Should I buy the Nexus 7

[thinkinblue613]

I bought mine last week at a Staples.. they don't have a stand/kiosk for them, but you should ask the floor manager to get you one from the back. She initially said they didn't have any 16gb models but she went back and found one mixed with the 8gb.

If you want to buy it, it doesn't hurt to check it out.

The manager told me that the demand for these things have been high and Google has started to ship more of them recently.

We also talked about the defects being mentioned. She told me complaints have gone down after the first shipment. My guess is Asus fixed some manufacturing issues after the first reports.

 

[BoxerGT2.5]

Just look at the SSN on the box. C60 and you may have issues. C70 is better, C80 is the most recent.

 

[cole01]

I'm a big Apple fan, I have an iPhone 4S as my daily phone, a 2009 MacBook Pro, and an iPad 3rd generation which are all used pretty frequently but I sometimes got the Android itch. I appreciate both platforms for different reasons. That being said, I picked up a Nexus 7 on Friday and have been really enjoying it so far. The size is pretty ideal for certain purposes but have found I still prefer the iPad for certain things. 199.00 for a quad core Tegra chip, vanilla 4.1 jelly bean, decent screen, and a seemingly nicely made device is a hell of a package.

I'd say go for it! Especially to supplement an iPad first generation.

 

[rhinosrcool]

A few days ago, I received one from a forum member via the Marketplace. Not only is it in great shape, it works great. Compared to my iPad 2, the screen is crisper. Their both pretty snappy. The volume on my iPad is louder. By the day, I'm learning more about Android. Just like on my iPad, I'm using the Puffin browser for flash content; not too bad. For reading, the nexus 7 is the clear winner. Not only is text sharper but it is considerably lighter. For anyone wanting a smaller tablet to complement either your laptop, desktop, or iPad, I whole heartily recommend it.

However, if I could only choose one, it would have to be the Ipad. For me, iOS is superior to Android (it's getting closer). Also, I have way more invested in iOS. But, since the nexus 7 is really priced well, having both is very reasonable.

My nexus 7 has ssn c70 with no apparent defects. In fact, the quality is superb. Also, it's the 16gb version.

When the iPad Mini is released, between the two, it will be a tough choice.

 

[thinkinblue613]

Just look at the SSN on the box. C60 and you may have issues. C70 is better, C80 is the most recent.

Yeah, mine is a C80 and there are no issues, so far. I'm excited to have this, its making it tougher to decide whether I want to return it and get an iPad mini this fall.

Compared to the iPad, I like the Nexus 7 more due to the lighter and more portable body. Even the back plastic feels nice to the touch, almost like synthetic leather. It also feels a lot more natural to my hands than it does with a 10" tablet.

In fact, I was so comfortable with the Nexus 7 as my tablet that I sold my 3rd generation iPad. The smaller form factor suits my preferences more.

I don't know what I'm going to do when the iPad mini comes out, but for now, I am very happy with this purchase.

 

[ReanimationN]

I just want to reiterate that I frickin love the Nexus 7, I've been using mine for mobile betting through Betfair (the Betfair app is surprisingly better on Android than it is on iOS), reading books and playing a few games (Radiant Defense looks amazing on it). I also bought iSyncr and loaded up my most recent iTunes playlists onto it, as well as putting a few tv show episodes on there. Great little device. Also, it feels great, materials wise. The iPad feels cold and unfriendly when you first pick it up in comparison. I really like that leathery texture the Nexus' back has.

 

[blackhand1001]

They really hit the ball out of the park on this one. Its what the kindle fire should have been. Blazing fast, smooth operation, premium build materials, and stock android. I love the size as well. Much more than my ipad 2 from work, and the ten inch transformer I use to have. Jellybean+tegra 3 is also amazing together.

 

[Hastings101]

If you're looking for a 7-inch tablet the Nexus 7 is by far the best available. Great price and specs. Mine is fast, smooth, and easy to use. All that said, if you're looking for a larger tablet don't bother with anything but an iPad.

 

[GoCubsGo]

Yes if you need a 7" tablet.

Also, today sounds like a nice day for a ruben and a side of chips.

 

[ugahairydawgs]

It's a good tablet for sure, well built and a smooth experience with the OS. But in the end I couldn't get around the constant zooming I had to do in the browser in order to make text legible.

IMO....9-10" tablets are the sweet spot in between cell phones and PCs. Whether that's an iPad, Android based tablet, or a Surface is up to the user.

 

[VFC]

I purchased two Nexus 7s. I pretty much stopped using my iPad 3.

