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I’m Not Getting a Nexus 7 – Here’s Why

Google’s new Android tablet is a hot topic on many tech blogs right now. Virtually everyone has posted a review, the breakdown photos, nitpicks, or that funny montage of unboxing videos.

I’ve heard from a number of people that they were looking forward to my tablet arriving because they wanted to read what I thought.

Well, I’ve decided against getting one. The box was due to arrive with my delayed mail today but I’m just going to send it back.

I too have been reading the reviews, and after thinking about them I eventually concluded that this tablet doesn’t do anything I want. It falls into a product niche that has both too much and not enough hardware to suit me. I know that makes little sense, so let me explain.

As I see it, there are 3 types of Android tablet on the market: budget, premium, and basic.

The Nexus 7 is what I am calling a basic tablet. Like the Kindle Fire (which I think defined the product niche), the Nexus 7 rises above the sub-$100 budget tablets thanks to a multi-core CPU, good screen, and generally decent hardware. It in fact sets a new standard for a basic tablet (as opposed to bargain and premium) but it merely joins the niche, it doesn’t redefine it.

BTW, another tablet in the basic niche is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0. The Tab 2 came out a few months back with a price of $250 and a general goal of competing with the Kindle Fire. It’s not a terribly good tablet but at the time it was good enough to compete with the Kindle Fire.

The thing is, I don’t want or need a basic tablet. I want a budget or a premium tablet; the ones in between don’t have the features I need.

In particular, the Nexus 7 is missing the second camera on the back.  I used a similar camera on my Samsung Galaxy Tab to take photos while on the show floor at CES 2012, and what ever tablet I got to replace the Galaxy tab would also need a camera.

Without that second camera the Nexus 7 isn’t any more useful to me than the Kindle Fire, and I already have one of those.

And yes, I don’t really see a need to upgrade from the Kindle Fire. The extra CPU cores, camera, and Google Play don’t interest me all that much at the moment.  Okay, the Nexus 7 is indeed droolworthy, but it’s not worth it for me to put down $200.

And I’m not alone. This morning I got an offer to take a Nexus 7 off someone’s hands. He decided he’d much rather save the funds for other gadget purchases. It’s a nice tablet, but it doesn’t quite live up to the hype.

P.S. I might end up buying a Nexus 7, but at this point I’m waiting to see what the Kindle Fire 2 looks like. Chances are it will be another $200 tablet with specs better than the Nexus 7.

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Comments


Mike Cane July 20, 2012 um 12:24 pm

Kindle Fire 2 is bound to have a CPU speedbump because that’s how tech rolls. But I don’t think you’re likelier to get a back camera on it.

cookie July 20, 2012 um 12:50 pm

How many tablets does one person need? Has that question been addressed sufficiently?

monopole July 20, 2012 um 4:34 pm

A tablet can be likened to a single window on a desktop screen. While you often have one window maximized, much of the time you have multiple windows open. For example, on my treadmill desk at home I have a "budget" 10″ tablet (Viewsonic G-Tab running ICS) to read books and manga, a 7″ Nook Color (running CM9) to control my desktop MP3 player and keep track of timing and my Android Phone to handle notifications.

The advantage of this arrangement is that there is no task flipping involved. I can immediately skip a song or remotely handle a captcha via JCaptcha.

What gets very interesting is when multiple tablets are the norm and apps function across multiple tablets and computers. For example, consider a photoshop like app which has a full screen image on a large stylus driven display/tablet (such as a Cintiq or a Samsung Note 10″) but spawns the tool, palette and layer controls to one or more tablets.

Of course PARC was doing this back in 1990.

Nate Hoffelder July 21, 2012 um 8:16 am

I’ve been wanting that for years now. Unfortunately the only place I’ve seen it is in tech demos.

Mike Cane July 21, 2012 um 12:06 pm

Well now I don’t feel abnormal for thinking I’d want to have more than one iPad. Unless you’re abnormal too. Hahaha.


Alexander Inglis July 20, 2012 um 1:01 pm

So if this is true: "The thing is, I don’t want or need a basic tablet. I want a budget or a premium tablet; the ones in between don’t have the features I need."

