that one of the reasons those art apps are so frustrating is the lag in the capacitive screen. As far as we know, that hasn’t improved here.
I’d argue the inaccuracies of the screen, coupled with the severe lag in rendering makes it entirely useless for the effort. Meanwhile a smaller screen with less lag, or even lower res may be useful. I can’t say if the Nexus 7 is “more” powerful until I try it. But I was surprised at how poor the performance of the “best in class” tablet was. If you charge a premium make certain you get what you pay for.
Entirely useless? I’m not sure the extremist language is fair. Isn’t it enough to say that you find it useless?
I repeat I don’t think there’s a clear cut answer to this question. Different people are going to value different things from their experience, which will mean that some will prefer the iPad and some people will prefer the Nexus 7. Is it possible for you to concur with that?
it definitely is not “more powerful”.
It’s a really good device (maybe even ‘iPad class’… that’s up for debate), but comments like that make my head hurt.
The review does lead the reader to believe it’s just as powerful. I don’t agree, but that’s the spin of the review.
Perhaps more powerful than the iPad 2 you could argue. Not the new one’s GPU however.
A consideration is that it should need about 1/2 the GPU power for the same performance, just because it’s driving so many fewer pixels. The comparison is kind of moot though – so long as performance is roughly in parity, no consumer cares about power.
it’ll be great for people who don’t need much out of their tablet, and hopefully this helps drive the surfaces arm version price down, but I’s still chose the iPad for the screen alone. My iPad continues to bum me out that 16000 monitors are still like a grand.
Great review. Looks like Google have finally nailed it. Solid performance, portability, features and most importantly, price.
Looking forward to this.
Yeah I wish had this instead of my Fire.
To Ebay!
*eBay
Amazon Video on Google Play and I’m buying one.
someone pulled the APK from the fire but supposedly on works at the Fire’s resolution. Also no streaming over 3G
Google Play is crappy in Australia, but if Google eventually improves that, this could be interesting. I only want a tablet for magazines (WIRED, and some AU ones), occasional movies and music and web browsing, like The something. This tablet sounds great for US people, but the iPad still kills it and, as a content consumption device, that’s fatal.
Definitely agreed here. I jumped on the AU Play Store went “Really? That’s it?” with such limited storage it’s a bit of a tough sell if that’s all we have access to.
Surely Google can open the Magazine store here and allow submissions. Even if it’s slim pickings, at least give us something rather than no magazines at all.
You have access to anything you want to put on the tablet. That USB port is there for a reason.
8/16GB is nowhere near enough. And sticking an external HDD in (Assuming it supports that?) kind of defeats the purpose.
External HDD, yes. SD/MicroSD, feasible with a USB OTG cable and a card reader.
It’s not ideal, but given how the latency of dealing with external storage has historically been a failing of performance with Android, you can see why they’ve done it.
Streaming would still be nicer and, as usual, Google has been taking it’s time going global. Not even the UK has Music.
Google has been taking it’s time going global.
That’s because there are “1 million” separate copyright holders. This is more a problem with international copyright law than Google’s unwillingness to roll it out.
They have to make sure it’s profitable before incurring the cost of expanding it.
I’m also located in Australia and while it would be nice to have a better offering with Play, the fact that you can just dump any old media file on the Android tab and it will play is a big deal to me.
This might not make getting new content as easy as the iPad, but if you already have a whole lot of content in differing formats this has got the iPad beat.
Of course that’s just my opinion.
Stop ur whinging, try NZ… oh wait, no google play, therefore, no damn Nexus 7.
Android is looking very tasty now and this is coming from an Apple fanboy
I wouldn’t go that far – this device is certainly looking very tasty, especially compared to the absolute RUBBISH most Android OEMs are pumping out.
Looking forward to seeing what this year’s Nexus is like!
Agree. Feels like the hardware and software were meant for each other.
At this price, why choose? Get both!
Now if only the stupid developers would make apps for it!
Calling them stupid helps your argument. Especially when the smart money is developing for the iPad.
Which app are you actually missing?
When did you last check? A year ago perhaps?
Looks like I’m finally getting a tablet! Great review as always.
Ok, this DOES make up for the lack of a somethingcast tonight. This was a great review! I wonder though, will Emoji work cross-platform now? I would like to send my android friends police car icons and the like. That would be nice.
Thanks for the late-night review Josh!
Well, if your friends have a messaging app like Go SMS, you already can. But to answer your question, yes.
This has the potential to become ubiquitous at this price tag, watch out Kindle, watch out ipad…
Yeah, but only if they advertise it.
I think this will sell like hotcakes if they can make it in enough numbers, every cat, dog and biped is gonna have one…
I’m sad that they’re not making a model for spiders.
Won’t someone think of the arachnids?
Thats what third parties are for….
Wonder when will it get launched in Asian markets.
Google Now is great right now, but I think it would be so much more useful on a device with a data connection, like a smartphone. With a persistent connection, Now will know where you are on a commute to help you navigate and will better be able to know where you are. When I have this on my smartphone, I think it will be great!
Exactly what I was thinking.
Im using Google Now on my Nexus right now. And it works amazingly well. The way it predicts some of your patterns is freaky..
Great. Now the government is going to sue google for knowing too much.
$199 is not equal to £159. I want one (even though I have an ipad3), but why do people in the UK always have to pay a premium?
The first price I came across for this tablet in Finland was 449€.. sigh
Because the UK imposes extra tariffs on technology items. Blame your politicians.
Because of VAT, amongst other things. At 20%, and assuming googles conversion to £, that puts it in for us at about £153, and thats not including other taxes payed by Google which would push up that extra £6
It is not really too much of a premium and not one I am complaining about. Although my Bank account is now…where did that £199 go?
This is a really, a truly excellent bit of kit. Can you imagine what it is going to be like when Tesco start churning these out? Based on Tesco’s recent grab as a content provider, they have the potential to get behind something like this and all they need is a confirmation that the Tesco Digital store is pre-installed. Or even offer a small credit for it. I can picture millions of these being marched out of superstores across the UK up to Christmas.
They won’t get Tesco Digital pre-installed, its a Nexus. But yeah, giving away a voucher would be a very good idea.
I’m pretty sure they are equivalent when you consider all of the tax you pay (and the fact that tax isn’t included in the $199)
£159 for this is still a good deal – even more so considering how many companies would have just swapped the $ for a £.
Google just did the tablet competitor how it needs to be done – regardless of how good the product is (personally, I think this is being sold as being something less than it really is), there needs to be a concession to the fact that there are plenty of people that refer to any tablet as an ‘iPad’, just as vacuum cleaners get called ‘Hoovers’.
Ebuyer are doing the 16GB model for £199 inc. VAT & delivered.
That’s cheaper than Google will sell it once tax & shipping are applied, as it works out as ~£193 once taxed & converted before shipping.
But Ebuyer probably will not offer the £15 Play credit will they? So that means buying direct is still the best value for the moment. Even QuidCo won’t offer a better deal…
That $199 is before tax. Remember it’s after the sale for some reason in the US.
Yup… because sales tax rates vary from state to state. Within each state, sales tax varies from city to city. If you are not in the city (rural), then your sales tax is usually even less.
So no site displays prices with tax in the US (but it is not uncommon to show the sales tax AFTER you put in your shipping information).
Some online retailers, Amazon comes to mind, will try to find loopholes in sales tax laws to not charge you tax at all (except in states where there is an Amazon wharehouse).
*warehouse
Oh yeah, that’s the reason. What a shame you don’t have the same tax rate across the country.
That’s what happens when you have things like regional differences in a large country. Some people don’t want many local services and some people do, and the taxing flexibility allows the country to have a variety (also creates huge problems in some areas close to boundaries).
So have Google done away with the whole tablet UI found on all the other Android tablets?
It’s still there for 10″ devices – seems 7″ devices use this now.
Yep, still on 10″ devices.
Or is it going away in Jellybean? (not sure)
Nope, it’ll still be there. Maybe modified, but still there.
http//www.thesomething.com/2012/6/27/3121655/jelly-bean-on-10-inch-devices
http//www.thesomething.com/2012/6/29/3125521/android-4-1-adv-shows-traditional-tablet-ui-still-default-for-10
Thanks Josh for convincing me to order it!
It looks like a genuinely good piece of hardware. It’s too bad Android’s tablet ecosystem is so woefully lacking.
Hopefully this will turn enough heads to change that.
This is literally the perfect tablet. Its size is correct and it’s price is definitely correct. Once more and more apps are optimized for this tablet, we’re going to be looking at one amazing device for an insanely low price. Google had to start somewhere and this thing looks amazing. I’d buy one right now if I could and I never felt like I wanted an Ipad because I didn’t feel like it was worth its price. This looks worth its price easily.
It’s only missing app support. Kind of a big deal, depending on your perspective.
Yeah, because the app support will remain stagnant right? The iPad app support had to start somewhere…
I want one…
How is Flipboard on tablets like this?
It might be okay on a 7in tablet, but they don’t have a very good 10in experience (it’s just a blown up phone app)
Hardware looks good but Play really sucks and there are still not enough tablet optimized apps.
Play’s good in general, it’s just tablet apps are sparse right now.
plenty of apps for this size of device. because of the kindle fire and tab 7, ziio’s etc.
There’s not many. Apps that use Fragments (like the app I’m helping make, Boid) look OK on tablets because they use Fragments.
Except we can’t get Boid on Tablets (
Extract the apk (there’s loads of Chrome extensions to extract a free apk directly from the web Play Store) and use it )
A tablet UI for Boid is coming very soon!
Was totally sold that my first tablet was going to be an iPad 3 until this was announced. Very excited!
When visiting The New York Times…
Oh, that’s cute. A Nexus 7 ad.
Great review, Josh. This will most likely be my first tablet. Google has certainly stepped up to the plate.
yea its gonna be my first tablet too )
How would media that I own get sync’d to the tablet? Couldn’t see any mention of that in the review ( unless I’ve missed it…. ).
Mostly over the air. All the media apps have an option to “Pin” content which downloads them and makes them available offline. Otherwise the device will stream from the cloud. Only real exception to this is Music (if not uploaded to Google Music, so for users outside of America) & Photos (although a lot can be done from the device w/ Picasa & Google Plus) which are done using MTP which is a standard camera/MP3 Player USB protocol
Ah, that’s cool, thank you!
16GB isn’t much, but it’s more than enough a few movies ( and the UK store doesn’t seem to have a vast range…. ).
It definitely turned out to be worth waiting for. Going to get myself one for sure. Great job guys.
It definitely looks like a best Android tablet device to date, but is it better than iPad? Nope, Apple still has App Store/iTunes Store etc… And, do not forget that it’s 10-inch which is much better for home casual usage and it is not that big carry around… And better battery life…
So, if you are looking for cheap, but good device ? Nexus 7. If you are looking just for the best device ? iPad, even the old one.
So, if you are looking for inexpensive as well as good device ? Nexus 7
FTFY
Looks good but Google removing any chance of HDMI connectivity is really cost cutting gone mad.
Agreed. Not even a dongle? -/
Maybe we’ll see a Nexus 7+ in the future?
The microUSB may be HDMI. Dunno, probably not, but you never know.
I meant MHL. Obviously.
slams head against desk
I’m hoping they make a Pogo dock for this that has full size USB and HDMI. MHL is fine if you’re just going to hook it up to a TV, but I want to connect a USB wireless mouse and keyboard at the same time, and as far as I know MHL can’t do HDMI and USB host at the same time.
No, it’s not MHL, Engadget confirmed it on their review. They said there’s no way of getting HDMI.
Unless you buy a Q. . .
but even that doesn’t screen cast… sigh.
Yep.. I’m really confused by this, especially because the original Asus tablet this was based on had mini HDMI, so it should be a matter of a $0.05 connector.
Yep.. I’m really confused by this, especially because the original Asus tablet this was based on had mini HDMI, so it should be a matter of a $0.05 connector.We’ll probably even see the solder pads in the circuit board once someone does a teardown.
Yep.. I’m really confused by this, especially because the original Asus tablet this was based on had mini HDMI, so it should be a matter of a $0.05 connector.We’ll probably even see the solder pads in the circuit board once someone does a teardown.
Oops not sure what happened there..
While it’s undoubtedly the best 7″ tablet and quite possibly the best Android tablet, I did find it that hilarious that Josh shifted up the score by a full point. The scores average out to 7.75, and that’s with a very generous ecosystem rating.
i doubt “camera” for a tablet is weighted as heavily as “softwre”
Bottom line is Josh has clearly exercised his power in the final score. While this is a very compelling device, I worry that the adjustment may not stay true in the long run. 8.8 is a seriously high score for any product, and a score not reached by any flagship Android device this year.
“More times than not, the something score is based on the average of the subscores below. However, since this is a non-weighted average, we reserve the right to tweak the overall score if we feel it doesn’t reflect our overall assessment and price of the product.”
As you said, Josh obviously decided that the average was not an accurate reflection of his experiences, and the fact that the product is only 199 dollars also goes into it. On the podcasts they have been talking about how future promise also is put into account (the Lytro), and how products can be improved due to their price. What I got out of this was Josh in effect saying at this price point and with the inevitable push from Android into the tablet space, the Nexus 7 is the best option for someone looking to get into the Android space and wants prompt updates.
This is not a minor tweak, it’s throwing a respectable device into a highly-exclusive club of products with ~9.0 scores. As I’ve iterated elsewhere, price has commonly been ignored during reviews, receiving a footnote – many devices are in fact played down because they don’t measure up to “competitors” that are priced hundreds of dollars above the device. If someone told me a product scores a 9/10, I wouldn’t think that there are still serious questions to be asked regarding the platform and ecosystem (similarly, I didn’t expect an 8.0+ score for any Windows Phone Mango device for the same reason).
You got around 6000 developers who now own a nexus 7 tablet, so we are bound to see more tablet optimized apps
It’s really too early to say – it didn’t happen with the Galaxy 10.1.
The Galaxy 10.1 started with Gingerbread which is a terrible OS for a tablet, as was Honeycomb. With ICS rolling out (hopefully in a timely fashion) to more and more devices especially tablets, don’t bet on the tablet ecosystem remaining stagnant as it has.
ing to is pointing out that a large number of developers received them for free, so it clearly takes more than just giving away free tablets to developers in order to get them on board.
