Question for those who own a Nexus 7 and a Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy SIII or HTC One X

[Dolorian]

Do you find the big form factor of the Nexus, SIII or HTC One X (and similar sized phones) to be too close to the size of the Nexus 7 so as to make the Nexus 7 unnecessary, making instead an iPad a better choice for a tablet?

Here is a size comparison between the Nexus 7 and the SIII:

http://versusio.com/en/google-nexus-7-16gb-vs-samsung-galaxy-s3

Too close? I am really interested in the Nexus 7 but I am also planning to get an Android device, likely the next Nexus, or the Xperia T or maybe even the SIII and I am wondering if having a phone of that size will take away from the Nexus 7.

I ask because I recently heard from a friend who previously had both an iPhone and an iPad and ever since he switched to an SIII, he no longer needs his iPad for comfortable reading due to the big screen of the SIII.

What's your experience?

 

[BoxerGT2.5]

Do you find the big form factor of the Nexus, SIII or HTC One X (and similar sized phones) to be too close to the size of the Nexus 7 so as to make the Nexus 7 unnecessary, making instead an iPad a better choice for a tablet?

Here is a size comparison between the Nexus 7 and the SIII:

http://versusio.com/en/google-nexus-7-16gb-vs-samsung-galaxy-s3

Too close? I am really interested in the Nexus 7 but I am also planning to get an Android device, likely the next Nexus, or the Xperia T or maybe even the SIII and I am wondering if having a phone of that size will take away from the Nexus 7.

I ask because I recently heard from a friend who previously had both an iPhone and an iPad and ever since he switched to an SIII, he no longer needs his iPad for comfortable reading due to the big screen of the SIII.

What's your experience?

I have both. I will use the Nexus 7 if I plan to browse for a long time due to it having a larger screen and battery. I haven't really used my iPad that much since getting the GSIII. What was unbearable to do on a 3.5in screen, which would have prompted me to grab my iPad, is now easily done on the SIII.

 

[725032]

I have a nexus 7 and absolutely love it.

I would recommend it 100%

 

[aznguyen316]

I haven't handled the Nexus 7, but I have the S3 and it feels like a phone still. I have smaller asian hands and most tasks I can one hand still. I can also slip it in and out of my pocket rather easily which I cannot imagine a 7" tablet of doing. So I would say no it most likely is not too close. The s3 has a very slim bezel which helps the size of the phone for the massive screen size.

 

[Dolorian]

What was unbearable to do on a 3.5in screen, which would have prompted me to grab my iPad, is now easily done on the SIII.

Hmm, so what prompts you to grab the Nexus 7 then if the SIII takes away the need to grab the iPad (which is bigger than the Nexus 7)? You kind of contradicted your first sentence here.

 

[rrl]

Getting both for $550 is a great deal, and one's also a phone. If only the 7 had a built-in stylus...

 

[Southernboyj]

I've owned all 3 iPad generations, all iPhone generations, the Nexus 7, and the Galaxy S3. I'd say it really depends. Do you have a laptop?

 

[Dolorian]

Do you have a laptop?

Yes, I have a 15" MacBook Pro.

 

[Southernboyj]

Yes, I have a 15" MacBook Pro.

Ok same here, I have the retina MBP. I'm feeling the best situation for a MacBook + Galaxy S3 owner would be to wait and get the 7.85" iPad Mini (if it is real). Because with the S3, it makes most Nexus 7 operations do-able on it.
And the MacBook makes most iPad operations do-able.

With all that being said, the Nexus 7 is a GREAT device, so is the 3rd gen iPad.

So if you feel like Galaxy S3 + one of those tablets + MacBook is what you want, then you can't really go wrong.

 

[blackhand1001]

Do you find the big form factor of the Nexus, SIII or HTC One X (and similar sized phones) to be too close to the size of the Nexus 7 so as to make the Nexus 7 unnecessary, making instead an iPad a better choice for a tablet?

Here is a size comparison between the Nexus 7 and the SIII:

http://versusio.com/en/google-nexus-7-16gb-vs-samsung-galaxy-s3

Too close? I am really interested in the Nexus 7 but I am also planning to get an Android device, likely the next Nexus, or the Xperia T or maybe even the SIII and I am wondering if having a phone of that size will take away from the Nexus 7.




I ask because I recently heard from a friend who previously had both an iPhone and an iPad and ever since he switched to an SIII, he no longer needs his iPad for comfortable reading due to the big screen of the SIII.

What's your experience?

No the nexus 7 is much much larger than the galaxy nexus. I have both. I am very happy with both and use both very often. I totally recommend getting the nexus 7. Its excellent.

 

[BoxerGT2.5]

Hmm, so what prompts you to grab the Nexus 7 then if the SIII takes away the need to grab the iPad (which is bigger than the Nexus 7)? You kind of contradicted your first sentence here.

As I said, if I plan to spend a long time browsing or doing whatever I will grab the nexus because when I'm done and head out I don't want my phone run down. Less than 20min I'll use the S3. More than 20min I'll use the 7.

 

[b166er]

The nexus 7 is a lot of tablet for the money. But I prefer my iPad 2 for most tasks. The nexus is a little more portable though, so it's serving its purpose.