Why did you order one in the first place?

Nate Hoffelder July 20, 2012 um 1:12 pm

Because I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t figured out what the tablet was until after I read the early reviews.


cookie July 20, 2012 um 1:03 pm

Oh and one more thing. The Galaxy Tab 10 incher I believe came out with an adapater that connects to the propietary port allows the user to connect usb and possibly HDMI. To me that was smart, assuming it allowed them to manufacture a sleeker, lighter tablet. That adapter was I believe NOT compatible with the 7 incher.

Anyway, I would get the Samsung Galaxy 7 incher if it came out with an adapter. too bad…………..


Smoley July 20, 2012 um 1:17 pm

But… but… Digital Emperor Mossberg proclaimed that the Nexus 7 was the only tablet that stands a chance as an alternative to Apple’s iPad! How could you possibly go against the perennial wisdom of The Great Walt???

No back-facing camera isn’t a big deal, but the lack of an SD slot is the deal breaker for me. I’m going to hold off on a new tablet purchase until I see the pricing and reviews on an MS Surface.

Nate Hoffelder July 20, 2012 um 2:30 pm

Oh my god, he really did. That’s a hoot.


Syn July 20, 2012 um 2:14 pm

I’m agreeing with you Nate, and really its about the ecosystem for me. I’m tied up in Apple and Amazon, I don’t have room to get into Google’s.

Sturmund Drang July 21, 2012 um 2:49 pm

It’s about the ecosystem for me too; all about the ecosystem. I’m not tied up in Amazon, Google, Apple and I will not be. What I really would like is a tablet that lets me have the same control over my media and data as does my PC. And with the same privacy. I’ve looked at Boot to Gecko, Cyanogenmod, Vivaldi, et al and haven’t found that solution yet. Where’s the linux community on this one? Every other blog tellms me about how I can get my tablet to run the programs the way I want to, root it, patch it, sideload it. I want the website that shows me how to rip Big Brother out of my tablet by his eyeballs. I really do.


kurt July 20, 2012 um 2:43 pm

exactly
if i’m going to pay more than a $100 for a tablet

i need a good – preferably very good back camera – don’t care about a front facing at all
and most of all – a frikkin memory card slot !

Mwa ha ha October 20, 2012 um 12:57 am

back camera?????
WHY would you take a picture with a TABLET DEVICE?
it looks silly! and weird!


Mark July 20, 2012 um 2:53 pm

I’m going to repeat what I said on Twitter here.

First, The Nexus 7 runs Jelly Bean, and the difference between it and any other Android I’ve tried (and that’s a few) is remarkable. Jelly Bean is the first Android tablet OS that runs as smoothly as the iPad. So, if you want the best Android tablet experience by far, the Nexus 7 is for you.

Second, it’s a Nexus, meaning that it will remain the most up-to-date Android tablet on the market. Maybe that matters to you, maybe it doesn’t–but ultimately, it should. My wife’s Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is STILL running Honeycomb, and it’s a dog. Some other tablets are just now getting Ice Cream Sandwich. I think only ASUS has even mentioned the words "Jelly Bean" and "tablet" in the same sentence, and they say an update will be coming "in the coming months." If that’s one of your least favorite phrases, as it is mine, then again, the Nexus 7 is for you.

This isn’t just another 7″ Android tablet, by a long shot. Oh, and it also has a superior screen (to other 7″ Android tablets), a great multicore processor, and has full access to Google Play. Text looks great, which is a plus for ebook reading, of course–some of the best I’ve seen on an Android tablet. Unless you’re hooked on Amazon video, there’s nothing that any other 7″ Android tablet can give you that the Nexus 7 can’t.

Nate Hoffelder July 20, 2012 um 3:07 pm

That’s a good argument to get a Jelly Bean tablet, but it’s not necessarily a good argument to get this one.