There WAS an earlier version of the tab which only had Gingerbread. IIRC it was the only one released by a major manufacturer that used the “phone” version of the OS.
Now that that’s out of the way, I think the problem with the Galaxy Tab 10.1 may have simply been that even a blind man could see that Honeycomb was rushed out as quickly as possible with little regard to whether it worked well. What developer would want to put their support behind that? Even ICS had a fair number of obvious oversights that JB needed to correct. It also wasn’t a proper “Nexus” device and there was a clear sense at the time that Google was promoting it only because it was the best they could offer, not because they were satisfied with it.
Also – and now I’m just getting into personal opinion – I’ve never liked the 10″ form factor. I’ve tried about half a dozen of them, including the iPad 2 which is the lightest one AFAIK. But even so, they’re all too big, heavy, and awkward. You can’t really hold it with one hand but to interact with it you need to. The keyboard’s obnoxiously huge – thought that’s something easily rectified with Swiftkey 3’s tablet version. It’s too big to really be portable. In short, I just don’t think it’s an ideal size for anything intended to be a portable device. 5 to 8 inches is more reasonable, and 7 makes a great compromise.
While I’m disappointed the Nexus 7 doesn’t have expandable storage or HDMI output, I gave it some thought and I think the reason these are missing has nothing to do with cost cutting. If Google included them, they would be cutting the legs out from beneath all of their OEM partners. A tablet with every conceivable high-end feature, the lightest 7-incher so far, and being sold almost for a loss? That would piss some people off. How could anyone possibly compete with that? I doubt even Samsung could beat that without taking a loss.
gotta minus all the ones on ebay and the ones taken home by techblogs
Average of scores is 7.75, but overall score is 8.8? huh? Or am I doing something wrong?
http//www.thesomething.com/how-we-rate
Clearly, some are not as important as others.
This is a bogus assertion; looking at the breakdown of subcategories, to have the product anywhere near 8.8 would require the sparse two 9/10s to be weighted very, very heavily. The answer is that Josh adjusted the score, as he is entitled to.
The camera got a 6? Really?
And i say this because
http//www.thesomething.com/2012/6/24/3114091/sony-xperia-ion-review
http//www.thesomething.com/2012/6/19/3054644/lg-optimus-l7-review
Those aren’t the same category of device…
If you’re one of those people who likes to snap pics with their tablet — first, shame on you.
Way to go, Josh.
Fantastic review, as always, although as a review for an ebook reading device, I found the lack of 50 Shades of Grey reference is a little disappointing,
Take my money Google! I put jelly bean on my nexus. It’s nice. Can’t wait to use the tablet.
Dear google. Let me buy, please.
I just got my credit card out to buy this thing, and was met with a “seller does not accept payments from your location” message. W.T.F., google? For someone who wants a piece of the tablet market, you sure are making it difficult for me to support you.
It’s not like I’m in Zimbabwe. I’m in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. And my card is a Bank of America card.
That’s kind of humorous that you can’t buy a product intended for the US with a “Bank of America” card. (granted, you aren’t here, but still… I think you can see what I am getting at)
Yeah. At first I figured it was a problem with my local bank’s card. (Newegg won’t accept my international Visa, for example). I then tried my all-american card. No dice.
Google has been really problematic for us Puertorricans. I can’t publish paid apps in the market, while people from a lot of other places in the world can. If the Android device is not a phone (with a U.S. network IP address) and location is enabled, we can’t buy apps.
Cannot purchase paid apps from market on Asus EEE Pad Transformer. I opened that issue more than a year ago. Still no official answer.
I had the same issue yesterday when I tried to pre-oder the Nexus 7. My registered address had US as country. I edited my address so that PR was now the country and it let me pre-order without any problems. Hope this helps!
PR is supported so try to change your address to see if you’re successful and keep us
Couple of things though. The OS seems like a blown up phone version. Where is the tablet layout?
Some apps are showing the tablet layout though, so that is nice. Is the Android tablet layout definitly out?
Another thing? Does the homescreen/launcher support landscape layout, or is it portrait only?
The tablet layout is still around for larger devices, Google decided that the phone layout worked better for this. After playing with a couple 7 inch tablets in the store, I kind of agree.
It’s portrait only, but I’m guessing you can install another launcher if you like. Still annoying.
That is so stupid. Same on the Galaxy Nexus, no landscape in the launcher. Plugin a MHL dongle and BAM, there you have landscape suddenly. I really think for a tablet they should have landscape on the homescreen, even if the OS uses a blown up version of the phone layout.
Yeah I agree, I wish they let you choose orientations.
I have a Galaxy Nexus dock and I’m personally glad the launcher stays in portrait, because landscape totally wrecks the widgets.
Android needs a better landscape widget experience, because it’s borderline awful.
Custom launchers can do landscape, although the dock still stays on the left or right.
I am really disappointed that they didn’t use the tablet layout for the home screen. To me it looks retarded with the phone layout.
Nice review.
My only worry is how OEMs Willard carriers will screw up Jelly Bean and the low pricing business model when offering such a tablet with LTE.
Verizon….I’m looking at you….
I’m afraid it’s going to take a long time for the Nexus 7 to become available in more countries as Google hasn’t made a lot of content deals outside of the US and UK. And considering the low price point is made possible by the ecosystem bringing in the money, it would make no sense for Google to release the tablet in other countries.
Maybe we’ll even have to wait for the Nexus 7 eventual succesor. Which sucks., because I really want it.
Hopefully this can push Amazon to release an Amazon Video app for all other Android devices.
Wooooooeow!!!! The world is coming to an end. Am selling my Rezound and getting the galaxy nexus and the nexus 7! From now on its pure Google, the way Martias Duarte intended it to be!
glad i pre-ordered
Considering it only had four months to be made this is pretty amazing. I’m sort of on the fence about its lack of camera, but I’ve always got a phone with a great camera so I guess it’s in no way a deal breaker. What a great price!
It wasn’t made in 4 months. It’s an ASUS tablet that already existed, which Google snatched up at the end of it’s development. They added a new graphics card and motherboard in a few months.
Er I’m an idiot, I mean they dropped in a brand new SOC.
I know, I hadn’t read that article before this comment (above) was
Same I’m about a day or two from pre-ordering myself… I have a Galaxy Nexus though and the 7 inch tablet is so close to my own screen size.
It would make a nice complement I think. I’ve got a Sensation (4.3″) and a Macbook Pro (13″). 7’ sits quite nicely, especially as a road going device. I’ve been looking for ages for something like it. Damnit. I just convinced myself.
Just one concern for the Nexus 7, I feel Google really missed a huge opportunity to incentivize developers to create tablet specific apps but instead by having phone apps scaled up, the tablet specific offerings in Google Play will remain weak. Other than that, kudos for Google IO and creating a very compelling android tablet. I hope Amazon has something up their sleeve for their Kindle Fire update.
Android still clearly has issues with tablet’s UX. As Josh shows in the video, simply rotating the device wrecks a good UI. You also still have apps like Twitter that are literally a big phone UI.
Android doesn’t want ‘tablet only’ or ‘tablet specific’ apps, but clearly they need to do a bit more work to create a better overall user experience for tablet users with their strategy. I don’t see any technical reason why it can’t be done.
I think the point of this review is to say that the Android tablet experience is no longer poor. It has gotten better, and surely one of the most important factors in a review is price. A good cheap product will obviously score high. We’re not all made of money…
Ooops…wrong comment resposnsce…
Did you mean to respond to my comment? It would kinda fit.
Oh, maybe not.
They don’t want tablet specific apps, but they do want apps that scale based on display size. What they don’t want is ‘[insert app name here] for tablets!’
The same principle applies to premium, pro or paid apps Google don’t want them in Google Play. Just use in-app purchases; in the long run you theoretically make more money anyway.
Unrealistic expectations. This is exactly how this conversation will go down.
Google Here is a suitcase full of money. Please design your twitter app specifically for tablets.
Twitter so let me get this straight? You designed Android to scale different screen sizes and resolutions but you don’t want me to use it? You want me to design an App specifically for each if these screen sizes? 3.5, 3.7, 4, 4.3, 4.7, 4.8, 5.3, 7, 7.7, 8.9, 10.1, and 13 inch screens all with different resolutions?
Google yes I do because Apple fanboys keep on bringing it up and we want to eliminate this perceived weakness which really isn’t one.
Twitter screw you.
No that’d be a terrible movie to force developers to only create tablet apps. Developing apps for 4.0 look much better on tablets – the scaled up problem you see now is largely a result of developing for Gingerbread. Regardless – giving out thousands of Jellybean tablets to devs will certainly be a kick in the pants.
8.8 seems a bit high, especially when you consider how dismal the Android tablet app experience is.
I can totally understand that it’s an 8+ given the review, but it feels you might have been a bit kind because of its given price.
All in all, I’m super excited to see if Google can translate an awesome product like the Nexus 7 into tablet space success and maybe even a Nexus 10.
I think the point of this review is to say that the Android tablet experience is no longer poor. It has gotten better, and surely one of the most important factors in a review is price. A good cheap product will obviously score high. We’re not all made of money…
I just don’t think it’s a good practice to factor in price into review scores because consumers will use the scores to do some basic comparison.
Why buy a 9.3 tablet that cost $500 when you can get an 8.8 that cost $200? Is that 0.5 points really worth that $300?
I hope you see what I mean by that.
I see your point but as a consumer, price does count. The $200 might be the difference between your kids getting new shoes and so you factor in the cost implications of your purchase. Thus, your 8.8 really does mean more because you weigh the benefits and problems up to find the middle ground you are happy with.
You have to factor price in the review. At least a responsible reviewer would. Not that I think Josh or anyone on the something is a responsible reviewer but that is not the point. The value is just as important as the display to some people and SHOULD be included in any decent review.
If consumers compare it the way you suggest, then they are stupid. The Nexus score of 8.8 should already factor in the price. If it was $519 like the iPad then it would most likely get a 7.8 or 8 tops. If the iPad was $199 like the Nexus 7, then the 9.3 would scale to a 10 easily. That is how consumers should look at reviews, they shouldn’t ignore value at all.
The only areas I would ignore in reviews due to my uses would be camera. In fact, I place value ahead of display and ecosystem probably.
great review, the score is justifying the device, I’m buying the device for sure, but hopefully it’ll has more tablet optimized apps in the future
Wait, Android’s homescreen is more “iOS-like” because it can auto-arrage the widgets? Is anyone noticing something wrong with that sentence?
Nope – auto arranging home screen items has been iOS behaviour since day one.
Auto-rearranges apps too. Josh just used widgets as the example because it works better with widgets, because they resize themselves etc.
Does anyone seem to know if an MHL HDMI adapter will work with this though from the microUSB port? The web appears to be bare…
It’s not. Engadget had it in their review.
Thanks!
And POO GOOGLE! BOO HISS!
I still bought one…
Looks like Microsoft might have to subsidise their Surface with app profit after all. LULZ
Maybe the Surface based on Windows RT, but not the Surface Pro. If I were even considering the Surface Pro (based on functionality and cost), I wouldn’t even be thinking about a Nexus 7.
Android can’t do what I (or most people that “need” Intel CPUs) would be doing on their Windows based devices. (without a remote connection)
the Surface Pro kicks the shit out of all the tablets in the market right now, simply because its a full fledged Desktop OS with the power of an Intel CPU in it and the mobility of a tablet….. its a big win…. unfortunetly the average consumer doesnt get, so I wouldnt be surprised if the Surface doesnt kick the iPad out of its throne sales-wise.
I;m in Japan… BRING IT HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111111
Asia needs some love.
Philippines is waiting on this.
But that’s just me.
This would compliment my iPhone wonderfully.
That’s what i’m thinking.
Josh, you’re great, but do you really think that the screen-squeeze-test matters in this age of feather-touch capacitive displays? I could understand the logic back when we were poking the Nokia 5800 with a stylus, but those days are gone. On a similar note, should you really be criticising a tablet for a thick bezel after countless hours gripping tablets and e-readers by spacious, half-inch borders? I think the heuristic that bezel=bad is dead as far as handheld devices goes.
I don’t think I’ve seen those two gadget blog memes on The something before and I’m surprised to see them now.
I know its not an average of the separate scores, but 8.8 is a hell far waya from the 7.75. Should it be an iPad the comments would explode …
Granted some of the scores are more important than the others, even putting the top 4 scores for screen, performance, software and design together gives you just 8.5. This is bullshit josh, I’m sorry.
That’s merely because every category should be price-based. It’s just utter non-sense that this screen at $200 bucks got an 8. The 7 on battery and well, are you seriously telling me a 6 on camera should be given the same weight as software.
Their scoring system is bullshit, but the score is about right, this tablet is clearly the best tablet after the iPad (considering the price), and in some ways, it’s a much better deal. You can buy 3 of these with the same money you buy a 32 GB iPad.
The fact of the matter is many reviews here do not feel price-based; lower-end devices which may make more compromises than necessary get absolutely hammered, and the lower price point is often mentioned in passing. If price point is going to become a real factor in these reviews, then The something has to work on a more consistent system.
I know it’s a different story if you talk percentages, but think about the number of laptops which were pitched against MacBooks that were hundreds of dollars above the price point of the laptop.
If there was a score for price, I imagine that would’ve shifted the average quite a bit.
I agree, but as i stated above even if you pick the highest marks it gets it nowhere near 8.8. Makes one wonder why he even bothered with the partial scores at all.
To provide an at-a-glance feel for how good particular properties of the tablet are, if you’re interested in those specific areas?
I think the extra points are given for the fact that this is finally a 7″ done right. There’s been a lot of crap that’s come before it and now, under the watch of Google, the 7″ has come good.
The tech press want to see a competitive landscape and if this failed, it could potentially be game over for Android on tablets. The platform that cried wolf. It makes sense for The something to give an extra boost to this as it does everything well, and if it sells could create a longed for alternative to Apple’s dominance.
However, since it is not a weighted average, the editor reserves the right to adjust the average to better reflect the overall assessment of the product, including how the price fits.
http//www.thesomething.com/how-we-rate
This is not adjusting, this is throwing the scores out of the window. I’m not disputing this tablet deserves 8.8, but the review should support the score at least a bit.
