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[Opus Angelorum]

My iPad 2 died yesterday so I'm thinking of a Nexus 7 as a replacement.

My main issue, screen quality.

Several reviews say the IPS panel is washed out looking, can anyone confirm?

 

[gcubed]

Hmm my N7 has been randomly rebooting... and now the screen won't turn on... should I be worried?

um? I would assume that if the screen won't turn on thats a pretty good precursor to being worried

 

[kurtrussell]

My iPad 2 died yesterday so I'm thinking of a Nexus 7 as a replacement.

My main issue, screen quality.

Several reviews say the IPS panel is washed out looking, can anyone confirm?

Honestly, and trying to be as subjective as possible, I think the screen is great. No black crush, colours easily distinguishable, bright enough for all my use cases apart from direct sunlight where I found it difficult to view, but still legible.

For reference, this is comparing it against the screens of a nexus one, htc wildfire, xperia play, motorola droid razr and an iphone 4s.

 

[Dead Prince]

bought N7 yesterday. right before it even arrives my internet craps out all night. i was going to cry if i didn't get the $25 but i managed

 

[BFIB]

Good time to use that credit, since Google Play is having daily deals with apps for .25 cents.

 

[gcubed]

i really want one, but for pure technolust reasons and haven't mustered up enough to go out and get one. Have the hardware issues been ironed out?

 

[ThatObviousUser]

um? I would assume that if the screen won't turn on thats a pretty good precursor to being worried

S'all cool brah.

But I seriously might start getting worried sometime in the future.

 

[Vyer]

Hmm my N7 has been randomly rebooting... and now the screen won't turn on... should I be worried?

Yes

My iPad 2 died yesterday so I'm thinking of a Nexus 7 as a replacement.

My main issue, screen quality.

Several reviews say the IPS panel is washed out looking, can anyone confirm?

Yes. A little washed out, and its prone to light ghosting/image retention. Sometimes worse than others.

Though, it's still a lot better than the first gen Fire was, which was the only other 7" tablet I can compare it to.

 

[womp]

My iPad 2 died yesterday so I'm thinking of a Nexus 7 as a replacement.

My main issue, screen quality.

Several reviews say the IPS panel is washed out looking, can anyone confirm?

Honestly? We have a iPad 1 at home as well (It belongs to the five year old, got it super cheap when iPad 2 came out) and it looks pretty much identical IMO in terms of quality outside the denser pixels and the higher res on the 7 that is.

i really want one, but for pure technolust reasons and haven't mustered up enough to go out and get one. Have the hardware issues been ironed out?

I think in general you are going to hear more about complaints than from the people who haven't had problems so all I will say is that I've had mine since August and I haven't had a single issue. heh

 

[buhdeh]

I have an iPad 3 and Nexus 7 and I'd say the 7's screen is noticeably worse. I see much more ghosting on the 7 and even discounting the difference in resolution, the iPad's screen is just so much more vibrant and brighter. Contrast is pretty bad on the 7 and yeah the screen can look washed out with color banding being more visible.

That said, I still like using the 7 more than my iPad and at $200, it's a steal.

 

[adroit]

I'm very happy with my launch (C60) Nexus 7 but I have to say the display is not epic. It seems to have very limited dynamic range. I was wondering why video is so dark using the default (auto) brightness. So I tried switching it to manual and increasing the brightness slightly. Result: bright areas on video (like people's faces) were fried even though the darker parts of the image were still pretty dark. Watching the same video on my ancient notebook or our HDTV was just fine...faces not fried and darker colors bright enough to see detail.

So, yeah, the display is a compromise. Keeps it affordable. It's still a great little tablet.

 

[NinjaBoiX]

I want to set a folder with shortcuts to my most visited websites, how do I do this?

 

[ghostofsparta]

I want to set a folder with shortcuts to my most visited websites, how do I do this?

You can bookmark them in the browser (assuming you use the stock browser) then use bookmark widgets and put them in a folder.