And besides, I have an Asus Transformer. I can wait for that to be updated to jelly Bean.


waggawagga July 20, 2012 um 3:08 pm

But it’s not about you. Either post a review or shut up.


fjtorres July 20, 2012 um 3:16 pm

It’s not just the Fire 2 that needs to be heard from; B&N and Kobo, the iPad mini, and the other Jelly Bean entries from Samsung and the other Android players, big and small.
Buying a Nexus 7 *now* is like going to one of those silly speed-dating events and getting engaged to the first person to show up. 😉
If Jelly Bean is that good on what Nate calls a "basic" tablet, how good might it be on a premium model?
Unless you’re really desperate to get a 7in android tablet right now, why not play the field and see who else shows up?

cookie July 20, 2012 um 3:27 pm

why not play the field and see who else shows up?

I said the same thing to you when you bought the Pocketbook 701.

fjtorres July 20, 2012 um 8:40 pm

I did say "unless you’re really desperate" didn’t I?

At the time, I needed a toy exactly *then*.
Since my smartphone is just that , a smart phone (not a wannabe computer) I wanted to see for myself what Android was like. An educational project and a color ebook reader. Not many cheap choices at the time.
Things have changed since then. (Two years.)
For starters, everybody and their uncle is doing cheap android now.

monopole July 21, 2012 um 1:47 pm

True especially when CyanogenMod 10 is already generating demo alphas


Jim T. July 20, 2012 um 7:29 pm

"Something better" will come along sooner or later. but this week, the Nexus 7 IS that "something better."

I haven’t bought a tablet, though I want one. But the technology just seems to be reaching late adolescence. It isn’t quite mature. The Nexus 7 seems to go overboard on some features at the expense of more practical needs like expandable memory. Others seem to have the opposite problem. I can’t afford to spend my money until I can find one that has the right combination of features at the right price. The Archos 80 G9 comes closest for me, at least on paper, but the reviews are so mixed that I can’t tell if it’s reliable or not.

Maybe next month "something better" will come along.


Syn July 20, 2012 um 11:15 pm

I would just like to thank Amazon for the cheap race to the bottom. 🙂

Can’t believe the outrageous prices Samsung charged on the first tab.

Anyway, I like prime, movies and borrowing from amazon. Helpful with a public library still in the dark ages. I’ll wait to see what Amazon brings out next.


Tim July 21, 2012 um 3:43 am

I actually think the lack of a camera on the back is a good thing. There is nothing that hurts the coolness factor of Apple more than people running everywhere around using the Ipad as their main camera. No offense, but it just looks stupid. Thankfully that won’t happen with a Nexus 7. It’s not like people don’t carry around a phone they could use to take pictures instead anyway.

Mike Cane July 21, 2012 um 12:09 pm

>>>No offense, but it just looks stupid.

Who the hell cares what it looks like if it’s effective?
http://mikecanex.wordpress.com/2012/07/11/occupy-wall-street-july-11-2012/

monopole July 21, 2012 um 1:49 pm

The back camera on a tablet is very handy for bar and QR code scanning

cookie July 21, 2012 um 3:51 pm

Don’t most people want a quick way to snap a photo so that they can then immediately upload it to the internet or email it? I use my galaxy player s wifi 5 all the time for this. I suppose I can use the front camera in the same way, but have never tried, and most front cameras have lower resolution.


DavidW July 21, 2012 um 8:47 am

After all of the reviews of crap tablets that very few people would buy… now of all times you decide to be discerning? Nate when you keep coming up with reasons to avoid reviewing actual major devices you risk becoming irrelevant. I would very much like to know what you think of the tablet… AFTER USING IT. Please just review the Nexus 7 then return it.

Nate Hoffelder July 21, 2012 um 9:29 am

One, lots more people buy those tablets than you think, and I’ve had several requests to post more of reviews.

Two, I don’t like buying and returning review units. Stores don’t exist to subsidize my blog and I feel guilty each time I take something back – even though I only return broken or defective devices. And yes, everything else is either a gift, loan, or something I bought myself.

Three, no one else reviews most of those budget tablets, so my gain from posting them is higher than if I posted a review of the Nexus 7 – a device which has been reviewed extensively elsewhere.

Four, I’ll be honest with you. Everyone has posted a review of the Nexus 7 so I have little interest in putting the necessary work into the review in exchange for a minimal gain. That’s also why I don’t review the mainstream devices; after something has been covered extensively on a dozen major blogs I don’t care about it anymore – unless I can say something that no one else said.