While understand what you’re saying. The review reflects the score, the problem seems to the sub scores.
I believe they should make an effort to get users to know that not only it isn’t a weighted average, but also that they don’t believe at all that camera and speakers, for example, are just there for reference and are absolutely secondary on a tablet review. It will probably go like this Software > Screen >> everything else.
The first Android tablet that I want, and can actually afford!
As lovely as this looks, right now I own a 7″ last-gen Android tablet that I’ve been using as my sole device for 2 years. Looks like I’ll have to wait for the ZTE T98 for a current gen device that can do it all (rear camera, 3g data, phone)
I’m so tempted to switch from my iPad 2 to this!
You can’t afford both? Jesus, it’s only a weekend’s hard labour, and the Nexus 7 is paid for…
Android design chief Matias Duarte told me that the idea was to mimic “Steve McQueen” style driving gloves
Oh Topolsky, what a name-dropper.
Yeah, this only makes me more excited for my Nexus 7 being delivered. ROLL ON JULY.
Pretty awesome little tablet, but the lack of a music service in the UK, and a general paucity of content in the rest of the English-speaking world beyond the USA and UK, is going to hinder it IMO. Nevertheless I am seriously considering either this or a W8 tablet, even as a British user. If they could get Google Music sorted out for a European release, that would be a great first step. I do really like Play Books, though – it deserves more success given Google’s efforts with digitising the world’s library.
There is a way around this if you can be bothered. You can’t purchase from Google music but you can set up streaming. I know it’s annoying and you shouldn’t have to spend five minutes to get it to work but it is possible.
I’ve done it, and now i can’t wait for my Nexus 7.
Aye, I’ve done it as well.
But it’s still a pain that I can’t buy anything from the music store. (
Yeah, it’s a real chink in google’s plan if they’re selling the device at stock.
As a consumption device, Google has gone along way to filling some of the gaps in its ecosystem, even down to giving users new widgets that put their content front and center.
Gramar trolling.
Bring me a 10,1″.
http//www.thesomething.com/2012/6/25/3115655/asus-transformer-pad-infinity-tf700-wi-fi-release-date-price
Seems like a great tablet, but no way i’m going smaller than 9.7 inch (iPad).
It’s time for the Nexus 10.
I just preordered because others here did and I don’t want to feel left out.
That’s kinda sad (
Not really. It’s worked for me my whole life.
Forever Alone
I don’t think he’s describing forever alone at all.
He seems to be describing most of society actually.
Looks great. I’m gonna buy this one day!
So…the only reason to buy a Fire now is not knowing about the existence of this, right?
I wouldn’t say that is completely the case.
If you have Amazon prime and really enjoy watching stuff on a 7″ tablet then Fire is your choice.
Though with rumors of new Kindle announcements within a month or so it might be a silly one to make now.
well you can get refurbished or used Kindle Fires for a lot less than 200 but you could also just buy a Cheapo Ainol tablet from china if you really wanted to pinch pennies and didn’t care that your hardware will be outdated or crap
Why no microSD? It is a hd tablet, it has to hold a bunch of hd movies (
In fact it can’t hold a single TV show’s season!
Yeah, i’m kinda bummed about this lack too. It’s making me look into setting up some serious cloud storage for all of my media
Will the nexus work in countries that google currently aren’t shipping to? I am thinking of getting my hands on one of these puppies….I think it hits a nice spot between price, weight and specs for e-reading……any tips for getting this when it ships – or do I have to go ‘eBay style?’
i would buy one.. but in germany google play ist just APPs and Books..
we dont have music
we dont have movies
….
..
if you want a good ecosystem, there is just apple.. and this sucks
Agree. If I lived in the US I would’t of thought twice about pre-ordering one. But in Germany? Not only that there is no content.. there isn’t even hope for any to come in the future.
Sigh.
HTC???
That is the name of the wifi network that Josh was connected to at the time.
I’m assuming he was tethering from an HTC phone at the time.
Adding a MicroSD would have made it a much easier decision. But instead they placed Transformers and many magazines I’m not interested it.
I wasn’t expecting that the review would have come out this soon, thank you josh!
It seems like some people are mad at Google because twitter has not made any tablet version of twitter for Android . Odd. If a Dev doesn’t want to do it, then so be it. It is the same for any os.
Ipad still has access to some apps which are phone formatted, so deal with it.
It is odd that an app as major as twitter would not be updated though. And this is a review over what’s available to a customer of the tablet.
Point made though, I don’t know why Twitter won’t make an optimized version.
nice device.
i’m just wondering how much money they are making on this device. if the margins are razor thin then how much after sales support will there be and how sustainable can the Android tablet market be if other Android OEM’s can’t beat this device.
The problem with android is the OEMs. Is this going to brake 3 times in one year like my current Asus computer did. My iPad 2 has never broke on me.
How do you know? This is a tablet not a computer, it has about 10* less parts, and is made just as the iPad is. How are you so certain its gonna fail you?
Where is the 64GB Nexus 10?
This is gonna push the Android ecosystem so much… Just look at the Kindle Fire, it doesn’t even run normal Android, yet people have stuffed it with apps.
For me the price is great, i wish it had 3g or gps, but the price i can live without it. $200 tablet thats not complete junk. And will get direct google updates, cant beat that at all!
If Asus do a Nexus 7 + (with cellular) this will be an instant purchase.
It does have GPS.
Correct > Sansung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
I’m excited for this to arrive! I love Amazon/Prime and all that but I’m glad I waited this one out. I can always just log into Amazon/use the app anyway P
I pre-ordered mine day one. I’m excited to say the least. I sold my Kindle Fire to help fund this latest purchase, so I’m without a dedicated e-reader for a couple of weeks, but I have the feeling it will be worth it.
More of a general Q, in Jelly Bean 4.1, is there a decent file system?
One thing that would be ideal would be I able to access photos, music and files on a NAS drive in their actual folder rather than through a media app? I dont remember being able to do this when I had the Archos G9 80 with Honeycomb.
For purely web use, email and streaming music, how does BB Playbook compare? The 16GB Model is basically the same price of £169 over here for the 8GB Nexus 7 . Tempting.
just use ES file explorer
Thanks, that looks spot on!
Really, REALLY impressed with the Jelly Beans. UI looks like something one can pile works in, not just a pretty face with redundant animations that got in the way of works. Ooh and wow only last a few hours, you know.
I’m still iffy on them changing up the tablet UI to match the phone UI. It just looks awkward to me.
A rear facing camera would have really sealed the deal on this one.
Agreed. Probably couldn’t happen at this price point though.
Agreed, though I would not mind paying a little extra for that.
I think… I need one of these. As soon as possible.
Vlad would have given this tablet a 6/10.
iPad 2 is still better
I was wondering if there is any information about an international release (Germany)?
Great review Josh , i like the long video review for the curious people who don’t want to read all the review (which i did at the end )
Maybe in the next tablet review the writer could tell more about what the device is actually used for and why it’s better at it than your phone or laptop?
I think they are expecting most people to figure out that the screen is a little bigger than your phone and the whole thing is smaller and less cumbersome and less intrusive physically than your laptop.
Also, while a lot of people do have smart phones not everyone does.
And you could buy this tablet and use it on your couch on your wifi (where most tablets do get used) for the price of a couple of months charge for a smart phone data plan.
And a laptop is a crappy way to read in bed in a prone position.
I could go on and on with obvious stuff but…
Email, web browsing, videos, ebooks, gaming, light productivity.
Anything else? If you can’t figure out what to use a tablet for, they’re not for you.
So stoked, can’t wait till my device gets delivered. This hopefully will sell really well and developers will start making apps designed for the 7 inch for factor. This is basically to jump start the android tablet app selection (and obviously the ecosystem purchases).
What is the point of Google Now if this doesn’t have a cellular connection?
Wifi, use your phone as a hotspot
It will be somewhat less useful then on devices which are always connected.
But you have to remember that 4.1 isn’t only for this device.
It’s just that this device is launching with it.
“Google Now” is a much bigger play in the long run.
*then should be ‘than’.
But of course there should also be an effing ‘edit’.
The same people on this forum called the original iPad a big iPhone or iPod Touch. Now this thing, which truly is just a big phone, is a justifiable purchase. The kicker is most of you already have 4″-5″ phones running the exact same apps. Clueless as to who this for really. I think it’s only a suitable purchase for those carrying a flip phone, can’t afford a real tablet, and still who want access apps while at the airport or in the bathroom.
I would normally agree with you, but for the price. £159 makes this a justifiable purchase for the times (albeit few) where this is a bit better than your supersize phone or your heavier 10″ tablet / Ultrabook.
Not for everyone,but for quite a few.
The context is not the same.
That was then, this is now – as the saying goes.
I do agree with you though that you seem to be clueless about it.
I own a Galaxy Nexus, Motorola Xoom, and a 15.6″ laptop. I just pre-ordered this because the Xoom will be given to my parents and I feel 7″ is a better form factor for how I was using the Xoom.
I’ve pre-ordered mine. Now WHERE IS IT GOOGLE!!! I hate waiting…
Does a GPS chip + “offline” Google Maps mean that you can download map data on WIFI and then use the GPS to get your current position on it?
Yes.
Yes – but it won’t do navigation turn-by-turn for you offline.
But it will show your position.
I’ll be picking one up. I’ve wanted to try my hand at Android development and this is the first decent opportunity IMO (for someone that already has an iPhone and iPad). $200 but it’s a real Google device that will get first class updates, and the type of market penetration that warrants apps to be specifically developed for it.
Also might make another nice toy )
It’s weird how all of the comments so far are ignoring the elephant in the room Amazon.
– Rumors are swirling about Amazon bringing out a Kindle Fire 2 any day now. Which will probably be as good as or better than the N7, hardware-wise. And maybe Amazon will surprise us with their next version of Fire-Android which will a few killer features that Jelly Bean lacks.
– It won’t surprise me at all if Amazon undercuts the N7 on price. Because that’s what Amazon does.
– Google has a terrible track record for selling hardware directly. Everyone seems to assume that they’ll magically do better this time around. Maybe. Or maybe this will be Google’s usual trainwreck of screwed up orders, slow shipments, and poor customer service. We’ll see.
– Overall, my guess is that the N7 will enjoy a brief moment of fame, then will be forgotten when the KF2 eclipses it. It might be worth buying as a collector’s item. I think it’s moment in the sun is right now, today. A month from now, it will be a technological footnote.
You might be right. I really don’t understand why they want to kick Amazon AND OEM’s in the groin for a tablet that they are not planning on selling as a mass market product (only online), at no profit, and as recent analyses has shown, very little profit from online ads, app sales, etc. Seems like a really good way to destroy relationships and tease Amazon into a reaction.
They are not going to be sold only online.
And Google is a search company foremost at the moment.
But in its crystal ball it easily sees that things like facebook and IOS appstore and Amazon’s ecosystem are becoming more and more prominent and do not offer full access for search.
Google has to get into these spaces to be able to keep doing what it does or in a few years or ten it will have found itself completely shut out and shutting down.
Google does not need other manufacturers at this point as much as they need it.
It has Motorola now and if it needed to could very quicly pivot to a top-to-bottom company just like Apple is.
I don’t think that is their plan but it is a hell of a backup situation for it to have.
I thought I in the review they will only be sold in the play store? If thats not the case, than this has to be a success on the iPad scale to risk alienating OEMs.
I don’t see what the ecosystem has to do with creating hardware. They can do that for OEMs. Although I have to say that I think Google vastly overestimated Android revenue. Also, for those companies you mention, the ecosystem is not the main source of revenue. What is the play then? They have a mobile ad company that can be found in iOS apps , right? What good does controlling the ecosystem do them?
Google might be needed by OEMs, but I don’t think it’s too late to create a competitor. A lot of OEM’s already have some content deals in place. Apps might be a problem, but android doesn’t exactly have a surplus of apps, and if they are easily ported then there goes that advantage. This might be the time to introduce a great tablet OS.
I don’t agree with you on Motorola, I think Google has very little faith in them as a hardware company. But that’s just speculation. Google has to be EXTREMELY sure that entering the hardware space will be a success before they pull that stunt.
Gamestop in the US has already announced they will be selling it and are in fact taking pre-orders for it.
I doubt they will be the only one.
For Amazon the ecosystem certainly is the main source of revenue.
It isn’t for Apple, but if you think that 30% they take off the top if of no interest to them then I would disagree.
The problem is that Google sells ads.
And to effectively sell those ads in the future it needs access to data – because that is the way the ad industry is going.
It also needs to be able to be in a place where people will see those ads.
If Google can’t search the resources that people are looking for then it will cease to have screentime/presence to sell the ads.
Facebook is closed and doesn’t allow search by Google.
Amazon marketplace and Apple marketplace are also places where people spend time and give information – which google probably can’t search well.
That is why Google needs Google+
I don’t think it has huge interest in the revenue from Play just like that money isn’t the primary thing on Apple’s plate right now.
But it needs to at least have competing products in these areas in the long run so it can harvest data and place ads, etc….
I don’t know what Google is doing with Motorolla.
Maybe it will even sell it as has been rumored.
But I don’t see why.
Say you are right about other companies simply doing their own OS.
I don’t actually think you are but let’s say so.
So say this fall Samsung and Asus and Acer and HG all announce that they will cease making Android devices and are forming a partnership which will use its own OS.
Well – Google would be royally screwed.
But they wouldn’t…
Because with Motorolla in their back pocket they could pivot almost instantly.
Certainly within one product cycle anyway.
They could not only still have Android hardware out there but they could leverage the same strengths Apple does. That means fragmentation and difficulty of porting the OS to 20 kinds of hardware setups etc all go away.
Like I said, I don’t think it is their intent.
The way they’ve been doing it has been successful enough so far.
But it is a hell of a backup plan.
They’d be fools to sell off Motorlla.
Actually what they should do is buy dish network and use motorolla to build the boxes for it with Google TV on board. Then put ad placement in the channel guide and use the revenue to allow them to lower the rates on services.
Ecosystem means apps to me. Amazon makes it’s money on content, not the apps. The 30% Apple gets is of some interest, sure. But that’s still not where they make their money.
Mobile ads have yet to produce real revenue. In fact, a lot of companies are struggling with the transition to mobile, not just google. I personally think that the “dream” (or nightmare) of highly personalized ads is not the future. Too much activity by lawmakers in that space, especially in Europe.