 

[barredfreak]

All I clicked on that website was 'Apple iPhone 5 64GB'.

 

[Dolorian]

I'm feeling the best situation for a MacBook + Galaxy S3 owner would be to wait and get the 7.85" iPad Mini (if it is real). Because with the S3, it makes most Nexus 7 operations do-able on it.

Yes I can see how the S3 could end up taking away from the Nexus 7. For my part I prefer the screen size of the Galaxy Nexus (4.65 vs the 4.8 of the SIII) and find it more comfortable to hold. My first choice would be to get the Galaxy Nexus (also like it being vanilla Android, like the Nexus 7) but since the new Nexus is supposedly close to release, I think it is better to wait and see what comes out.

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No the nexus 7 is much much larger than the galaxy nexus. I have both. I am very happy with both and use both very often. I totally recommend getting the nexus 7. Its excellent.
[url=http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg4/scaled.php?server=4&filename=img20120905220244.jpg&xsize=640&ysize=480]Image[/URL]

Nice, thanks for the picture and for posting. So how do you find yourself using both? What prompts you to grab the Nexus 7 as opposed to the Galaxy Nexus and viceversa?

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All I clicked on that website was 'Apple iPhone 5 64GB'.

Yeah they have it there too But frankly I don't like the elongated look.

 

[blackhand1001]

Yes I can see how the S3 could end up taking away from the Nexus 7. For my part I prefer the screen size of the Galaxy Nexus (4.65 vs the 4.8 of the SIII) and find it more comfortable to hold. My first choice would be to get the Galaxy Nexus (also like it being vanilla Android, like the Nexus 7) but since the new Nexus is supposedly close to release, I think it is better to wait and see what comes out.

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Nice, thanks for the picture and for posting. So how do you find yourself using both? What prompts you to grab the Nexus 7 as opposed to the Galaxy Nexus and viceversa?

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Yeah they have it there too But frankly I don't like the elongated look.

Idk. Its just really nice to browse on. The extra size really makes a difference. The size is perfect in my opinion. I never use my iPad 2 ever anymore. The 7 inch 16x10 ratio is the ideal resolution.

 

[Dolorian]

Idk. Its just really nice to browse on. The extra size really makes a difference. The size is perfect in my opinion. I never use my iPad 2 ever anymore. The 7 inch 16x10 ratio is the ideal resolution.

Yeah I can see the Nexus 7 being the best of the two devices for browsing the web, watching videos, playing games and doing extended reading. I can see myself opting for it instead of the Galaxy Nexus for doing those things.

 

[Southernboyj]

Yeah I can see the Nexus 7 being the best of the two devices for browsing the web, watching videos, playing games and doing extended reading. I can see myself opting for it instead of the Galaxy Nexus for doing those things.

The retina display on the 3rd gen iPad is very very nice though.

 

[Dolorian]

The retina display on the 3rd gen iPad is very very nice though.

It sure is But to be honest I want a change from iOS and plan to make the switch to Android with a phone/tablet combo. Not that iOS is bad or anything but I am finding Android more interesting and to my preference as of late and when it comes to the phone, I want a bigger screen.

Not switching from OS X tho, I'll be dead before switching to a Windows or Linux box On desktop I'll always stick with my Mac.

 

[Mac.World]

It sure is But to be honest I want a change from iOS and plan to make the switch to Android with a phone/tablet combo. Not that iOS is bad or anything but I am finding Android more interesting and to my preference as of late and when it comes to the phone, I want a bigger screen.

Not switching from OS X tho, I'll be dead before switching to a Windows or Linux box On desktop I'll always stick with my Mac.

You sound like me a little while back. I hate using a windows machine, but it is a necessity with Android, so be warned. It is one of the main reasons I keep my HP desktop updated and all the Samsung drivers on it, along with stock boot roms of both my S3 and nex7.

iOS is just so dated and while some of the apps are more polished, are iOS exclusive and have better support, those are few and more niche apps. I got tired of looking at square icons and nothing but square icons that are lifeless with no interactivity with the user.

 

[Dolorian]

You sound like me a little while back. I hate using a windows machine, but it is a necessity with Android, so be warned. It is one of the main reasons I keep my HP desktop updated and all the Samsung drivers on it, along with stock boot roms of both my S3 and nex7.

Why do you think it is a necessity? Doesn't the phone and the tablet mount as usb drives so that you can copy any music or movies into them on the Mac? For syncing stuff like contacts, calendars, emails and the like I use Google and the apps I would get from the Google Play Store. I would prefer going vanilla Android (Nexus line) so don't think I'll be rooting the device.

Is it for backup/restore purposes? In that case I guess it can work via a virtual Machine (I have VMware with Windows XP and 7)?

iOS is just so dated and while some of the apps are more polished, are iOS exclusive and have better support, those are few and more niche apps. I got tired of looking at square icons and nothing but square icons that are lifeless with no interactivity with the user.

I feel the same. I mean, I don't think it is a bad OS or anything, but I feel it is lagging behind and that Apple has not really been doing anything innovative/interesting with it as of late and with the new iPhone 5 I see Apple just bringing out more of the same old stuff, features I don't care about (Facebook integration) and doing a very timid design change.