Five, I think I did manage to say something few have enunciated in their reviews. That adds to the conversation, making this a worthwhile post.

And six, those crap tablets have taken over the ecological niche of ereaders. that alone is a good reason to continue to post the review.

fjtorres July 21, 2012 um 12:55 pm

I think you mean the "crap" tablets have taken over the ecological nice of *generic* ereaders. The flood of low end LCD ereaders has been eradicated by the comparably priced generic android tablets. And there is no question those tablets make better readers than the Literatti’s of days past.
But the eink dedicated reader market is doing fine. Or at least Kindle is. 🙂

Nate Hoffelder July 22, 2012 um 2:54 pm

Actually, he called them crap tablets. I think they’re a pretty decent alternative to the major ereaders.

monopole July 21, 2012 um 2:03 pm

I liken the split of premium, basic and budget to two analogies:

Rolex, Casio and Timex: Rolexes are nice but they increasingly have become signifiers of wealth and class over functionality, Casio’s are solid and unpretentious and "More than good enough" for real life (i.e. You are not James Bond), Timexes are cheap and plastic and have minor annoyances, but are disposable and "good enough".

Fountain Pen, Nice Gel pen, Ball Point Pen: Again Fountain pens are very nice and pretentious but you don’t dare hand one over to anybody but a trusted friend. A good gel pen is worth spending a bit more for and has distinct advantages, and when you lose one it is a bit of a sting. Ballpoint pens are ubiquitous, you would hand it over to an acquaintance without a second thought, and if it breaks it’s a minor annoyance.

In the long run it’s a ball point pen world. When Riker gives Picard a tablet does he wait around nervously for him to give it back?

Sturmund Drang July 21, 2012 um 2:58 pm

"When Riker gives Picard…" I really like that analogy. 🙂

Thomas July 22, 2012 um 6:54 am

Personally, I’d rather you review the budget tablets. Finding reviews of mainstream tablets is easy; the cheap stuff doesn’t get much attention.


JimS July 21, 2012 um 10:35 am

I am not asking you to spend $$ you don’t want to spend, and I hear your concerns about 7″ tablets, but you are leaving e-book readers without a needed perspective. Whatever your issues with 7″ tablets, people are buying millions of them, often to use as e-readers and would value your focused insight. NONE of the other reviews of the Nexus 7 I have seen have discussed the Nexus 7 as an e-reader, particularly comparing the reading experience with the Kindle Fire or the Nook Tablet. The reviewers seem to think the only thing people do with these tablets is watch downloaded movies.

I appreciate that other 7″ e-readers are on their way. However, I think the Nexus 7 probably represents a level of quality at a low price that will be hard to duplicate. Amazon and B&N subsidize their tablets from content sales, but make the reader pay a high price with their walled garden approach. Google can subsidize the Nexus 7, and strongly suggest that you wander around their garden, but you can leave that garden for other e-reader apps without having to root the device. Other hardware manufacturers don’t have the ability to subsidize hardware costs with content sales, so while their devices might be better (e.g. micro-SD slot), I don’t think they are going to be near the $200/250 prices. We will see.

I have a rooted Nook Tablet with a 32GB microSD card, and just got a Nexus 7 (16 GB obviously). Both have the same size size screen, but on my rooted Nook Tablet, the text of an e-book fills virtually the entire screen. On my Nexus 7, the text is somewhat sharper due to the higher resolution, but the amount of text is significantly less because of the screen area devoted to the notification bar at the top and the large amount of space devoted to the navigation bars at the bottom, which dim, but do not disappear. On a screen this small, a big chunk of it is unavailable for content. My current understanding is this is a problem created by Jelly Bean, not the Nexus 7 hardware. Bummer.

You sell Jelly Bean short. It is a vastly better interface than the Nook Tablet’s, even when rooted. A major advantage of the Nexus 7 is that one can install Kindle, Nook, and other e-reader apps very easily without the technical challenge and hassle of having to root the device. The lack of micro-SD slot is a real bummer. However, when I cooled down slightly I looked at the content on my Nook Tablet and realized that e-books and 800×600 photos (hundreds) take relatively little storage capacity. The storage hogs were mp3 music files, so I will have to be more selective about what music I have downloaded on the Nexus 7.

