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

[LIVEFRMNYC]

And yes, the 3.5" and even the 4" (skinny) screen feel a bit small to me.

Even a 4 inch screen would be a huge upgrade from a 3.5 inch. So for those who haven't went big yet, I feel they would be satisfed and enjoy anywhere from a 4 to 4.3 inch.

Now idiots like me who couldn't wait and went for these huge screens (I went for GS3 4.8 inch) , 4 to 4.3 inches might not cut it unless Apple brings something spectacular to the table. I personally don't see that happening, although I think iOS/iPhone will still be a rock solid and one of the best devices out.

 

[ChazUK]

I use my Nexus 7 all the time over my Galaxy Nexus when it is available. The 7 inch screen makes a huge difference to me over the GN when it comes to browsing, watching videos and gaming.

The extra size really does make a difference for me.

 

[Southernboyj]

Even a 4 inch screen would be a huge upgrade from a 3.5 inch. So for those who haven't went big yet, I feel they would be satisfed and enjoy anywhere from a 4 to 4.3 inch.

Now idiots like me who couldn't wait and went for these huge screens (I went for GS3 4.8 inch) , 4 to 4.3 inches might not cut it unless Apple brings something spectacular to the table. I personally don't see that happening, although I think iOS/iPhone will still be a rock solid and one of the best devices out.

I went the same route, 4S -> GS3.

 

[blackhand1001]

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'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.

Nexus phones don't use Odin. They just use plain fast boot to write images. All you have to so is run

fastboot OEM unlock

Then run
fastboot flash recovery <clockworkmod image>

That's it. You have custom recovery. You can flash anything you want. You really don't need a computer anymore at this point.

To get the phone into fast boot mode you just power the phone off and hold both volume buttons and the power simultaneously.

I prefer to do this in windows too but its still very simple even in Mac OS X.

 

[Mac.World]

Nexus phones don't use Odin. They just use plain fast boot to write images. All you have to so is run

fastboot OEM unlock

Then run
fastboot flash recovery <clockworkmod image>

That's it. You have custom recovery. You can flash anything you want. You really don't need a computer anymore at this point.

To get the phone into fast boot mode you just power the phone off and hold both volume buttons and the power simultaneously.

I prefer to do this in windows too but its still very simple even in Mac OS X.

This is the method I used most recently, using Fastboot with terminal input to fix my Nex7 soft brick.

 

[thinkinblue613]

For the N7... The weight, backing, and 7" form factor make it comfortable to hold. The plastic backing does not feel or look cheap, at all. Imagine a mix of a matte finish and leather feel. Comfy. I haven't gotten a case as it's good out of the box. Maybe a sleeve for on the go in the backpack.

The N7 covers enough surface area for one hand. I can hold it with my thumb on one side, and my middle, ring, pinky finger on the other. Even though I can't cradle it like a smartphone, being able to hold it in one hand comfortably and confidently is something I couldn't do with my iPad.

As for the GNex.. The 4.65" screen is by far my choice for a smartphone. The thicker base makes the weight gravitate to your palm more than your fingers.

The curve is more than a gimmick, it really helps make the phone feel natural. It's something I appreciated after using it a few days. I love the LED notification feature, it saves time taking a glance rather than unlocking for nothing.

 

[daveathall]

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.

This sums it up perfectly for me, I have a 15" MBP and a SGS3, I am waiting for the above mentioned iPad mini (again, if it is real) to have a look, I will decide between the two and get one or the other.

Having looked at the Nexus 7 I do not think that the S3 would take away from its usefulness.

The iPad 1 in my sig line is used exclusively by the missus.

 

[blackhand1001]

This sums it up perfectly for me, I have a 15" MBP and a SGS3, I am waiting for the above mentioned iPad mini (again, if it is real) to have a look, I will decide between the two and get one or the other.

Having looked at the Nexus 7 I do not think that the S3 would take away from its usefulness.

The iPad 1 in my sig line is used exclusively by the missus.

I'd would still get the nexus. Trust me I have an iPad 2 and a nexus 7. The ipad is gathering dust. The nexus 7 is the perfect size. If it was any wider you wouldn't be able to wrap your hand around it with one hand in portrait. Another poster a few posts up explained this as well. The screen on the nexus is likely to be better than the iPad minis as well. 1280 wide is enough to display full web pages without having to scale the pages down or have scroll bars. Android 4.1 also feels like a better os to do real productivity on. Having a file manager and widgets makes me easily use it to quickly check my calander and add appointments. It just works much better for me. I don't feel like I am in a crippled computer where I am limited.

 

[Wrathwitch]

To try to answer your question as how I see it (size comparisons):

I have an iPad (the NEW iPad) I use it for surfing, playing Zynga Poker before lights out, and streaming any video from my iMac to my ATV downstairs. If it weren't for the need to stream and facetime with my folks) I would likely get rid of it for something more modest, but I have it so why replace it.

I have the S3 and I LOVE the screen size. It makes any sort of web surfing vs my old iP4 MUCH better. However, that being said, I would not like to have to do any considerable or lengthy research or website scanning on the phone because a tablet just has much more screen real estate for that kind of information processing.

If I had to choose between a tablet OR a S3. Quite simply I would choose the S3 because overall it is just a beast and works as a phone, mobile gaming machine, newsreader, (I am also now attempting to see how I feel about it as an e-reader but not certain as I love physical books), scanner, etc etc. It is a great phone, great to text with, average photos from the camera (nothing to write home about). It is also a decent GPS if I need it. Basically if I had to choose, i woudl choose portability over size.

The form factor may be somewhat close 4.65" vs 7", but I would still choose a larger screen for the tasks that I mentioned I use my iPad for.