In any case, it might be a future play, but it’d pretty much a gamble right now.
Ok, so google + is more important than an ecosystem in terms of data? I would agree with that. They also don’t need an ecosystem to show the ads.
You’re assuming that motorola is capable of producing amazing hardware on par with samsung…and motorola is nonexistent in Europe, and I’d imagine a number of other continents.fragmentation goes away, but so does diversity, and build quality.
Interesting idea, although I smell channel conflict with that plan.
Some good points, but dont forget that the Kindle Fire was US only, and I can’t see that changing for the KF2. It seems odd that Google would want to push out the fire though, given it was leading tablets for android.
But then you have to consider that a pure tablet at this cost will motivate a lot of people to pay out, and the developers will come running when the user-base is there. I think that’s the main idea here
I think your giving Amazon too much credit. The Fire was basically a rebadged playbook. Asus has way more experience producing this kind of hardware.
Do you really believe the ” next version of Fire-Android which will a few killer features that Jelly Bean lacks?” The fire runs a forked version of android (gingerbread) that is pretty gimped. Right now the software isn’t in the same class.
Yup, I do. Mostly because Google and Amazon have different agendas and are taking Android in different directions. So, sure, I can see Amazon’s Android being outdated and feature-sparse compared to Google’s in some ways, but bringing in some very compelling features in areas that Google isn’t focused on. Like media library management, for example. That’s an area where both iOS and Android are pretty weak, but is right at the heart of Amazon’s bread & butter. They might decide to integrate a good solution directly into their Android.
“and basic tasks like multitasking were nearly instantaneous.”
nearly. lol.
Great review……..ordered a nexus 7……..my better half will be inheriting my iPad.
Seems like a great tablet, but one hell of a bad move for google.
It clearly doesn’t see this as a mass market product (only selling it online), but it spoils the market for every OEM out there. Selling it at cost really makes it unbeatable. And as others said, it sure puts pressure on Amazon, which has the power to make a big move here.
I just don’t get the strategy.
You pretty much summed it up. It’s not about revenue it’s more so about flooding the market to get more users on AndroidOS. They saw was Amz did and want some of that action.
Yeah, that could be it, but what would be the benefit? Android isn’t really generating revenue, and amazon of course just wants you to buy content. Maybe I’m underestimating content revenue for Google.
I was strongly considering the SGS3 next month, but after seeing this a link up of the Nexus 7 and Galaxy Nexus might be a stronger option for me. It would be really useful for developing also to have a tablet preloaded with jellybean for testing quickly and not relying on the emulator
The SGS3 does look nice, but in the end is it worth paying a premium for quad-core(assuming you get it in Italy) and slower updates, versus a cheaper phone(Galaxy Nexus) with an almost as nice screen that’s going to get Jelly Bean very soon and will likely get the next major update soon after the new Nexus launches?
I have a Galaxy Nexus and tend to get the new Nexus every year. I don’t need a tablet(I doubt many people do, really) but for Netflix and reading, £159 is a hell of a deal.
This is pretty much my thinking. The S3 has some really nice software, but the idea of updates a month after release just sways me away from it. Plus jelly bean seems to creep upon some of the S3 features anyway. Plus, given if I spend around 300-350 on the nexus/500 on the S3, the price gap almost makes up for the tablet!
As for getting it in Italy, its released here, but I am moving back to the UK in 2 weeks for at least a year, and the nexus phone/tablet together would be a nice way to start the year don’t you think!
Been waiting for a sub-$250 7″ with no compromises to supplement the iPad that my wife uses most of the time ;). Looks like this is it…just ordered. Thanks for the quick review, Josh!
It’s quite a feat how cheap this is for how much you get.
It wasn’t even 1.5 years ago that Motorola was trying to sell the Xoom, which is worse in almost every way except screen size and mobile connectivity, for 4x the price.
This makes me reassess how much phones should be costing, especially with carrier subsidies.
Later, when I left the hotel for the airport, Google Now presented me with a map and an estimated travel time of 27 minutes without having been asked to do so.
This is awesome.
Ecosystem 7/10 – even though Android is still seriously lacking tablet-optimized apps. I get that you get easily excited by new gadgets, Josh, but that’s really not an objective rating. The rest of the review is great, though.
No rating as a decision by a human is objective.
There really is a fair amount of tablet optimized app’s. And as the review said, when it comes to the difference between a 4 inch phone and a 7 inch tablet it really isn’t that great a difference. Ecosystem is not simply rated on how many columns the official twitter app can hold! Plus its a review, its never going to be objective.
Was really hoping to see a sample of how that camera/mic worked in Google hangouts or similar.
Every review mentions it is designed for that and then completely ignores testing it.
Also – how could you tease that you got a camera app to work with the camera and then not post any samples at all, Josh?
I mean we all know it is meant to be nothing more than serviceable but it is still a review.
I’d love to actually see a couple of shots with it to look at for myself.
Very true, but it was a 3am post the man was boarding a red-eye – maybe he wanted to look fresh for the cam P
Hope they add a video today.
Should be simple as I am pretty sure you can save and publish hangouts to youtube.
So just do a hangout with a couple of people, at least one of them using a Nexus 7.
Do a few tests with it and then post the whole thing to youtube and put a link up.
I don’t understand why a prominent Tech blog site would still be using Flash for its videos…WTF “The something” Its time to move on. I cant watch your videos on chrome browser for mobile and ironically if i wanted to watch your video review of the Nexus 7 on a Nexus 7, i sadly would not be able to, because flash is not supported. Again… WTF
I believe they have to use Flash to serve ads.
I doubt it. Google is all about adds and there no longer supporting Flash in Jelly bean or in there flagship browser.
“ironically if I wanted to watch your video review of the Nexus 7 on a Nexus 7, I sadly would not be able to, because flash is not supported.”
The video plays fine for me. Sent from my (flash-free) iPad. So I reckon you’re wrong.
This player does offer a mobile compatible version of all videos. This non-flash version is working fine right now on i-phone. What device and operating system are you having issues with? Please send an email to support@thesomething.com . We will look into it pronto. Thanks.
There will always be a better device coming out. This one meets my needs for browsing, email, books and some video and music content at a price point that is not going to break the bank. Trigger pulled.
Now where’s my Nexus 10?
I know everyone is screaming where’s the apps, but with android phones running at around 5″ is it really such a bad thing to run a phone app on a 7″ tablet?
I’ve got little issue running some of these “phone” apps on my Xoom. Would it be nice to have a dedicated tablet app instead? Sure but it’s not a deal breaker.
So no, running these apps on a 7″ screen when my phone is 4.65″ won’t be an issue at all. It won’t be long until there is more Android tablet support for Android.
Can’t decide if I should buy this or a new nexus phone in November.
Not to be negative, but, here’s some things to think about HDMI, OTG, MHL, SD, CAM, and, 5.9 GB available free on the 8 GB model.
If you can live w/ this, then OK.
Here are my thoughts
HDMI – don’t care
OTG – don’t care
MHL – don’t care
SD slot – don’t care
CAM – don’t care
8/16GB total – don’t care
You know I was there with the HDMI port. Not with the other features you mentioned. But it makes sense, 20 minutes later they presented the Nexus Q, I think Google’s idea is to connect your tv with your devices through the Q, and not directly, which is way more comfortable if you just think about it. And now that I’m writting this IT TOTALLY MAKES SENSE!
I’ve never understood the fascination of hooking up your phone or tablet to a HDTV. I have better and more capable devices to do that with.
Nhat’s, don’t you care that you will only be able to install 5 to 8 high end apps (games) on the 8 gig model. Sry, that will matter a few months down the road.
Would you also buy a corvette, with a fast engine, but w/ a 6 gallon gas tank?
I have 32GB on my Galaxy Nexus and I have yet to use half of that space. I agree that 8GB is far too small but that’s what the cloud is for.
A lot of people bought the Bugatti Veyron even though it gets terrible MPGs and doesn’t have a large enough gas tank.
It sounds like a certain few people in the comments have forgotten that this is supposed to take on the Kindle Fire and not the iPad. Let it be already.
Good point; and by the way, Thesomething score for the Nexus 7 comes to 7.75. Just saying.
you can do that with all their scores, the only people who point it out though are the people who disagree i guess (we can smell our own lol)
This is $200, yet a phone still costs me like $700 unlocked… I totally get it, it’s just that I don’t get it at all haha.
They don’t charge a ton for phones expecting you to buy them they charge a ton so that you will buy them From a carrier subsidized. It a conspiracy with the carriers..
You have the cart before the horse.
They charge a bunch because they can. Carriers give subsidies so phone makers are now trying to take advantage of this fact.
Horse’s can totally be trained to push a cart… haha
Well, this is a biased review. It all reads as if the author truly WANTS to like this piece of hardware.
I give this review a 5.1/10.
i don’t think so, i actually thought this guy was more biased towards apple (from his older reviews), i think i was wrong because this is a good review and it finally sounds like android for tablets is coming into fruition (like it already has for smartphones)
Josh has been a bigger fan of Android since they came out with 4.0 and the Nexus.
so he is biased because it’s not good? i don’t understand.
I don’t follow. Clearly this is a good device and Josh has been a fan of Android’s OS much more so since 4.0 because it is far more versatile than iOS. The device is $200 and it performs like a top contender for it’s size. Are you just trying to troll?
word, no trolling just misunderstanding )
because it is far more versatile than iOS.
first, i would avoid making sweeping statements with a strong sense of bias. Are there not enough flame wars in this thread for your liking?
isn’t that what makes android different from iOS? it’s versatility?
Bumping the scope from 7.75 to 8.8, without any explanation, sounds like this might be the case.
Wanna read a review of this same tablet from a devout Apple fanboi’s point of view?
http//www.bgr.com/2012/06/28/google-nexus-7-hands-on-preview-jelly-bean-galaxy-nexus/
nexus 7 w/amazon content > ipad………………..if only (
An 8.8 on the something? I will have to pick one up. From the looks of the video when Josh was demoing the search, it felt much snappier than Siri. I’m excited for this. Gonna have to buy one before the semester begins! Great review!
I’m still not sure what Siri does that’s any better than what we saw here.
She’s snarky
well, i tried “find local sushi resturants on my ipad. (obviously iOS 6)
Instead of giving me the first result on a map, it gave me 15 results, in a very nice (non linen i might add, just semi transparent and very flat) format, in order of nearest to me, to furthest, along with address, average yelp star review and average cost of food (in a 1-5 $$ kind of way)
clicking once on any gives you the option to call or map it out.
Generally waht people go on siri about is it’s context. You can set an alarm, and then 2 hours later ask siri to “change that last alarm” “cancel tomorrow’s alarm” the understanding of context in human speech.
to me, that part, and the geofencing (siri knows where you are) were always the more interesting aspects of the tech rather than wolfram.
That, for sure, is a definite advantage for Siri.
i’m sure we could agree that both techs are very nice
I’m getting this for my mom for her 76th birthday.
I have absolutely, positively, NO desire to own this thing.
But at $200, I’m sure as hell gonna buy one.
Possibly the most honest, and funny post, so far.
+1 for Pride and Prejudice -)
Half of the Play store Content is not available outside the US, so even with this score and Price point the tablet is of no use anywhere outside the US, which is a shame.
A few reminders
This thing will NOT sell a lot of units unless it gets picked up by a retailer that wants to advertise it like crazy.
Ipad has more commercials on TV and Billboards than all other tablets combined times ten. Even with great product you have to market them if you want people to buy a lot.
Don’t forget that Apple is a marketing company as much as it is a computer company with great products and great ads.
Nexus devices are for developers, hackers, and technology enthusiasts, not for the general public. Jelly Bean is a way more refined than previous versions of android. I’m running it on my Verizon Galaxy Nexus and I love it. It’s very good.
can something like this play amazon instant video just fine?
i have a kindle and love using prime for some tv series
Yes, there’s an app for that
cool – hopefully someone can demonstrate how this app looks on the nexus 7
If I have an Ipad why would I want to buy this? (serious question)
If I own a Porsche GT3RS, why would I want to buy a Ferrari 458? (not so serious question)
to impress the ladies?
Underhung?
You might not want to. The iPad is pretty nice. I have the iPad 3, but I just signed up to buy one of these (it’s the google now thing that’s really pulling me in) and I’m going to sell my iPad as soon as it gets here.
But to answer your question better, I think the google now thing is a pretty killer feature. Always have a mapped/time estimated route back to a place you need to go is awesome. It’s light, probably not as scratch prone (at least not the back) and it’s tossable… You’re less likely to get mugged for it. You don’t look as ostentatious carrying it around. You get geek cred. It’s lighter, so you won’t develop as many strange, before unseen medical ailments from it (Think Wii related pains from a few years back). Additionally, Android is better integrated (easier to share things more ways) and has less throwback design influence. ICS is awesome, if you don’t know. I assume Jelly Bean is awesomer. -)
>You’re less likely to get mugged for it
I am sold. I am getting one for every one of my family members.
bahaha
I dunno where you must be to encounter thieves with discerning tastes.
A thief is a thief.
I live on the earth, where more money can be had for a stolen iPad than a stolen Nexus 7.
What planet are you from?
haha! the same one that a thief won’t second guess anything if they’re going to steal. Money could be had with either item, you really think a thief is keen enough/will be able to sell something at fair market price. Let me know when somebody does a report on a thieves likelihood to be a product snob.
Again a thief is a thief.
I don’t know why you’re equating thieves with fools. They’re clearly not all stupid, just immoral.
For some reason the mods don’t want us to dance. Perhaps we should sit this one out. While I disagree with your arguments, you dance just fine.
good question, but for $200 you can put it in the “why the f@#$ not” category
This looks awesome but i love how google just screwed every manufacture that makes android tablets by selling this at cost.
Didn’t Microsoft just pull a similar move?
I could be wrong but I don’t think Microsoft could sell the surface at cost. Yea they might make some money from their app store but not nearly enough to justify it.
This is similar to what they did with the Nexus One. The manufacturers aren’t living up to their end of the bargain, so they are stimulating the market. I suspect the other manufacturers will follow with better hardware quickly.
Oh and they screwed every manufacturer except Asus, but for most manufacturers, these are niche products, not given much effort, so it shouldn’t hit them too hard.
