Max Glenister

I’ve been putting this post off, and it has been hard. I usually like to declare my love for a new gadget just moments or hours after unboxing it; I’ve had a lot of tablets over the past couple of years that I’ve done that with, only to later change my mind, so I thought I’d use the Nexus 7 for a little while and then splooge about how much I love it, here on my blog.

First of all: Oh man, oh boy, oh wow, oh geez. What a nice tablet!

Now that that’s out of the way, I’m sure that anybody finding their way to my blog, be it through social channels or key words on Google, has read enough Nexus 7 reviews since it launched, so I’m going to breeze through the details of the Nexus 7:

• Display: 7” IPS, 1280x800, 216ppi
• CPU: Quad-core Tegra 3
• Memory: 1GB ram, 8GB storage, no external SD slot
• Other stuff: Bluetooth, Wifi, 1.2mp front-facing camera, GPS, NFC,
• Android Version: Android 4.1 Jellybean
• Price: 8GB £159, 16GB £199

The Nexus 7 comes with the newest version of Android - Jellybean - which isn’t a massive leap in Android versions (like 2.3 to 4.0), it’s only a point release (4.0.x to 4.1.x), but it has with it some massive changes, such as:

• It’s faster/smoother than ICS
• Notifications have been overhauled
• Widgets are more responsive, and can be positioned more easily
• The keyboard is smarter
• It comes with ‘Google Now’
• Chrome comes as the default browser
• Gmail has been improved for tablets

Hardware

I find the 7” form-factor to be great, and the weight of the Nexus 7 is really good too.

I’ve bought a couple of accessories to use with the Nexus 7, all of which were very cheap and have been really useful:

• Gel case - Google Nexus 7 Black Gel Case - Includes Table Stand and Screen Protector
• Soft carry case - Google Asus Nexus 7 Sleeve Case with Zip - Black / Red Neoprene
• Stylus/pen - Duronic IS10R - Red Capacitive Stylus Pen For Capacitive Screens
• OTG Cable - USG OTG Cable

Software

Being a long-time Android user, I’ve already got a whole library of applications that I like to use on Samsung Galaxy S2. All of the applications I’m able to install most of the applications I’ve previously bought on my Nexus 7. I find myself using the Nexus 7 to consume information more than anything. Here are some apps that I use for that:

• 8Tracks - Play Store Link
• Google Currents - Play Store Link
• Hacker News Droid - Play Store Link
• Netflix - Play Store Link
• Reddit Is Fun - Play Store Link
• Tweetcaster - Play Store Link

As the Nexus 7 has Tegra-powered graphics, it can handle some great games. Some of the games I enjoy are:

• Batman - Play Store Link
• Final Fantasy III - Play Store Link
• GTA 3 - Play Store Link
• Max Payne - Play Store Link
• Where’s My Perry - Play Store Link
• Where’s My Water - Play Store Link

As well as the usual Angry Birds Space, Cut The Rope, etc.

Unfortunately not all games are compatible with the Nexus 7, so I’m still waiting to be able to play Worms on the Nexus 7!

Besides consuming information, and playing games, if I’m not at a computer I use the Nexus 7 to write posts for my blog using a combination of Dropbox For Android and Droidedit, I might write a blog post about that later.