As far as apps goes, I won't have a problem with that as I searched for an found very much all the apps I use in Android and those that I didn't find have good alternatives.

 

[Mac.World]

Why do you think it is a necessity? Doesn't the phone and the tablet mount as usb drives so that you can copy any music or movies into them on the Mac? For syncing stuff like contacts, calendars, emails and the like I use Google and the apps I would get from the Google Play Store. I would prefer going vanilla Android (Nexus line) so don't think I'll be rooting the device.

Is it for backup/restore purposes? In that case I guess it can work via a virtual Machine (I have VMware with Windows XP and 7)?



I feel the same. I mean, I don't think it is a bad OS or anything, but I feel it is lagging behind and that Apple has not really been doing anything innovative/interesting with it as of late and with the new iPhone 5 I see Apple just bringing out more of the same old stuff, features I don't care about (Facebook integration) and doing a very timid design change.

As far as apps goes, I won't have a problem with that as I searched for an found very much all the apps I use in Android and those that I didn't find have good alternatives.

Windows is necessary because many of the programs for rooting, backups, restored are Windows only. There is one in particular for the Nexus 7 that is amazing called Wug's Toolkit. It is literally a one click program that does everything for you from rooting, flashing roms, backups, restores... Truly remarkable program for Nexus devices.
There are a lot of .exe programs out there due to XDA developers using Windows machines for Android development. I've tried using my Mac for these purposes and it is just easier with my PC. I have VMware installed on my iMac, but don't really use it. Office for Mac takes care of 99% of my Window needs.

 

[Dolorian]

Windows is necessary because many of the programs for rooting, backups, restored are Windows only. There is one in particular for the Nexus 7 that is amazing called Wug's Toolkit. It is literally a one click program that does everything for you from rooting, flashing roms, backups, restores... Truly remarkable program for Nexus devices.
There are a lot of .exe programs out there due to XDA developers using Windows machines for Android development. I've tried using my Mac for these purposes and it is just easier with my PC. I have VMware installed on my iMac, but don't really use it. Office for Mac takes care of 99% of my Window needs.

I see, I guess I'll see more clearly the need as I explore further the Android world

As far as using Windows goes, I only have VMware with Windows to test the sites I make on IE 7/8/9, no more no less

 

[blackhand1001]

Windows is necessary because many of the programs for rooting, backups, restored are Windows only. There is one in particular for the Nexus 7 that is amazing called Wug's Toolkit. It is literally a one click program that does everything for you from rooting, flashing roms, backups, restores... Truly remarkable program for Nexus devices.
There are a lot of .exe programs out there due to XDA developers using Windows machines for Android development. I've tried using my Mac for these purposes and it is just easier with my PC. I have VMware installed on my iMac, but don't really use it. Office for Mac takes care of 99% of my Window needs.

I primarily use windows, but you dont need windows to root a nexus device. All you need is fastboot and adb which are both cross platform.

 

[Mac.World]

I primarily use windows, but you dont need windows to root a nexus device. All you need is fastboot and adb which are both cross platform.

I don't recommend to new users doing this, especially with Wug's Toolkit for Nexus devices available for free. And I can't recall, but isn't Odin windows only? I think you have to use Hiemdall for flashing Android roms of a Mac. (Which I have read is a real pos program. Never used it though. Odin and mobile Odin are just so easy.)
Plus, using Fastboot and Terminal to input code can be daunting for those that didnt grow up with DOS. You can get by with Mac, it's just more frustrating to do so. And last time I checked, programs like winzip are free on windows, but cost money on Mac. I shouldn't have to pay money just to unzip or zip a tar or tgz file.
Windows is just easier to deal with on a day basis with Android, imo.

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I see, I guess I'll see more clearly the need as I explore further the Android world

As far as using Windows goes, I only have VMware with Windows to test the sites I make on IE 7/8/9, no more no less

I'm sure there are plenty of people, including myself, that can guide you along. Once you get the basics down, flashing roms, restoring backups, rooting and unlocking bootloaders is really pretty simple. And I can tell you from experience, it is almost impossible to brick an Android device. You can soft brick one, but restoring and rooting again takes just a few minutes. Which is why people are always flashing roms.

 

[Southernboyj]

It sure is But to be honest I want a change from iOS and plan to make the switch to Android with a phone/tablet combo. Not that iOS is bad or anything but I am finding Android more interesting and to my preference as of late and when it comes to the phone, I want a bigger screen.

Not switching from OS X tho, I'll be dead before switching to a Windows or Linux box On desktop I'll always stick with my Mac.

As a long time iOS user, I'm finding Android (ICS and Jelly Bean at least) to be much better than iOS 5/6. I believe it handles downloads better, notifications much better, (even with the revamp in iOS 5). I also love the ability to use widgets. Some aren't needed, but some little ones such as a flashlight toggle without needing to launch an app, are very nice. I also enjoy Live wallpapers (without jailbreaking). I still feel like iOS on the iPad feels fresh. And yes, the 3.5" and even the 4" (skinny) screen feel a bit small to me.