Yea i don’t really understand “who’s” cost? is it the cost to make the tablet? Or google’s cost to buy the tablet? If its the cost to make the tablet google must be paying asus a little extra.
In fact, it’s the first Android tablet that I can confidently recommend to buyers — and not just because it’s got a low price tag (though that certainly helps).
Hm, I find it hard to believe that Josh has spent that much time with many Android tablets if he feels this way. My $400 Asus tablet with 32 GB of storage, 10 inch screen, and the same processor feels and performs pretty damn well.
But, does it perform better than an iPad? That’s really the question for tablets. This does in many ways.
Well, I think my tablet also generally performs as well as the iPad.
i think the key word is “confidently”, while the Asus tablets are great the normal consumer should probably buy an ipad, and i would have to agree with that
How is the screen brightness? Anandtech’s minireview shows that the Nexus 7’s screen is even dimmer than the Touchpad’s, and the Touchpad’s screen is too dim for me even at maximum brightness. Can you please comment on this? Thanks.
http//reviews.cnet.com/tablets/google-nexus-7-8gb/4505-3126_7-35338333-2.html?tag=rvwBody;paginate
They have a breakdown comparison of brightness and more.
Just saw a TV commercial for the Kindle Fire, and made me think that Google is going to have to advertise this to a Amazon or Apple level if they want this to succeed as well at the Fire. Has anyone seen any TV commercials for this, or heard if Google is planning any?
I love the use of non-expensive, yet distinctive and pleasant materials, i.e. for the back.
I want this but I already have GT10.1 and a Galaxy Nexus w/ Jelly Bean. I might sell the GT10.1 to buy this, but I am afraid that I will miss the bigger screen and rear facing camera.
Oh yeah, and to all the people saying that taking pictures with a tablet is stupid, I’ll give you a few uses.
1. During Video Chat showing first person view.
2. Taking pictures of cool things happening in front of you when you’re at home hanging out with friends and family.
It’s not something I would ever use to take pictures with out in public. But I rarely use my tab in public. Mostly it’s for browsing while on vacation, at private meetings to share content. and home use. Tablets are too big to be just carrying them around.
I have seen people just carrying them around. (get a better phone with a bigger screen)
I guess I will never understand when something commenters became so one sided.
Which side is that?
Do you really have to ask? The something is a haven for Apple fanboys. Haha
Very nice tablet. Now lets just hope that developers would start making apps for tablet.
Not unless marketshare picks up.
Looks awesome! Definitely THE tablet for the masses. I’m also getting the feeling that when I eventually actually buy a tablet, I’d prefer it to be roughly this size. 10″ still seems a bit big to me.
Typo “It then repeated this magic when I landed I landed”
Should be It then repeated this magic when I landed
The something claimed that the Lumia 900 had a weak app selection and they gave the ecosystem a rating of 4.0. Then they say that Android tablets have a small app selection(probably smaller then Windows Phone) and they give the ecosystem a 7.0 rating. What gives?
One you are comparing a phone to a tablet, and two, they are indicating poor selection of tablet specific software, but most of all those other Android apps are still able to run on this, just not geared towards a tablet.
In my experience most Android phone apps run horribly on tablets. For me it wasn’t even worth installing most phone apps. But that’s just my opinion I guess.
Fair, but this is more of a micro-tablet. It is far closer in size to a phone (in feel) than a full tablet.
In my experience, it is quite opposite. Most apps I have on my phone run perfectly well on my Xoom with ICS.
Well for one this will drive the tablet ecosystem up in a matter of weeks, due to its cheap pricing and attractive features (look at the Kindle Fire). The Lumia 900 is now stuck with whatever apps there are right now, with no incentive for developers to make more.
There is plenty of incentive for devs to make more apps for Windows Phone. Mainly Windows 8. Windows Phone and Windows 8 share the exact same kernel which makes porting Windows apps over to Windows Phone a piece of cake. When Windows 8 is released expect the size of the Windows Phone marketplace to grow even faster then it already is.
What incentive? The Lumia 900 won’t even receive Windows 8.
I was talking about the Windows Phone OS, not the Lumia 800.
Because Android is better than Windows for now. Duh! Unless you actually think Windows phone 7.5 currently has better apps than Android 4.1?
This may change with Windows 8 though if they can successfully merge Windows 8 pro, RT, Wind0ws Phone 8 into one cohesive family.
This tablet looks really impressive.
It would be nice if the review was made in Thesomething office, without all that euphoria from the Google IO marketing. The device looks really promising, but I’m always suspicious when the review ends with the word “period”.
Lets not forgot that this is a pure Google Tablet that will get upgrades and love directly from Google. The main reason i want it…It is a NEXUS! That’s it, pure and simple. Love the price, love android, and of course the Google ecosystem. I’m ordering 2 of them.
Yeah, having that smirk when Android 5.0 comes out and this is the first tablet to get it, while newer, more capable tablets wait 4 months – never. P
In terms of value the nexus 7 is a clear winner over the iPad. It has 90% (if not more) of the features, a shiner OS, yet costs 40%. There is now no longer a reason to spring for an iPad, unless one is rich and only desires the best.
i agree, i hope they market it properly though
Landscape mode! Can Nexus 7 turn to landscape mode? Especially in Chrome can we view the web page in full screen + landscape mode? It seems to me all photos are taken in portrait mode…
I pray someone answers this. If I buy this, can I tv-out to my lcd tv and watch slingplayer or whatever happens to be on the screen?
No, this has been answered many times before.
My only question – this is around the ecosystem score.
How can this get a 7 in the ecosystem when there are basically no such thing as Android tablet apps?
Probably because Android 4.1 is a great ecosystem regardless of their app philosophy? What are you going to do? Give a great and flexible OS a zero because app developers prefer not to use the scaling features properly?
Anyways, if you want to nitpick every single score there are much more glaring discrepencies than the one you pointed out. Like the fact that the new iPad got a 10 in battery life for being much worse than the iPad2 battery life while this got a 7 for being quite good for a tiny battery.
Just calling for consistency, that’s all.
Ecosystem to me isn’t just the OS – it’s all the surrounding parts that make it an ecosystem – and right now, this doesn’t have it.
Tons of reviewers do not use consistency in their reviews, like the example I used from the iPad 3 review. I mean it takes 50 million times longer to charge and doesn’t last nearly as long as the ipad2 and Galaxy tab 7.7 and it gets a 10 in battery life.
I figured that people would realize by now that the reviewers impression of the device skewers the scores in all areas. If the reviewer likes the product, he will overlook more things than you and I might. That is human nature and everyone, no matter how unbiased they think they might be, has biases.
If we want truly objective and consistent scores for each sub section of a review, we would have to start letting robots do the reviews. Otherwise, we are not going to all agree on the scores.
I personally think that a 7 is way too low considering this is a new major OS release that brings some genuinely excellent features to the table.
So would you give the ecosystem a higher score if this was a 4.65 inch phone instead? I disagree with that.
7 is actually pretty low considering Jelly Bean is in any ways better than IOS6.
Honestly, they were better off just leaving the name ICS (Ice Cream Sandwhich) and tagging 4.1 next to it.
A .1 increments needs a new OS name? Should of left Jellybean for 5.0, but I guess that’s for Key Lime Pie… err v4.1.1
Seems you don’t know how Android releases are labeled. 1.0 increases reservered for major updates and 0.1 releases are for minor updates and 0.0.1 are bug fixes for the firmware. The next Android release will be 4.2.
There is such a thing as an Android tablet app, you should try looking before you misspeak.
This tablet is capable of running any app in the Google Play store, that is enough to warrant the 7.0 score.
No landscape mode and lack oif the nice tablet home screen interface are two turn downs of this tablet for me but i believe will be easily “repaired” by XDA guys. Right now i’m checking all the USA shopping services to get one. Price/features ratio seems to be a winner.
You do realize that only the launcher is locked to portrait right?
Also pretty sure that nearly any 3rd party launcher will correct this.
Oh, no i didnt! But what i loved is the Honeycomb extra buttons designed for tablets, made the device more “pc-like”.
Thank you Josh! Defiantly will pick one up!
…is the fact that the homescreen doesn’t have a landscape view.
…and I can’t figure out why Google would have removed this functionality, which was present in Honeycomb.
Well isn’t that because it runs the phone UI? Does it display all apps like it’s a phone too?
Seeing as how Chrome uses the Tablet UI, I’m guessing no.
Will the gps work on the Nexus 7 without an internet connection?
Yes, offline maps.
So if you take a phone, download a map, pull the sim card, the navigation features will still work?
Yes. GPS doesn’t require data, downloading the maps from the internet does, however.
I just ordered a Nexus 7 (I know, I probably should of checked into this first), but, I have a question that maybe someone who is more knowledgeable about Android than myself may be able to answer
Does Netflix stream HD content to tablets? Specifically, the Nexus 7 if anyone knows. Or is everything SD? I have played with Android 4.0/ICS on a Motorola Xoom (Wi-Fi), and naturally YouTube can do HD streaming, however the Netflix app appears (at first glance, anyways) to only do SD.
Thanks.
Yes, Netflix will do HD over wifi.
Should have. Should HAVE.
So what’s in the box?
My biggest question is how will this compete with the Fire in terms of the content ecosystem (not apps, but books, periodicals, TV shows and movies).
It seems to me that Amazon has an enormous lead in that arena. Yes, I know that the Kindle app will run on the Nexus just fine, but Amazon has done a few things to entice people to by into the Fire, by introducing free titles for Kindle owners. Kindle app users on non-Kindle devices don’t have free access to this content, and the number of free titles (both in books and video-based content) looks pretty large.
Awesome video review Josh, something just knows how to do this, keep it up, thanks.
These Apple vs. Android debates are getting so damn old. I mean c’mon. If you wanna have a real debate, why not make a thread on one of the niche forums and have it there instead of vomiting all over the review of a product?
It’s silly because the Nexus 7 and iPad aren’t even comparable. People who wanna spend 500 bucks on a tablet will buy iPads. People who wanna spend 200 to 300 range will probably strongly consider buying the Nexus 7. They aren’t in any of the same categories to even consider the two “competitors”.
I don’t get it either. I can understand some comparisons with the Fire, but then that doesn’t lend itself as easily to fanboy rage arguments since both are part of the same overarching ecosystem.
I own an iPad, and I’m seriously considering a Nexus, but I am also still looking seriously at the Fire, mostly due to the huge amount of content that Amazon offers compared to Google.
Thats no fun, this is more fun, I actually prefer debates here, I like reading through this.
Man all the arguing over iPad vs Android….. Really people you are your own worst enemies. The only ones winning the arguments are the ones that are putting your money into their Bank Accounts.
Ford vs Chevy. Does it really matter which is better? That is the very reason I drive a Dodge. =)
Google specifically designed it as their content consumption device after analyzing what made Kindle Fire a success. Andy Rubin has said what Android tablets lacked was a “complete” media service. This meant Google trying hard to build up Google Play Store.
I am not sure if his analysis is complete. I think Kindle Fire’s success wasn’t just Amazon having good media portfolio. I think one of the key reason is “Amazon Prime”. A lot of people who already had Amazon Prime got the device. And who didn’t get to experience for a month to try out some free media contents.
Google Play doesn’t have that much of an existing users. Also, the Amazon Prime membership (and Xbox Live membership as well) may give you a smaller market than no membership (or free membership), but it gives the service a better set of loyal paying customers.
I think Google Play (at least the media side) will need some kind of a subscription/membership program (as well as expanding the content portfolio). This membership should allow some limited free contents.
Otherwise, I am not sure Google Play can catch up to other services, or eventually a continued success of Nexus media consumption device (Nexus Q included).
Great, well thought out post. My sediments exactly.
Google is too late, playing catch up from this far back will only make defeat worse.
Google Play doesn’t have many existing users?
Every Android user is an existing Google Play user…
its good, ill be pre-ordering it shortly.
Google Play/Prime Partnership!
Im a googleholic, and even at $200 I still wouldn’t buy this. I rather spend the extra $200 – $300 for a complete tablet and just get the iPad 2.
Well, Windows 7 tablets are arguably more complete than even the iPad. They offer processors and gpu’s of a magnitude higher than anything in the iPad and Nexus7. They benefit from being able to use uncompromising software in a multi-tasking format that can both be equal and greater than what Apple and Google offer. I’m not messing with any of them, but I see the Win7 tablets as being more complete than what Android and iOS can offer. Between the iPad and this, I’d choose the Nexus. Simply because it’s good enough for the price point right now. In the future, I’d feel less bad about upgrading to something else considerably more powerful and capable.
Competition is good for the free market and especially go for inspired innovation. I would credit Amazon’s Kindle Fire for setting the value bar, while giving credit to Apple’ s iPad line for raising the usable real world performance bar.
Vapors of windows surface ebb and flow gently as the Nvidia Asus Android Google mothership lowers the boom with tablet value domination that will sell in apple-esque quantities!
Woot Woot Nexus 7
as an ipad owner (1gen and 3gen) i can honestly say that the 7 inch tablet is where it’s at and i want one, and i think if people actually tested this out they would agree, but i know everyone likes bigger
I will wait for it to drop to $99
I don’t know how the whole process works, but hopefully content providers in all the entertainment industries allow Google to get music, movies, tv shows, etc. out to the rest of the world.
$200 is such a good price.
Thank you Amazon for setting that trend.
This is looking like quite a nice little device… not that I need anymore technology in my life, but I have never owned an Android device and this is the first thats really peaking my interest… if we hit some good specials come the holidays I may have to pick one of these up.
What an Apple fanboy.
Can we agree to shun any poster that calls a reviewer or another poster any kind of “fanboy”?
I would like that. This review alone should show how unbiased Josh is. He just loves good shit.
josh, that was the best reviews I’ve seen on this tablet. I think you gave it a fair score of 8.8 and your video was very detailed and to the point. keep up the good work.
“Duarte told me that the design was intentional, not a victim of cheap parts…”
Gosh, I’m shocked that a Product Manager would call out a feature as intentional rather than cheap.
Gr8 tablet for android, eager to buy soon )
-———-
Dhanaiah
http//www.bestofandroid.com/
http//www.applehealthclub.com/
Its a game changer. All game changers should be given an automatic 9 IMO
Who needs 300,000 apps in the first place?