Don't know how to do it through other browsers though.

 

[udllpn]

A question regarding the Google Play 25$ credit...

Once you try to buy an app (for example), is it possible to make sure that the money is going to be discounted from those 25$? Is there some visual confirmation? I'm saying this because aparently we have some more months to spend the money in Europe (20 Euros, by the way) and I don't want to find out that the credit doesn't work.

 

[BackwardsSuggestions]

Ordered mine from Google Play today. I don't have a smartphone, so it'll be nice to have something to use in Uni, during lecture gaps.

 

[mannerbot]

A question regarding the Google Play 25$ credit...

Once you try to buy an app (for example), is it possible to make sure that the money is going to be discounted from those 25$? Is there some visual confirmation? I'm saying this because aparently we have some more months to spend the money in Europe (20 Euros, by the way) and I don't want to find out that the credit doesn't work.

During checkout you're presented with a "Pay with" drop-down list.

 

[EdibleExplosives]

Anyone had any luck with a keyboard case for this? I need one for uni work but I don't really want to spend too much money.

 

[udllpn]

During checkout you're presented with a "Pay with" drop-down list.

Thanks! I'll take a look at those 0.25E apps.

 

[wanders]

Anyone had any luck with a keyboard case for this? I need one for uni work but I don't really want to spend too much money.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/280868929179?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Way better than a keyboard case. And its only $14!

Edit: Ive done my research this is probably the cheapest keyboard you can buy thats actually good.

 

[EdibleExplosives]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/280868929179?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Way better than a keyboard case. And its only $14!

Edit: Ive done my research this is probably the cheapest keyboard you can buy thats actually good.

Wow, that's ridiculously cheap. I looked up a few reviews and it seems to be very good.
This is exactly what I need since I already have a case anyway, thanks!

 

[Dead Prince]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/280868929179?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Way better than a keyboard case. And its only $14!

Edit: Ive done my research this is probably the cheapest keyboard you can buy thats actually good.

$10. not bad.

 

[Emily Chu]

pretty sure I'm breaking the 4th wall here in tablet space usability here when the app is more useful then the full site for both apps here and more

1280x800 (you can FIT ALOT in this space)

Landscape

Portrait
Netflix

Weather Channel

hell I don't even check the weather on my laptop anymore


Using Paranoid Android 2.17 + LCD Resolution app set at 107DPI it only works when installing a over a new rom as in change every other rom you want to be normal and leave the ones you want expanded like this

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wemobs.android.lcdresolution&hl=en

 

[Medalion]

My dad encountered his first issue with the Nexus 7, after last night of charging today it wouldn't turn on

I had to teach him to hold down the power button for longer than normal, I'd say about 10-15 secs the thing sprang to life

It's a lesson for a lot of electronics, for whatever reason that shit helps

 

[deadbeef]

How did you get an ad free version of the Weather Channel app?

 

[Dead Prince]

My dad encountered his first issue with the Nexus 7, after last night of charging today it wouldn't turn on

I had to teach him to hold down the power button for longer than normal, I'd say about 10-15 secs the thing sprang to life

It's a lesson for a lot of electronics, for whatever reason that shit helps

Same goes for the vita.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

Screen's back on... think it was a battery issue...

 

[womp]

How did you get an ad free version of the Weather Channel app?

AdAway? Need root.

 

[sorijealut]

So my cousin bought me the 16GB for my birthday in August.
I still haven't had much time to have fun with it or customize it, though.
Is there a Nexus7 101 guide? Apps/mods I should know about? Should I root my device?

(I realize that the thread is probably full of tips just like this but I was just kind of lazy to look through lol)

Also, anyone know about this case? I'm thinking about getting it, it looks fantastic.

http://shop.portenzo.com/bookcase-for-nexus/

 

[Opus Angelorum]

Honestly, and trying to be as subjective as possible, I think the screen is great. No black crush, colours easily distinguishable, bright enough for all my use cases apart from direct sunlight where I found it difficult to view, but still legible.