My personal jury is still out on whether to keep the Nexus 7 and sell my Nook Tablet or vice versa. I like the screen colors and saturation and the ergonomics of the Nook Tablet better, but like the Jelly Bean interface much better. Still comparing them in practice.

So Nate, even if you don’t buy a Nexus 7, borrow one from a friend and give us a review of the Nexus 7 as an e-reader.

Mike Cane July 21, 2012 um 12:12 pm

I don’t understand why Nate needs to review a device you own yourself now. Reviews are to guide people who haven’t bought.

JimS July 21, 2012 um 4:11 pm

Fair question, I guess.

1) Being aware of the smaller effective screen size for reading e-books is something that I definitely would have wanted to know before I bought the Nexus 7, but even though I read a dozen other reviews about how great it was for watching videos, I never heard this mentioned. I thought other potential buyers would want a heads up on this issue before they bought one, at least to check out if it acceptable to them.

2) I wonder whether other users have figured out a solution to the screen grab issue. I know there was a thread created in xda-developers about this issue, but no fixes yet.

3) I wonder if other readers thought I was over-reacting. The screen grab is truly horrible in landscape mode, but with a 7″ tablet that may be a non-issue.

4) What I thought was a standard effective screen size on my rooted Nook Tablet, may have been an unusual benefit of that setup not found on other 7″ tablets. I would welcome feedback on that question.

Sturmund Drang July 21, 2012 um 3:13 pm

I found JimS' post very helpful and interesting, as an reader of ebooks and as a tablet wannabe-er. I think in itself the post proves the point: We all would benefit from Nate reviewing the Nexus 7 "as an ereader".

Sturmund Drang July 21, 2012 um 3:15 pm

((Hmmm… I said "an ereadaer" and then decided I didn’t want to be a seven inch device, so I changed that phrase into one that wasn’t grammatically correct. And…..totally missed the fact I called myself a tablet wannabe-er rather than a wannabe-owner. I’m going to nap now.))


gridlockmanifesto July 21, 2012 um 2:47 pm

It really depends what you want the tablet for in reality. I have a Galaxy 10.1, and my wife has the iPad 2. They are similar but function differently, but both meet our needs (other than word processing a lot). We have laptops for everything else, but entertainment is what we like our tablets for. The only problem is that the Galaxy is so large, I started getting paranoid taking it to the store that someone would steal it in the cart, or that I would forget it in the car and they would break in. The “7” is ideal because it has the processing power and it fits into my pocket. Now, I will watch more TV on it using the Dish Remote Access App and Sling Adapter my Dish coworker gave me. I will get more out of my Dish service and see the shows I have missed this summer because I’ve been too busy. There’s a tablet for everyone.


Nate Hoffelder July 21, 2012 um 5:11 pm

This is an answer to Jim. I’m pulling it out so it doesn’t get lost in the muddle.

Another reader raised this issue a couple weeks ago, and I have been thinking about how to explain why I don’t mention the reading experience anymore.

I know that some people want to know what each tablet is like as an ereader, but that kind of detail is becoming increasingly harder to quantify. As more cheap tablets hit the market, they become less and less distinct. All too often the specific details of using one will resemble details of tablets I’ve used before.

Since they all run the same apps, the reading experience has largely become commoditized. For example, Aldiko on one tablet behaves much like Aldiko on another tablet. That puts me in a position with little to say beyond the fact that the app works. In fact, I often have no problem with putting down one budget tablet and picking up another. I might not even notice that I’ve swapped tablets, the reading experience is that similar.

If anything, the reading experience varies based on the quirks of the touchscreen, laggyness of the apps, which app I’m using, and other general tablet details. I cover all those things in the review. Or at least I try to cover them; I won’t claim to have complete success.

Does this help explain?

JimS July 21, 2012 um 6:48 pm

OK. Let me rephrase the question into one that might interest you more.