I never understood this “Lack of apps” argument about Android.
I have about 20 apps on my iPhone I use somewhat regularly.
I just pre-ordered this Nexus 7 tablet and went window shopping in Google Play.
Every single App I use in iOS has an Android version OR it`s equivalent.
Can you name a common/popular app iOS has that Android doesn’t have the same or an equivalent for?
Who needs 300,000 apps in the first place?
I never understood this “Lack of apps” argument about Android.
Thank you! Just an empty justification/argument.
I have about 100 apps on my iPhone and I use at least 40 daily. See how my experience is different than yours? That is why the argument can and should be made.
Where do you find the time to use 40 apps per day?
He is making stuff up to support his preferred brand.
No, I am not. Shall I list?
1.Mail
2.Tweetbot
3.Music
4.Rdio
5.Safari
6.Facebook
7.Verbs
8.Instacast
9.Photos
10.Camera
11.iA Writer
12.WTHR
13.Pocket
14.Calendar
15.Lighty
16.MyFitnesPal
17.Instagram
18.Messages
19.Settings
20.Dropbox
21.AppStore
22.Draw Something
23.Hereo Academy
24.Tiny Tower
25.Pocket Planes
26.MapMyRide
27.Streaks
28.BitTimer
29.Carcassonne
30.Path
31.Camera+
32.Evernote
33.Path
34.Google+
35.Netflix
36. SaskRider App (only during CFL Season, other wise I do always have one sports app I check for fantasy football seasons etc)
37.Flixster/Ciniplex App
38.CSR Racing
39. AlienBlue for my Reddit lovin
40.Clock
41. Calculator
42. Scotiabank App
Those apps all get used, and if isn’t one game, it is another (maybe tiny wings or doodle jump)
So why don’t you all just hush.
Haha you need to get off your tablet more and get a life if use 40 apps everyday. And padding the 40 list with super basic stuff like mail and safari doesn’t help to hide your fanboy ism at all.
i would have to force myself to get to 40 used apps in a day, lol
with that being said, android has more than 100 apps, so you are covered bro
Good/Great apps. I have bought and sold 3 different android phones because I cannot accept the quality of their apps. Sorry
I think the question there will be what you consider to be equivalent. I could say a text editor is the “equivalent” of Pages or a sound board is the “equivalent” of Garageband. Just about everything has some similar apps in the same category. But are they extremely polished, high quality apps, or just something that sortof does the same thing?
This would be a bad table to have, but how does it help me work? Are there any Development IDE’s that support tablet mode? Are there any browsers besides Chrome that will give me an experience comparable to the desktop? It’s tough to even think of leaving the x86 world behind for something based upon ARM. I really wish the AMD or Intel would get more aggressive with their tablet offerings.
So what you’re saying is that tablets aren’t for you at all. And maybe, must maybe, the Windows 8 Surface might fill that void for you.
Yea, and I made a couple of really bad typo’s. It should read “This wouldn’t be a bad tablet to have”
Surface is appealing in just the few known specs, but price (competitive with ultrabooks?) and the fact that the bootloader may be locked are issues. WinRT tablet’s have to use locked bootloader’s, but the higher end device actually running Windows 8 is a mystery. More than likely it will have a locked bootloader, but Microsoft hasn’t explicitly said so yet.
I wouldn’t put it past MS to lock it up tight since it’s their own hardware.
This looks great…love the expanded video component to the review as well
Nice Review Josh!
Lofty scoring but after watching the video review it makes perfect sense. In terms of net overall value to real world performance, this will raise the bar for every other android tablet.
I have played with several dozen android tablets, and they all felt half baked compared to the iPad, iPad 2 and iPad 3.
While the Kindle Fire was a great deal for its price, the antiquated software on the fire made it less appealing.
I have a long history of using asus mainboards in custom PC builds and they have been lovely! Sadly some of their latest boards seem to have DOA problems according to new egg reviews. Hopefully Asus’s tablet hardware returns to their history of quality construction.
I have to admit, this glowing review almost motivated my consumer side, but after that Cherrypal Asia disaster, I am hesitant to invest in any “price too good to be true” android hardware. That said, if this will work as a GPS to replace my garmin, I am going to drop by Best Buy and pick one up when they are available retail.
I wrote up a editorial posting on this subject on my blog FYI
http//priusblack.blogspot.com/2012/06/google-nexus-7.html
By the way, can we get some reports on how stylus’s work with this tablet?
I’d like to know myself. I was really hopig for it to be pressure sensitive, but since its not, I’d like to see how stylus performance ranks.
¡Yeah, I’d buy this to create some content using Sketchbook Mobile!
Am I the only who thinks that Google seriously needs Google Play giftcards? They want to promote themselves now as a content distributor & not everyone has a credit card, especially those little tykes who might want this. That alone is a pretty major market.
Smart idea since I wouldn’t want my credit card linked to my kid’s Google Play account. Thankfully I don’t have any kids yet.
I’ve heard too many horror stories from parents with kids that use their iPads.
Holy flame war, Batman.
Car analogies.
Steve McQueen Gloves on the 7, and MS has a kick stand that has a satisfying click as though a car door was closed.
At least Google didn’t make it match the leather from iCal.
nice review josh, i think you hit all the points of interest. as frugal as i find my spending habits,
i almost want a ‘smaller’ tablet to lug around and work with. i prefer the ~7 inch range over the
larger ipad. makes me wonder how popular this form factor actually is to most people. from the
looks of it i would already take this over the kindle fire without much hesitation. my only issue
is that i already own a cheap pre-paid phone, an ipod touch, and and macbook pro. having to add
a 4th or 5th gizmo to the old back-pack gets to be a little much, and i just want to condense my
devices. after seeing this i’m also sketchy on how well microsoft can seriously compete with the
surface in this market with apple and google, even if it can run full-blown desktop applications.
Why wouldn’t you get an iPhone to replace the iTouch and the phone, and go with this and the MacBook Pro?
And if you’re not that wedded to App Store content, you could have even more options for a phone replacement.
Good review, but I’m a little put off by the fact that ecosystem has taken a lesser role with the Google experience. Windows Phone was ripped from one end to the other for not having the greatest selection of apps even though it comes on great heard in many cases. What’s difference? Why would I be better off with this table with damn near no “tablet” apps than I am with Windows phone which does have some apps and much more developer support (compared to the Android tablet developer pool)? Just sayin…
Windows phone has more developer support than Android? What?
This tablet is capable of using both phone and tablet apps. The tablet apps will come now that ICS and JB are the focus of tablet OEMs.
Android has more tablet apps than WP has phone apps (yes they do). AND then all the non-optimized apps still work too.
Hundreds of thousands of apps really need no optimization. Games for instance run perfectly fine on a 720p screen whether it’s 4″or 7″ (or 10″).
And then the non-optimized apps. Does it really matter that Skype (owned by MS) is not optimized for tablets? No of course it doesn’t.
Good review! It looks like a nice machine. I like the 7 inch size but I still prefer my iPad. The thing is, like many, I have invested too much in apps and features of the iPad that I can’t just switch. The iPad as been integrated into my way of life.
Still I hope the Nexus 7 can grow into a strong competitor in this market.
Great tablet for the price. Might be supplementing my iPad soon. Too bad Android is a mess and the tablet apps on it are pure shite. Great for browsing the web and ereading though.
true true I feel the same… Migth be a “@ work media player”
With the popularity of this device, the apps will come. Just watch. It’s a repeat of the Nexus One revolution all over again.
And while Android made be messy as a whole, on the Nexus lineup, it’s a great experience….particularly on this device.
I have shadowgun on my cough iPad3 but what’s the THD version?
https//play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.madfingergames.shadowgun_thd&hl=en
https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmvJxbHWZSU
ah… i c
This is going to do for tablets what the Nexus One did for phones.
People who deride the Nexus One as a failure have never understood what it accomplished because they get distracted by the Google direct-to-consumer sales strategy flop. Everybody forgets how weak the specs of most Android phones were at the time. The Nexus One changed all that. Google laid down a benchmark. OEMs started making better devices. Developers started coding apps on the Nexus One. And Android took off.
In a year from now, lots of developers will be showing off Android tablet formats inside their apps or tablet exclusive apps. And hardware OEMs are really going to step. I fully expect that in 2013, we’ll see 8inch tablets with 1080p displays, 16GB of memory, quad core processors, etc. for $200. And we’ll be able to thank the Nexus 7 for getting the ball rolling.
comment fail…
So what you’re saying is that it’s not possible for the scenario he laid out to happen? Are you that blinded by Apple’s reality distortion field?
come back fail…
Your argument is too strong, I can’t with compete.
/s
Can I has that wallpaper?
If I’m correct, this is the highest score the something has ever given a product. What bullshit.
http//www.bgr.com/2012/06/28/google-nexus-7-hands-on-preview-jelly-bean-galaxy-nexus/
Maybe this will make you feel better about its score. Article
http//www.thesomething.com/2012/3/14/2870533/ipad-review
hi! Or did you mean to say highest score for an Android product?
What sort of volume or deal has Asus got worked out to make their margins on this? If I recall correctly, the Fire was to be a loss leader at its price point and relatively lackluster hardware in order to get Amazon purchases. But they own the hardware and the pipe, so its OK. With the much greater specs and build quality evident in the review, I’m trying to figure out how Asus will make any money off this as a pure hardware play unless the bet is that they sell hundreds of millions of them… or they have some sort of content revenue sharing plan worked out with Google. Any ideas?
Asus makes thier money from Google buying thier hardware. Google is selling the tablet at the same price or very close to it that they are paying Asus to build it. Google is paying for all advertising. Therefore Asus takes very little risk wiht a potentially huge reward.
No forward camera? Not an iPad killer then from the outset.
Your input means a lot just because of your username. I look forward to your future posts. Where can I subscribe to your newsletter?
Ipad Nano then.
The market is replete with Android tablets, but none have made a dent in iPad sales.
This tablet is bigger than a phone and some well developed phones rely upon the camera to, oh say, take a picture and update to Facebook et al.
In tablet this large they could have incorporated a phone – okay they will in the next release I lay my money down. As it is, the SN uptakers wont buy it.
With its size and price point, the Nexus 7 was never supposed to be a contender with the iPad. It’s also not meant to replace a phone. Instead, it is a pocket sized, multifunctional device that can be used to consume entertainment. Its competition is the Kindle Fire and the Nook Color, both of which are children’s toys compared to Nexus 7.
as an ipad owner, i think it will dent the ipad sales because plenty of people (especially these days) don’t want to spend $400+ on a tablet, plus the 7 inch tablet is the sweet spot in my opinion (after a couple of years with my ipad it could a slightly smaller, i know first world problems), they need to market it better though
The screen is half the size of the iPad. This was never a threat to iPad.. which, in case you hadn’t heard, has a Retina display.
yea i have the ipad 3, looks great (especially w/HD movies) but it really isn’t a game changer (unless you compare it to anything that is older than 3 years of course), again the way it’s going to compete with the ipad is it’s $200 pricepoint and 7 inch screen (which in my opinion feels better than the ipad)
the nexus 7 isn’t competing with the ipad3 in any way.
I really wanted to like this tablet, and with one important exception, I do. I’ve been waiting for this to come out since it was first rumored 3-4 months ago. BUT, the lack of a MicroSD slot is a deal-killer for me. 8 or 16 GB of storage is not nearly enough these days, and the price difference between the two models is insulting. 8 GB of flash costs practically nothing. I would happily pay $250 for 8GB built-in with a MicroSD slot. Hopefully, Asus will continue their original plan and ship the MeMo 370.
a lot of vegetarians here farting around
802.11a/b/g/n. Does it have 802.11a or not?
oh god, please let it be 802.11a. I just got the Asus Black Diamond dual band router and nothing to use on the 5Ghz band.
I wrote a blog post on this topic
http//priusblack.blogspot.com/2012/06/google-nexus-7.html
like Mildred said I’m surprised that any one can make $9183 in four weeks on the internet. have you seen this web link(Click on menu Home more information) http//goo.gl/7XhkZ
Mildred never said any such thing. LIAR!
Oh that’s cute.
Admittedly I am a WP7 user who loves my Ecosystem. Currently use a fire sale Touchpad with ICS . I do enjoy it. This makes me want this tablet although I will be getting a Surface upon release. Goodjob Googs
One thing I have to say about Google is that they are good at learning how to make their products fundamentally better. Maybe at the same level as Apple. Ever since the Fire came out, it was obvious to anyone with a brain that Google had to focus on the ecosystem in their tablets. And they did it. This deserves to be a success. Let’s see if it will become one.
a 7 for Eco System?
must be a joke…
dont get me wrong, i will probably buy one, but 7 for a tablet eco system that doesnt exist is shameful
Yep. I want one. And I have two iPads already. I’ve always been interested in Android, but never enough to justify spending the money. But for 200 bucks, I don’t have to do much justification. This looks like it’s exactly the Android device I’ve been waiting for.
my thoughts exactly
This is the first Android device I actually can see myself buying. If it’s ever released in my region.
As expected from another device in the great Nexus series.
I love reading such well written reviews. Glad to hear the Nexus 7 impresses too, I’d much rather there be multiple great tablet options, rather than just one. I mean, I love my iPad 3, but I may want to try something different at some point lol.
The Asus Transformer Prime is pretty good or otherwise the Asus Transformer Infinity with HD screen.
Sure would like to watch the Video Review, but I am greeted by pink video artifacts obscuring everything.
That’s two in a row. Joshua Topolsky is now a certified Google fanboy -)
Go read his iPad reviews and you’ll know he’s not )
JT on Galaxy Nexus
“It’s one of the best smartphones ever made… and it could be the best ever ”
JT on Nexus 7
“This isn’t just an excellent tablet for $200, It’s an excellent tablet, period ”
Just sayin…-)
Lol, true. Seriously though, read his iPad reviews and it’s like he’s watching the savior walk on water. Burning water even!