 

[daveathall]

To try to answer your question as how I see it (size comparisons):

I am also now attempting to see how I feel about it as an e-reader but not certain as I love physical books

I have used my SGS3 a couple of times as an E reader, just this morning awaiting a hospital appointment in fact, I find it so much better than the iPhone 4S. IMHO, the best is a Amazon Kindle though, I originally bought it for my wife, but like you, she just loves proper books and perusing the library so I use it now in the house.

 

[daveathall]

I'd would still get the nexus. Trust me I have an iPad 2 and a nexus 7. The ipad is gathering dust. The nexus 7 is the perfect size. If it was any wider you wouldn't be able to wrap your hand around it with one hand in portrait. Another poster a few posts up explained this as well. The screen on the nexus is likely to be better than the iPad minis as well. 1280 wide is enough to display full web pages without having to scale the pages down or have scroll bars. Android 4.1 also feels like a better os to do real productivity on. Having a file manager and widgets makes me easily use it to quickly check my calander and add appointments. It just works much better for me. I don't feel like I am in a crippled computer where I am limited.

Thank you very much, great reply. I will probably go the Nexus route.

 

[jedivulcan]

It's best to start with a smartphone before jumping into the tablet space. If I had to choose, I'd get a Galaxy Nexus or a Galaxy S III before I got either a 7" or 10" tablet.

I'm funny about wanting wireless portability even though I never use it. It has to have a SIM slot in it just in case. I hated not having 3G on my original iPad, rectified it and never used the 3G in my iPad 2, and was too tempted to not have LTE functionality with the latest iPad.

For me, personally, I bought the iPad and the Galaxy S III nearly a month apart. I have an iPhone. Using and sizing up the iPad and S3 to the iPhone makes me wonder how I managed to read and do half the stuff I did on a 3.5" screen.

The third generation iPad is the first one I'm really happy with. I've owned both a 1st and 2nd generation. The resolution felt like too much of a compromise. Software improved too. Split keyboard in portrait works for me. 1080p video look awesome. Nothing looks particularly pixelated.

I used my original iPad less and less when I got an iPhone 4. I bought an iPad on launch day back in April 2010. Two months later, the iPhone 4 with retina display was unveiled. I replaced my original iPhone a few months later. Even though the iPhone was tiny, with retina, it felt like the ebook reader Apple meant to release and the original iPad and the iPad 2 to some extent were the prototypes.

Tried both the eInk Kindle and the Kindle Fire. The release of the Fire last year and the introduction of the Galaxy Nexus and ICS got me interested in Android.

I tried a Nexus S but felt the screen resolution and AMOLED tech coming we're too much coming from the iPhone. The same graininess and mura issues bothered me and still applied down the road with the Lumia 900 and Galaxy Nexus.

Galaxy S III is a substantial improvement in my eye to the PENTILE and glass coating technologies of 2011. The aggressive improvement in that area won me over and I kept the GSIII. MicroSD and improved specs were a factor for me. I like the home button too. Home button with two capacitive keys felt like a good compromise vs. a row of capacitive or on screen keys.

I still use a 13" Pro for Starcraft 2, games, and things I can't do on an iOS tablet.

The Nexus 7 was the 7" tablet I wanted when I bought the Kindle Fire. I hated the custom version of Gingerbread that Amazon used. I spent more time rooting and customizing it to look more stock Android in the time I had it. The form factor was small.

It shocked me in a way because I sold my iPad 2 a month prior at the time. The advantages were the weight and the price. It was easy to hold in one hand and if I dropped it, it didn't feel like financial pins and needles to get it replaced. Oh, am I so happy that Apple did AppleCare+ on the iPad this year. Peace of mind.

I got the new iPad a week before they announced the Nexus 7. I'd planned on getting another Android smartphone eventually, which materialized into a Galaxy S III a month later. I chose the iPad over the Nexus 7 because an Android smartphone is much closer to a Nexus 7 than an iPad is to a to either of them.

 

[Southernboyj]

This sums it up perfectly for me, I have a 15" MBP and a SGS3, I am waiting for the above mentioned iPad mini (again, if it is real) to have a look, I will decide between the two and get one or the other.

Having looked at the Nexus 7 I do not think that the S3 would take away from its usefulness.

The iPad 1 in my sig line is used exclusively by the missus.

To be fair though, if that iPad was retina-equipped.. you'd probably pick it up more.

When I'm on my iMac, when I start reading articles (as I do everyday from different sites, tech and non-tech related) I almost always pick up the Retina MBP or use Google Currents on my tablet/GS3.

 

[Geekbabe]

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 adore my Galaxy Nexus, it's a GREAT phone! That said though, a phone & a tablet are two entirely different beasts, the extra screen real estate offered by the Nexus 7 will make a serious difference in your enjoyment of a lot of activities.

 

[ixodes]

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?

What's your experience?

disclaimer: I'm a tech addict

I have everything you've listed.

The SGS III & HTC One X are just different enough to be fun to compare. The best one is the one you like. My fav is the SGS III.

I've never felt compelled to compare any sized tablet to a smartphone.

My Nexus 7 is better than anticipated & I've been using Android & iOS since the first day each of these platforms entered the market.

My full sized iPad is stellar yet my preference is to leave it home since I always carry a laptop bag, backpack, or messenger bag with either one of my MBP's or MBA's plus two phones.

So my fav tablet size for mobility is 7".

Nothing beats choices & variety

 

[KneelbfZod]

I just got a Nexus 7 and I really love it. I also own a Galaxy S3 (and iPad 3). The Nexus 7 is perfect for longer browsing sessions and much easier to transport and hold around the house vs. the ipad.