I am seeing a large difference in the effective viewable area of an e-book between my rooted Nook Tablet and my Nexus 7. This is true whether I am using the Kindle or Nook apps on those devices. 7″ does not put a lot of text on the screen at a medium sized font, and the Nexus puts even less. Looking at the Christopher Moore’s "The Fool" in the Kindle app on both at roughly the same sized font (though the Nexus 7 is higher resolution), I see 34 lines of text on the Nook Tablet but only 26 on the Nexus 7. With B&N’s "Pride & Prejudice" and the Nook app, I get 25 lines of text on the Nook Tablet, but only 18 on the Nexus 7.

My current thinking is this is a more generic issue with Jelly Bean & 7″ tablets. At the moment Jelly Bean 7″ tablets offer a sample size of one – the Nexus 7. The Nexus is currently the only(?) 7″ tablet with the higher resolution screen, which does make text look slightly sharper to me.

Alternatively, I had/have a much better e-reader experience going on with my rooted Nook Tablet than I realized. For current Nook Tablet owners, good to know.

There, I tried to frame the issue that did not require you to purchase a Nexus 7. Any better?

Nate Hoffelder July 21, 2012 um 6:58 pm

The persistent taskbar on the bottom of the screen is common across all the ICS tablets that I’ve seen, yes. The one you see on the top of the screen might be new to the generic JB install or it might simply be a quirk of Google.

Thomas July 22, 2012 um 6:48 am

Personally, I like the taskbar in ICS. My tablet has no hardware sound controls and lousy placement for the other buttons, so having those always onscreen is a big plus. In ICS, they only take up about a 1/4 inch of real estate, so I don’t think it’s a big deal.

Sturmund Drang July 21, 2012 um 11:00 pm

JimS, rooted Nook….rooted with Cyanogenmod? Also, I want to add that your issue with usable screen and available text is a big issue for me as well. Thanks for sharing!

cookie July 22, 2012 um 12:35 pm

Jim bob,
If you buy a 8 inch or 10 inch or even a 17 inch tablet you will have even greater effective viewing area. Maybe the IPAD mini will become your preferred reader.

Mike Cane July 22, 2012 um 7:28 pm

>>>With B&N’s “Pride & Prejudice” and the Nook app, I get 25 lines of text on the Nook Tablet, but only 18 on the Nexus 7.

When you say Nook app on the NookTab, you mean the one that’s *built-in*, right. You didn’t go and download the same Nook app being used on the Nexus 7? Try that and see how they compare.


Tim Gray July 31, 2012 um 3:32 am

The dynamic may be different here in the UK, because we haven’t had the Kindle Fire. The Nexus 7 is probably taking its niche: big name, low cost. I’m tempted myself, though that’s dampened by all these stories of manufacturing problems.


Lynne Connolly August 18, 2012 um 4:56 pm

I’m in the UK. I have a Nook Color, but I can’t take it back if it goes wrong easily, and I like to be able to get repairs etc. However, I got it on offer and for the price it was great. I have it running Cyanogen 7 from the SD card. It’s fantastic as an ereader and to use for a few other apps, but it’s a bit slow online and it’s still running Honeycomb.
The Nexus 7 is being bought for me, so I thought I’d use it to replace the NC. I only use my eink reader occasionally these days, and I’m an avid reader. But a device I can get from the UK, and I can put my favorite reader programs on without rooting is perfect. It’s faster and it’s got the updated OS. 16gb is more than adequate for an ereader, but what did it for me is that if you unlock it (much easier than installing Cyanogen Mod on the NC) you can add memory to it through the micro USB port. And easily reversed if the unit needs to go back.
Over here, we have cheapo tablets and the Samsung, which doesn’t have the specs of the Nexus. And costs the same, or slightly more expensive.


Riley September 1, 2012 um 12:48 am

are you nuts? Taking photos with a tablet is horrible idea man!

Nate Hoffelder September 1, 2012 um 8:03 am

Actually, a 7″ tablet with a good camera, decent app, and high resolution screen can sometimes take a better photo that most mid-range cameras. Why? It’s the 7″ screen. It lets you see more of the image than you can see on most cameras. That gives you a better idea whether you need to retake the photo, etc.