For reference, this is comparing it against the screens of a nexus one, htc wildfire, xperia play, motorola droid razr and an iphone 4s.

Yes


Yes. A little washed out, and its prone to light ghosting/image retention. Sometimes worse than others.

Though, it's still a lot better than the first gen Fire was, which was the only other 7" tablet I can compare it to.

Honestly? We have a iPad 1 at home as well (It belongs to the five year old, got it super cheap when iPad 2 came out) and it looks pretty much identical IMO in terms of quality outside the denser pixels and the higher res on the 7 that is.



I think in general you are going to hear more about complaints than from the people who haven't had problems so all I will say is that I've had mine since August and I haven't had a single issue. heh

Thanks guys, I'm really picky with screens.

Might have to see one in person.

 

[scorcho]

so as a rooted user, are there different OS builds good enough for daily use? i have some ROM manager installed but don't mind getting rid of it and wiping the slate clean if necessary. in fact i'd probably prefer it, since i forgot what i did to root and backup the device to begin with.

 

[kurtrussell]

so as a rooted user, are there different OS builds good enough for daily use? i have some ROM manager installed but don't mind getting rid of it and wiping the slate clean if necessary. in fact i'd probably prefer it, since i forgot what i did to root and backup the device to begin with.

I've been involved with the Android dev community for about three years, and I regularly compile kernels for a couple of different phones over on XDA. My advice on this would be that if you don't have a specific reason to use a different ROM on your Nexus 7, then don't do it. It's more hassle than it's worth.

Typically, a phone will have a custom ROM put on it for one of three reasons:

a) Provide functionality disabled by an operator / manufacturer
b) Provide an Android upgrade that the manufacturer no longer supports
c) Remove operator / manufacturer bloat

As the Nexus line of models are supposed to be as close to stock as possible, these points are mostly rendered moot. a) All functionality is provided; b) It's going to get the latest Jellybean (and post-Jellybean?) updates before just about any other Android device and c) There's no bloat - it's pretty much stock Android.

If you have it bootloader unlocked and rooted, you can already do a crap-ton of the really interesting things, such as USB OTG storage, full system backups, system app removal, CPU overclocking etc. Between this and the above, I would find it hard to find a really good reason to jump on a custom ROM.

Remember this about custom ROMs: They rarely work 100%. 99% sometimes, but usually you'll have 90-95% functionality. Case in point: The Jellybean Xperia Play ROM builds I'm compiling at the moment are almost fully working but still have weird glitches. Namely: Camera is fragile, Wi-Fi tethering doesn't work, sometimes strange graphical artifacts appear when browsing, and the keyboard appears and disappears randomly. At least when using an official ROM, you know that all these quirks are taken care of, and it's well worth considering if whatever perceived benefits you would gain from running an entirely custom ROM would outweigh the possible negatives.

 

[womp]

So my cousin bought me the 16GB for my birthday in August.
I still haven't had much time to have fun with it or customize it, though.
Is there a Nexus7 101 guide? Apps/mods I should know about? Should I root my device?

My buddy wrote up a very nice beginner's guide if you are interested...

http://www.reviewlagoon.com/?p=723

He put a lot of work into it.

 

[The Elite]

I picked up a Nexus 7 yesterday and I'm taking it for a test spin to see if it's a keeper before the more expensive iPad Mini comes out.

Anyways, I'm loving it so far but one thing is really bugging me... lockscreen notifications. I love the notifications I get on iOS. Is there an app that can give me a similar experience in Android?

Edit: I feel like I should root this thing? Didn't know about the DPI adjustment? Any slugishness to rooting? Will I have to restore my Nexus 7 after?

 

[JonnyBrad]

I picked up a Nexus 7 yesterday and I'm taking it for a test spin to see if it's a keeper before the more expensive iPad Mini comes out.