Yes, but he is not leading with his opinion of iPad. I know of institutions (not individual consumers) that want to buy iPad by the hundreds or thousands (seriously). We all know of the iPad sucess story. However, to claim best in class or at least a solid contender in class, with little to no uptake by end users is a sure sign of a fan.
it’s that 40% (probably more) of apple consumers that don’t even look at other products, android will always be the underdog, doesn’t mean it’s worse, Josh doesn’t let that sway his opinion is all and i thank him for it
Can he not love both? I myself own both a Galaxy Nexus and an Iphone 4s. I love them both and they’re both excellent, but for different reason. And praising something that isn’t necessarily at the forefront of popular opinion isn’t fanboyism,. It’s appreciation of a product.
Android here I come!
I wonder if Google will advertise this device. If not then I doubt they will actually sell that many of these.
This tablet will definitely beat The Kindle Fire and Nook. Blows em out of the water. Props to Google for a good tablet. But its not a iPad and no way compares to The New iPad. Retina display all the way!
This obviously isn’t meant to compete with the iPad, and if you would use a little bit of deductive reasoning, you could have come up with that yourself. Instead, you chose the path of ignorance.
You android fanatics are funny. Mean SOBs to the end lol
I don’t see how pointing out your obvious logical flaws is mean. I’m simply trying to help you be a better human being. Hundreds of millions of years of evolution gave you one of the most sophisticated tools to observe the world around you, and you choose to waste it away by spewing somebody else’s unoriginal garbage.
as someone who owns the new ipad w/retina display, meh it’s ok, not a game changer though
16GB version already pre-ordered, can’t wait until mid-July!
It supports it.
MEH…it’s JUST another Andriod tablet. FAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Norway is VERY pissed about not having “Project Butter” in their Android 4.1’s…
http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub0GzU56YMA
Okay one thing I think that should be corrected is that the tablet is *Designed and also Made by Asus. I thought this was evident in the interviews that Asus/Google has had – they clearly pointed towards Asus developing it with Google giving feedback, not Google designing it. Just want to say because we should give credit to Asus here, they seem have done well with the back side design, given the price.
I just can’t find a list of the ports this thing has. Does it have mini-USB? Does it have a headphone jack?
How did you arrive at the 8.8 score when your totals add up to 62 which divided by 8 = 7.75? Just curious!
you can do this with all of their reviews, i don’t know why it’s like this, i would kind of like an explanation my self
“[I]n most cases, the final score is an average of those subscores — yes, even down to the decimal point. However, since it is not a weighted average, the editor reserves the right to adjust the average to better reflect the overall assessment of the product, including how the price fits.”
From http//www.thesomething.com/how-we-rate
well, the score chart is missing one major factor price (or total cost, or value).
in this case the 7 would score a 10, since it clearly offers the most at its market price level. and that would bring the score up a full point to exactly 8.8.
If only it has 3G.
I’m what you might call an Apple fanboy, but I have no trouble calling this the best Android tablet so far and I predict it will also become the best selling Android tablet ever, dwarfing the sales of the Kindle Fire.
Finally the hardware quality+OS user experience+price point comes together to make for an all-round appealing product. It’ll be interesting to see how and if Apple will respond.
Best to ignore all the iSheep comments,,, they are cultists and have blinders on… some are now panicking..it’s funny and sad at the same time
Nice to see Google going for a price point and decent product. I have an iPad 3 .. which after 3 months sits on the coffee table,,, thinking of buying an iPad Duster for it…
It’s almost like your post is just from a reservoir of troll posts where you selected one, then copied and pasted it to the forum.
This tablet is performant, handsome and is useable with one hand. Plus, it’s affordable, what makes me crazy ..
I’m kinda searching for a use-case to buy this tablet.
Personally, I can’t find a situation in which I would like to use a tablet. Why?
At home; I don’t watch TV, I am in front of my notebook. And, I am also not reading books, shame on me.
Outside; I am not using trains or busses. I use my car.
So, please tell me a use-case for this tablet, so I can buy it…
Are you serious? If this is just a shot at the Nexus 7 from an Apple fanboy, then I can’t convince you. Otherwise there are plenty of situations, for myself at least, where I could use this tablet.
First, if you read a lot and don’t like touching dirty library books where thousands of people touch them, you can save a ton of money with this. Download some kindle files and the kindle app and boom, free books that never rip or tear.(this doesn’t apply to you because you don’t read but if you ever start)
– when you are at the mall waiting for your GF when she is trying on clothes.
– when you are waiting for your car to be serviced and oil changes
– when kids are getting a haircut
– when waiting in your car for someone just pull it out if the glove box
– when you want to lie down on bed but can’t leave your notebook and notebook is too heavy to lift over your head.
Trust me though, once you get a tablet, it is so much more convenient than the notebook it is crazy. I only use my laptop for excel, word, and photoshop know. Everything the tablet is just so much better. I currently use an iPad but this applies for any tablet.
yea, i remember when i got the 1st ipad i almost took it back because i kept telling myself “why did i get this, i don’t know what to use it for”, but eventually it was easy since i travel a lot, using my ipad on an airplane to watch movies second to none (especially if you have some sweet bose noise canceling headphones) and also when you are on the couce/bed it is the best medium for surfing the web and the like, whereas with your laptop you either have to turn your body or put it on your lap, not very comfortable, and your smartphone is way too small).
i have to admit you do have to force yourself to start using it and it’s features, but once you actually do you won’t want to go back
Great review !!!
I’d buy this as it looks an excellent piece of kit, may even give my iPad 2 a well deserved rest.
Nexus 7 y u no video out?! P otherwise looks pretty awesome for a cheap tablet.
the 7 is the first really good 7″ tablet from anyone, and the price has been set at the absolute no-profit minimum. so now the big question is, just how big a market is there for that ‘tweener size, period? we’ll find out this year …
As I’m reading this review, I’m not entirely sure if you were providing us with a review or if you were marketing this device to us. Just kidding. That being said… Thank you Josh. I’m sold! I’m actually gonna pre-order one right now. This is the tablet that I’ve always been waiting for. iOS is not for me and all the previous Android tablets have been such disappointments. But this! This one right here is the one. Thanks again Josh. =)
I would be an extra $100 for hdmi out functionality. This hurts. I was so about to buy this too.
I don’t see why people are so keen on having HDMI or any other video output on this device. Most phones these days have HML ports, and removable storage, so if you have a phone then you’re already set. If not, there are a variety of cheaper ways to get media from a device to a television. Most DVD or Bluray players have external USB ports that can read a wide variety of drives from external HDDs, to SSDs, thumb drives and even tablets and phones that act like plug and play drives. Then there’s always a Roku box, Google TV, Apple TV, Xbox 360, PS3, and even cheap media center computers, all with plenty of capabilities.
In essence, anywhere you go with a device, there should be one or more ways to display your media on a television without the need for a tablet with video output.
I’m far more likely to use video out on a device like this than my phone. Usually the last thing I want is for my phone to be tethered to something when it needs to be able to receive calls, texts, notifications, etc. Having video out would’ve been a nice feature. It’s not a deal breaker for me especially not for $200, though.
I understand what you’re saying I really do. And believe me I was considering trading my Nexus S in for a Galaxy Nexus. The problem is I would still want to use my phone when I’m watching TV (Sling player) As it stands now, I have not seen an android device that is reasonably priced (Maybe the Prime) with TV out that can provide a high quality experience + tvout functionality. The issue with the prime I have been reading is that with the ICS update, there have been some issues with tvout. None of those devices you’ve listed provides me slingplayer tvout ability. (Apple TV did at one point, but for local access, not remote access). So that is my dilemma.
Also I already have a PC in my bedroom and I would like something more portable/multipurpose in my living room to use for the function.
Any word on when is this coming to international markets (Mexico, for instance)?
Think this is worth getting if you already have a VZ Galaxy Nexus?
I have a VZW GN and I just got one.
Google/Apple/Microsft/Samsung without competition is a sad world that I hope never to see. Like with any corporations, they gain market share and play defense which means no innovations.
No microSD is a joke.
There are other alternatives to expandable storage.
It costs pennies to implement and there’s clearly space.
Tell that to the millions upon millions of iPad owners, Galaxy Nexus/S, HTC One owners.
What do you need microSD for nowadays? Everything is stored in the cloud? You can use microSD if you want slower read/write speeds.
Josh, did you seriously gave a “7” score to the ecosystem?
Sorry, fantastic review in all, but this is a joke!
Also, “7” in battery life? Wait WUT?
Reading the review, I would expect at least an “8” (if not 9) in battery life… and maybe a “6” score in ecosystem…
Be happy they didn’t give it a 6 like usually.
Yeah, the iPad has the best selection of apps and the most support. But I want a tablet and this one is half as much as the iPad 2 and $300 less than the new iPad, which it’s more comparable to as far as internals go. It’s just not worth an extra $2-300 for a few better apps.
“A few”… Yeah sure.
For most users, there’s almost no difference between the applications you can get for iOS and the ones you can get for Android. Yes, iOS has a lot more applications, but to be honest, do users need thousands of fart apps to choose from? Do they need thousands of the same types of puzzle games, or platformer knockoffs, or Atari-style tilt games? Do you really need over a hundred different Twitter clients, dozens of free digital leveling tools or compasses? No.
Let’s face it, the average smartphone and tablet user frequently uses (3 or more times a week) less than 20 applications. They also only use a handful of applications on a daily basis. In other words, with iOS, you get a lot of crap to wade through so you can find something of quality, and in all likelihood it will be $1.99 for the phone version, and $4.99 for the tablet version (which has no added content, just more screen real estate).
It’s kind of funny really. You pay more for an iPad so you can pay even more for applications for that iPad.
I disagree, there are some high quality apps for iOS that are not available for Android, many provided by Apple themselves (Google doesn’t seem to be writing the same types of client apps, perhaps it isn’t their core strength). Pages, iPhoto, Garageband, Keynote are great, polished apps not available for Android. Sure there are apps that do the same general things, but that isn’t what’s being debated here- it’s apps that are as professionally designed and high quality.
I also think you’re also way behind the curve on universal apps for iOS. I’d say wading through the crap is even harder on Android because it’s more difficult to even find an app in a given category that actually looks OK on a tablet sized display.
“But I want a tablet and this one is half as much as the iPad 2 and $300 less than the new iPad”
WTF? Who thinks like this?!
Nice hardware, and Android is getting better. However, it is lacking in tablet specific apps. Google better watch their back because Microsoft is right behind you. So Google, pull your finger out.
I feel Google should have 3G variant as well(say $350) else all the talk of Google Now seems gimmick .. How would Google Notify me about the next train or delay in flight without Internet?
I don’t know about you, but my Android phone has a native WiFi hotspot toggle. For no additional cost to me, I can switch on my phone’s hotspot and use its data connection for any device I have handy. That makes a WiFi only version of any tablet much more appealing to me. I really feel sorry for people who use AT&T and Verizon.
My point was that it would be a complete package. Like I am generally using Iphone then I may not be able to always tether. Also for my work I cannot use my mobile battery to make WIFI hotspot as I have to use it for other purpose, it is costly affair for me. In Singapore 3G is better affair and we get extra sim for tablets for same data plan.
That would be nice to get an extra SIM card so we could use multiple devices on the same plan in America, I have to admit. I can see why you’d want 3G capability.
And also there is a use case – What if it is my first Smart device? Which I want to use for everything that phone does except calling and clicking pictures, I mean I am sure Google is well aware than what I am.
This would be a lot better with a cellular radio. A lot of the features on this is useful for when you’re on the go.
Not only did they directly compete with their partners, but they are selling this at cost. This is like MS giving away an internet browser back when everyone else was actually selling theirs for real money.
There is one tablet market, with a finite amount of dollars consumers have to spend in it. Every sale of one tablet not only takes away from sale of a competitor’s tablet…it also takes away a customer for the foreseeable future as the vast majority will likely never leave the competitors ecosystem .
Therefore, anyone attempting to claim they don’t care about a subset of that easily scaleable tablet market, are ignorant of reality (posters) or putting on a Public Relation stunt until they enter it under guise of not entering it (Apple, reduced price of ipad 2).
In addition, getting a foothold in 7″ is hugely important for when a 10″ nexus is released and when such 7″ users go to buy their next tablet.
Which leads to my next point in resposne to everyone who has
Can anyone explain to me the point of a tablet without 3G?Can anyone explain to me the point of a tablet that has no 3G and hence no
You don’t pay $50-$100 extra plus another contract and tether it thru your phone when you need access
Isn’t too difficult to understand
The point is I have an iPad 3 with 3G and almost never use 3G. Maybe it’s special circumstances – I have a pre-paid 3G card and also an iPhone with tethering + 3G plan so I could tether. But I got the 3G because I thought that would be inconvenient. As it turns out, the vast majority of places I use my iPad have WiFi.
The other reason is, it’s $200.
I rarely/never use 3g for data on my phone.
I`m rarely/never anywhere without WiFi.
This tablet would work just fine for me.
Couple of things wrong with this review
1. Trouble streaming to nexus Q
Nexus Q stream from the play store, not the device we’re using right now. So if you have trouble with your internet connection in streaming HD content to nexus 7, of course it will happen to nexus Q who share the same connection
2. Lack of tablet apps, twitter as example?
This is twitter fault not updating their apps for tablet and it’s not a good example, as there’s other twitter apps that is optimise for tablet like plume and tweetcaster. Don’t judge the ecosystem just because few apps developer is lazy to update it for tablet. Especially facebook and twitter who view do not focus their effort of their apps on android. That’s why most of people use alternative social apps for facebook and tweeter.
There is a reason iOS has the most apps and most frequently updated too. Priority for iOS is always #1 and after that there’s not much money to create/update Android versions.
I heard iOS just got its millionth fart app. Congratulations!
Android has more “fart” apps. Remember, there isn’t much of anything keeping an app out of the Android Market. Which is why it’s so much easier for a developer to put a straight up piece of malware on it. Apple hasn’t allowed generic “fart apps” for a while.
The fact that you even bring up malware shows just how ignorant you are.
The fact that you call someone ignorant after making a troll post about a “millionth fart app” shows how ignorant you are.
honestly, not many people care about twitter and facebook official apps. Facebook official apps is slow as turtle. Most of us is just better off using the altenatives. Friendcaster (that has been optimize for 4.0), tweetcomb (twitter app for tablet), tweetcaster, tweetdeck, twicca etc. There’s ton of alternative.
Mostly I am thrilled that Google has finally realized what a laggy POS Android is, and is doing something about it.