JD September 3, 2012 um 11:19 am

I’m waiting it for the mini iPad 7″ Hope it is this Oct??


Sara October 5, 2012 um 5:10 am

Well no mini iPad even on the reasonable horizon yet. And the Nexus 7 is still outselling its competitors. The ads I have seen for the new Kindle Fire HD are $499 & $599 with not much to gain over the Nexus 7. They added more storage but that really isn’t worth the price jump between the cloud and flash drives I am not even close to many storage limit on the N7 16G. This tablet has easily and seamlessly ended my need of a smartphone (only used as a hotspot atm) and my laptop.

The whole point in the tablet for me was to get everything in one, not have different pieces of my life lying all over the place. There is no need for multiple devices. And if you feel there is a need for them, then you are probably not buying the right device for you.

Rear facing camera? I thought that would be a biggy for me but, no, no, not so much. I find that I can use the front camera (with a launcher app.) for anything I may not have a camera around for and when I decided I was no longer going to upgrade my smartphone, I chose to purchase a digital camera (for a great deal on a great camera smaller than my smartphone). If you are willing to carry your tablet, smartphone, ereader, possibly another tablet etc. around with you it seems to me to make more sense to just carry one really good tablet and one really good camera, in place of all that clutter.

Also, when first looking into the possibility of getting a tablet, I was positive that I was gonna want a bigger 10.1″ tablet and looked at quite a few, I even considered a used iPad, it’s second-hand price tag being $399 (that’s a refurbished retail model)! But after reading a review of the N7 and realizing how much more versatile the 7″is with regards to one-handed use, not even possible with a 10″, I decided I would give the N7 a try as all the reviews are stellar, it was definitely the right price, I was able to pre-order & purchase it from Gamestop, allowing me to trade in items to put towards the cost and I have found that this 7″ size is all I need and that a 10″ would just be awkward and cumbersome. I am not even considering the N10, this is already the perfect size and it seems there is a very large majority who feel the same way.

There will always be "the next best thing", the rumors about what is to come, something bigger & better than what you have and so on. So if that is your argument then you should really never buy anything much less a tablet. There is always "something better" coming along, it’s called progression. To not even try something you might get a lot of enjoyment from based on other people’s perspectives or the fact that "something better will come along" leads me to think that there probably isn’t much in your life that you do get enjoyment from.

And you can go ahead and talk about niches and give tablets cute little titles like "basic", "budget", "premium" and so on but don’t file ANY tablet under any of those categories if you have never yourself even TRIED it. You have no idea what anything is like if you haven’t tried it yourself, that’s called a GUESS, an uneducated guess at that.


Gaston October 19, 2012 um 11:16 am

Tablet Photographer = Douchebag

Nate Hoffelder October 19, 2012 um 11:34 am

What the hell are you talking about?


Amaltea October 22, 2012 um 7:34 am

Obviously you are a m0r0n if you think you (or anyone else) may need more than one tablet. So anything you said from that point on is m0r0nic. Get a brain, my friend, you will have a happier life.

Two Tablets November 18, 2013 um 4:13 pm

Okay, you convinced me. Would you like to buy one of my tablets.


kwitchabichen October 31, 2012 um 2:36 pm

I have a Nexus 7 and I absolutely love it. I travel a lot and it is compact and easy to carry. I can surf the web, watch Netflix, read books, play games and take photos. It is everything that I wanted and I am really happy with it. Maybe these type of pads are not for the super computer knowledgeable folks who expect everything a custom built desktop/laptop has to offer. That isn’t what these are meant for. They are meant for folks like me that want the things I mentioned in an easy to carry package.


Alphawave November 27, 2012 um 11:30 pm

I have a Nexus 7 and love it! At first, the lack of a card slot and rear facing camera turned me off. (and no, I don’t plan to take photos with it!)
After using it, I found that not having a card slot is not a problem. I have the 16GB version, over 100 apps and am only using about 1/8th of the total memory. I have over 800 photos availabe, but they’re in the cloud, not on my tablet. Same with music.
I wanted a rear camera for scanning purposes, but found that I can use the front camera just fine for bar-code and QR code scanning. I use "pic2shop" app for scanning.


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