BTW - I would suggest installing the KOI Live wallpaper; the water surface effect is indescribable. That app alone has already sold two more people on the Nexus 7.

 

[phillytim]

Being very curious about the Nexus 7, and the Android OS, I picked up on at the store. But I just couldn't bring myself to open it, and I returned it unopened the other day.

What shied me away was the bad hardware experience that people have been reporting, the weird app situation where most apps are sized for the phone and don't take advantage of the Android tablet experience, the iPad weight is not that heavy at all to carry it around, media streaming options are practically non-existent and that Samsung/Google go the tar whipped out of it by Apple and certainly some features of the OS will be taken away at some point.

When it comes down to it, Apple really does provide the best tablet experience with the iPad. People bemoan iOS saying they're bored with it...I say that you need to either spend more time being productive in the apps or put the tablet down and step away to your life! I can't justify a $250 purchase just to tinker a little bit.

I'll put the money into the Apple TV & Airport Express to stream all of my stellar iPad experience to the TV and sound system!

 

[fr4c]

It's a very nice device and I've been using it around the house. It does what it's supposed to do and is inexpensive. Being a Nexus it will receive the latest Android OS/updates so theres always something around for you to tinker with (if you're into flashing ROMs, customizing, etc.).

 

[VFC]

Being very curious about the Nexus 7, and the Android OS, I picked up on at the store. But I just couldn't bring myself to open it, and I returned it unopened the other day.

What shied me away was the bad hardware experience that people have been reporting, the weird app situation where most apps are sized for the phone and don't take advantage of the Android tablet experience, the iPad weight is not that heavy at all to carry it around......

The iPad 3 had some h/w issues when it was released. I waited 3 months and asked for a DY prefix serial number when I purchased it.

Some of the initial Nexus 7 had h/w issues (C6 prefix serial numbers). My first one had a C7 prefix (July manufacture date) and the second a C8 prefix (August). Both were fault free (and I looked closely for every reported problem).

I installed the Android version of every app on my iPad except one (GLO). All were tablet optimized. The Nexus 7's weight advantage comes into play when you actually use it.

 

[chrisrosemusic1]

You can't go wrong for £159. I know a few people with one and they love them. I on the other hand already have an iPad so I'm going to pass for now. I may buy my partner one though from the great feedback I've seen from others.

As for the experience with Android, the OS is simply beautiful and intuitive. There are so many nice tweaks I discover almost daily and overall it's a really fresh feel after using iOS for so long.

Go for it

 

[Southernboyj]

Being very curious about the Nexus 7, and the Android OS, I picked up on at the store. But I just couldn't bring myself to open it, and I returned it unopened the other day.

What shied me away was the bad hardware experience that people have been reporting, the weird app situation where most apps are sized for the phone and don't take advantage of the Android tablet experience, the iPad weight is not that heavy at all to carry it around, media streaming options are practically non-existent and that Samsung/Google go the tar whipped out of it by Apple and certainly some features of the OS will be taken away at some point.

When it comes down to it, Apple really does provide the best tablet experience with the iPad. People bemoan iOS saying they're bored with it...I say that you need to either spend more time being productive in the apps or put the tablet down and step away to your life! I can't justify a $250 purchase just to tinker a little bit.

I'll put the money into the Apple TV & Airport Express to stream all of my stellar iPad experience to the TV and sound system!

How do you know the iPad is the best if you didn't even open the Nexus 7??

 

[NATO]

I've had a iPad 3 for a while now but I bought a Nexus 7 as I've been very curious about it because I wanted to see how far Android has come since I last played with it (Honeycomb). I used it for two days and returned it.

The reasons for return were:
1. I just wasn't sold on the 7" size. I didn't realise just how much smaller the screen is compared to the iPad 3. For web browsing, videos etc, the screen just didn't feel as satisfying as the iPad. On the other hand, it still didn't feel that portable, certainly not significantly more so than an iPad.

2. I had convinced myself that Android had a lot of things iOS did not (eg, widgets, emulators etc). However after using it for a couple of days it became apparent that there really isn't that much on Android that doesn't exist already on iOS (even if you have to Jailbreak, although equally you usually have to root Android to get the really good utilities/tweaks)

Overall I just didn't feel the screen size was as usuable as I had convinced myself it would be, and there wasn't really anything I couldn't already do with my iPad. So on balance I decided to return the device.

It's important to note that I'm not badmouthing Android - I think Android Jelly Bean is very nice, stable and fast, but since I'm fairly embedded in the Apple ecosystem is just wasn't as satisfying to use compared to iOS.

The device itself is good quality and feels well built, and has a really decent spec especially given the low price.