If you own an iPhone and play around with any Android phone in the mall, the one thing that immediately stands out, like in the first 3 seconds of using the device, is how animations are kind of stuttering. Pre-iOS that may have been acceptable. Post-iOS, it certainly isn’t. It stands out like a sore thumb.
So now they have Duarte, and apparently some people from a gaming background to fix the FPS. Even if it’s not perfect in Android 4.1, it will be soon thereafter. That is the exciting takeaway for me. Android will be a competitor. I’ll be able to look at Android phones and seriously consider them as an alternative.
I know — forget functionality and whatnot — how smoothly does your home screen scroll? That’s really what’s important here. If your homescreens don’t scroll smoothly, you’re just holding trash in your hand.
Second most important — how pretty do your icons look?
It doesn’t matter how much useful functionality you put into a piece of consumer electronics; if it’s awkward and uncomfortable to use, people will look elsewhere.
Pre-iOS feature phones were actually more functional than the first iPhone, but they were almost without exception a nightmare to use.
Kudos to Google for realising that they’re selling primarily to consumers, where this stuff is at least as important as functionality.
yah because the ui smoothness or lack there of, is only on the homescreen!
can anyone tell me if a camera is supported via the USB OTG on the Nexus 7? it would be great to use as a microscope or for some augmented reality apps. I know keyboards and mice have been tried.
I have an ipad 2, that’s great for most things, but only OK for Text; I also have a Kindle Keyboard (no light); should I buy this Nexus 7, maybe for reading books at night, for the gps? Can I stream movies from my PC to it? I need your opinion………………..
I can’t talk about the Nexus 7, but for me, going from iPad1 to iPad3 has made an enormous difference. I read loads of PDFs and the higher ppi makes that a much, much better experience.
There are multiple video apps that can stream from PC in multiple file formats including mkv and avi.
I liked the 7″ form factor for reading books on the couch, but not in bed — I found it fatiguing holding it in one hand while lying down since there’s no lap to brace it on. I use my GS2 for bedtime reading.
I haven’t used my 7″ Galaxy Tab since I bought the Asus Transformer Prime. But the GTab only has 1024 X 600 resolution. The Nexus 7 has the same resolution as my Transformer Prime, so I’m curious as to which one I’d prefer after long term use.
For reading at night, I’d suggest the Kindle lighted cover. It’s not perfect – there’s a brightness gradient from the top-right to bottom-left – but I still find it far easier on the eyes than a backlit LCD.
Ok, please someone correct me, I really think this could not be. If you sum all numbers and divide by 8, you don’t get 8.8, you get 7.8
(8+8+6+8+9+9+7+7) / 8
http//www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%288%2B8%2B6%2B8%2B9%2B9%2B7%2B7%29+%2F+8
well do you really think a camera score should be as equally weighted as performance in a tablet? probably not.
The Nexus 7 is the best Android tablet, I’m just talking about the score, its the sum of all score divided by 8
http//www.thesomething.com/how-we-rate
How many times are people going to make a comment like this before they realize there are rules, you can even find them at the end of the article!
My fault, I read the rules just now.
“the are no rules, we just give points based on our secret though.”
That was, a bigger surprise for me.
shame on you if you use a tablet to take pictures, but you still include a low camera score… Well, that shouldn’t surprise me.
Agreed … a camera is always a secondary thought on a tablet.
The math wrong. It not 8.8, its 7.8 (8+8+6+8+9+9+7+7) / 8
7.75 to be exact
http//www.thesomething.com/how-we-rate
It’s helpful if you do your research before you post. They can give a product any score they want to.
The grammar wrong.
You know when you see that an article has >1000 comments that there’s a big Apple Vs something\everything else war going on…
I think it would be a rarity for any comments on a tech news site not to degrade into Apple versus Google drivel, no matter the amount of posts nor the content of the article.
I really love the 7″ form factor. I was an Asus Transformer TF101 since launch and i have only used 4gb out of the 16gb that i have available. It’s a great tablet but I think I’d prefer a smaller, faster, and prettier tablet. I’m going to either sell it or trade it in for the N7.
Best Android app for streaming from my NAS?? Someone please recommend!!!
Dice Player Free can do it all and is the best media player I’ve used, but with one caveat — it holds your network password in clear text if you have folder security enabled.
ES File Explorer and MX Player. Map your NAS shares as a LAN server in ES File Explorer. Simple and works amazingly well on a local network.
So how exactly is this better/different than Sammy’s 7incher? That’s a sweet piece of kit also. As a KF user I’m really leaning towards a larger form factor next go-around, don’t like the shape of crApples pad, maybe wait for the Surface to come out.
This isn’t even a tablet. It’s a big phone or an lcd ereader.
Using this wildly intelligent reasoning, EVERY tablet is just a big phone or lcd ereader.
The best feature of this tablet, stock android without any 3rd party skin or stupid manufacture apps. You also sure to get quick OS updates in this device.
Reminds me of another…. nah,,.. forget it… crazy talk
I have to say I’m surprised by this tablet as well and I think I would probably agree with this review on the whole (if I had one to play with) and believe me coming from an Apple o Microsoft fan and a genuine Anti-Android voice, Jellybean seems to be the first of the OS where they’ve started putting some of themselves into the OS’ features. For me it still doesn’t address the main issue enough Security.
Google doesn’t vet any of its apps unlike MS and Apple, making each of them a potential piece of malware. I know you can stick to the bigger, more trusted names, but what about up and coming genuine studios and app developers that then can’t be trusted because they’re not as well known. If they sort out issues like these (and please don’t say that there is android anti-malware software out there, because you shouldn’t require anti-malware on a mobile platform) and they innovate some of their own original ideas into the OS and stop simply (trying to) improve other peoples ideas, I will feel comfortable recommending the OS – given that the issues Joshua has raised such as the flailing tablet app market for android are addressed also.
The fact of the matter is, a dodgy looking piece of software is usually dodgy. This isn’t exclusive to Android or mobile phones or anything. If something both looks too good to be true, and seems dodgy, it probably is.
I don’t get why so many seem to whine over no HDMI and no microSD slot? It’s a $200 tablet for crying out loud and to complain is spec snobbery true to form. Google won’t placate to a spec snob’s desire to be a digital hoarder you know (sounds like an inevitable spin off of A&E’s Hoarders, eh?). There’s no logical reason why someone would require a tablet to be capable of keeping an exhaustive local library of every jam, flick, pic and PDF he or she has ever come across. It’s looney, impractical and blatantly ignorant of the ginormous cloud that hangs over head.
Here’s a question for the spec snob Since when did a tablet become the primary media center? As far as I know, it hasn’t, and it never will be. At most, it’s for watching short clips and occasionally a movie perhaps when you’re on a plane, train or bus. I know I like to watch “my stories” comfortably on a legit TV screen where it makes sense. If I need to get real work done, I have a pretty slick laptop in arms’ reach (I’m sure not going to edit a PowerPoint on a 7-inch tablet through some hacky Polaris Office app).
I read once somewhere tablets are pretty much a sofa companion. Show of hands anyone agree (my hand is up by the way)? It’s my Roku remote when I can’t find my actual Roku remote, it’s what I use to look up Shark Tank contestants in mid-episode so I can learn right then if they’re still kicking, and it’s much more to me. But to say I’m enjoying my tablet and not criticizing the very medium that doesn’t meet some asinine criteria would be an absolute true statement.
It’s time to enjoy what smarter people than us have created, dearest spec snob. Google Play, Spotify, Amazon and others have a cutesy, cartoony clouds for you to wiggle your stubby fingers through. Go on, try it! Feels good, right? Let them worry about your storage — don’t live in fear of “what if” scenarios for not getting to your goods. We have reliable vendors and reliable connections and eventually one or the other will go down, but it’s not the end of the world, and it’s time to make peace with the fact that nothing’s perfect — not even the tablet.
I have more thoughts on the spec snob via Technorati. Check it out.
A pompous post about snobs? Also, completely specious post. Your expectations and needs do not extend through the rest of the world, no matter what your mama told you.
Renting movies and firing them out through a TV is handier on a tablet than a dirty old laptop.
Finally a computer voice that doesn’t sound like Stephen Hawking! What took them so long?
Better question yet, why hasn’t anyone updated Stephen Hawkings voice emulator?? He is only one of the greatest minds of the last century….. Apple/ Google get on it!
I just purchased mine <3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To anyone that has 1 I would like to know what the web browsing experience is like because I know that is what I will be using it for the most. Just curious to know how well it loads heavy pages, how well does it load the something?
ok.. i’ve searched online several times but can’t find any info on live wallpaper support for the nexus 7.. can someone please provide any insight? does it have live wallpaper support and if so anyone care to share what the jellybean live wallpapers look like?
JB Live Wallpaper.
Since it was announced at Google I/O I’ve been looking at the ordering page and just couldn’t bring myself to do it…. until an hour ago!
I love Google, but I really hate how it doesn’t serve Play Store in my country (Singapore)!
Wouldn’t those soft buttons eventually burn into the screen? I used to think LCD’s can’t get burn in but after reading my new TV’s manual, I guess its possible?
LCDs can’t get “burn in” by definition. What people refer to as “burn in” on LCD screens is when the pixels cannot return to their “relaxed” state. It’s present in every type of electronic device to some degree.
However, the screens on most devices are static enough that if burn in happened frequently, you would hear about it all the time. It is very rare for an LCD screen to experience this problem before the screen itself just dies.
This is one of those devices that I really want but don’t “need”. Normally I throw the word “need” around a lot but in this instance I think I might keep it in reserve because I already own a Nexus mobile device (Nexus S), and at this point I really don’t feel like I need a bigger more powerful version of my phone. Although I must say, if I had cash to splurge with I’d pick one of these up. It’s gorgeous!
All Amazon needs to do is come out with an upgaded Kindle Fire 2 device and they keep the lead again just based on content ecosystem. It is becoming a very competitive tablet landscape for sure. I am not sure the iPad is not a lesser device now compared to this new Google Nexus. I still prefer the Microsoft Surface Pro to this without a doubt though. The Kindle Fire, Nexus 7 and to some extent the iPad are toys compared to the Surface.
you prefer an unreleased product with no price or specs? instead of two real tangible products one of which is the market leader and has a much better eco system?
you’re probably the same guy that “preferred” the zune when it was announced too.
Too bad I just got myself a Kindle Fire.
I seriously can’t wait to get one of these. This review has definitely made my decision for getting seem like an even better choice.
I will be getting a surface I think
Does Nexus 7 support any kind of video out? Most importantly does it support tv-out via 3.5mm? jack like Galaxy S or Nokia N95 etc, can you check with a 3.5mm-to-rca cable plz?
I don’t really like tablets, to me are useless, I really prefer to wait the Microsoft Surface pro. But what I really like that android will screw apple xD. (Sorry for my english)
guess you’ll be disappointed then because in no way will this tablet “screw” apple.
Who wants to buy my kindle fire?
How does the something come up with the final score? Based on the breakdown, it got a couple of 9’s, three 8’s, and the rest are 7’s and 6’s, so how is the final score an 8.8? Is it a weighted average? IMO, that’s a pretty high score for a tablet that, while provides very good value in terms of price/performance, doesn’t bring anything new to the table in terms of design, materials or cutting edge features. And while Google did a nice job with JB, they still haven’t addressed the apps issue. Unless they can get devs to get on board with tablet optimized apps, what’s the incentive for smartphone owners to spend $200 to run the same apps on a screen that’s only a couple of inches bigger than their phones?
I don’t understand.. this is a week-old story at this point. Why is it still listed under “breaking” at the top of the page?
not sure if anyone else has come across this yet (very relevant for buyers in the uk); google has failed to strike deals with television networks & magazine publishers which is also the main reason why amazon abandoned their plans for a worldwide launch of its kindle fire.
http//www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jul/05/google-nexus-7-tablet-uk-launch?newsfeed=true
anyways, i’ve already pre-ordered mine and will also be getting one for my dad )
1027 … awesome bug on the table!
UBM Techinsights have done their teardown and are mentioning a resistive screen?
http//www.ubmtechinsights.com/google-nexus-7-teardown/
ELAN Microelectronics eKTF3624BWS – Controller for Resistive Touchscreen
ELAN Microelectronics eKTH1036BWS – Controller for the Resistive Touchscreen
What is going on? Is this not a capacitative screen? The specs don’t actually say.
Might be a typo on their side, or some misunderstanding. Basically, resistive screens are soft (since you need to press the upper layer down to make contact with the lower one, to register touch) and allow no multi-touch. The Nexus 7’s screen is definitely capacitative.
Oh Jushua, shut up about the “no tablet apps” for pets sake! There isn’t supposed to be! There is supposed to be ONE app which adapts (not that hard under Android) The Apple idea of having different apps is just a greed move to get people to pay more than once.
I think the point here is indeed that most apps currently don’t adapt/scale properly, because there was no effort to have an interface suited to larger screens. Twitter’s a good example.
Actually, I think the question of phone apps vs tablet apps is interesting. It’s accepted that general software may need to be bought twice to run on different platforms because of the extra dev involved. With the seemingly unified OSs of iOS and Android, there’s now one platform but markedly different screen sizes. That didn’t exist before, besides for websites (but you don’t pay for these).
So with these new OSs, it would appear the bulk of the work is on the interface, not on the bolts and gears. Does it justify paying twice for the app? Hardly, I would say. A mid-way solution could be to charge only an extra for the other version, once the first one’s been bought, to recognise this work.
Finally, there’s still the question of what you actually download to your device. Its screen size won’t change, so you may want to optimise, e.g. by not downloading the super high-res data on your phone. That’s what we do with mobile websites. Yes, I’m thinking iPhone/iPad here, with the app size blowup due to the new display. Blurring the line on Android with all screen ratios and sizes from 4″ all the way to 13″ doesn’t help either. But then this means there still isn’t one unique app, but several versions of it.
I’m sure you’ve read about it by now, but if you want to read another review by an IO attendee, look no further
Ok.. What is this massive page of crap? Where to start. I like this site called theverge. However they get lots of posts that they serve using ajax – as a result these do not get indexed. This is a test to see if they get indexed. I hope to be able to approach them down the road and say " Hey guys, missing traffic".
There are 44,768 words in this article. I am wondering if that is long tail enough.