Anyways, I'm loving it so far but one thing is really bugging me... lockscreen notifications. I love the notifications I get on iOS. Is there an app that can give me a similar experience in Android?

Edit: I feel like I should root this thing? Didn't know about the DPI adjustment? Any slugishness to rooting? Will I have to restore my Nexus 7 after?

There is nothing that will give you the same kind of notifications on the lock screen as IOS. You can drag down the notification bar on the lockscreen to see them however.

Alternatively get widgetlocker and you can put widgets on your lock screen.

 

[WascallyWabbit]

My buddy wrote up a very nice beginner's guide if you are interested...

http://www.reviewlagoon.com/?p=723

He put a lot of work into it.

Nice. Will peruse when my Nexus comes in on Thursday

Anyone use a ebook reader app that can import the files from your computer? I hear the native app won't let you do that.

Bonus points if there are any apps that can be seen as a widget on the homescreen and previews the book covers

 

[The Elite]

There is nothing that will give you the same kind of notifications on the lock screen as IOS. You can drag down the notification bar on the lockscreen to see them however.

Alternatively get widgetlocker and you can put widgets on your lock screen.

I'll check out widgetlocker. Thanks.

Is there a Must-have app thread?

 

[scorcho]

I've been involved with the Android dev community for about three years, and I regularly compile kernels for a couple of different phones over on XDA. My advice on this would be that if you don't have a specific reason to use a different ROM on your Nexus 7, then don't do it. It's more hassle than it's worth.

Typically, a phone will have a custom ROM put on it for one of three reasons:

a) Provide functionality disabled by an operator / manufacturer
b) Provide an Android upgrade that the manufacturer no longer supports
c) Remove operator / manufacturer bloat

As the Nexus line of models are supposed to be as close to stock as possible, these points are mostly rendered moot. a) All functionality is provided; b) It's going to get the latest Jellybean (and post-Jellybean?) updates before just about any other Android device and c) There's no bloat - it's pretty much stock Android.

If you have it bootloader unlocked and rooted, you can already do a crap-ton of the really interesting things, such as USB OTG storage, full system backups, system app removal, CPU overclocking etc. Between this and the above, I would find it hard to find a really good reason to jump on a custom ROM.

Remember this about custom ROMs: They rarely work 100%. 99% sometimes, but usually you'll have 90-95% functionality. Case in point: The Jellybean Xperia Play ROM builds I'm compiling at the moment are almost fully working but still have weird glitches. Namely: Camera is fragile, Wi-Fi tethering doesn't work, sometimes strange graphical artifacts appear when browsing, and the keyboard appears and disappears randomly. At least when using an official ROM, you know that all these quirks are taken care of, and it's well worth considering if whatever perceived benefits you would gain from running an entirely custom ROM would outweigh the possible negatives.

thanks for this. you just saved me a couple of hours of hurt

 

[sorijealut]

My buddy wrote up a very nice beginner's guide if you are interested...

http://www.reviewlagoon.com/?p=723

He put a lot of work into it.

Wow, this is exactly what I was looking for.
Thank you and your awesome friend!

 

[The Elite]

My buddy wrote up a very nice beginner's guide if you are interested...

http://www.reviewlagoon.com/?p=723

He put a lot of work into it.

This is very well written.

 

[M_A_C]

there's someone selling a Nexus 7 16gb on craigslist in my area for $200. Is there any reason that it's a bad idea to get one of these used? I can just wipe it or something to everything of his off of it right?

 

[Takuan]

My iPad 2 died yesterday so I'm thinking of a Nexus 7 as a replacement.

My main issue, screen quality.

Several reviews say the IPS panel is washed out looking, can anyone confirm?

First thing I noticed when my coworker brought his in. I don't know if that's something that can be adjusted in settings, but the difference between the N7 and my GS2 was immediately noticeable.

 

[womp]

there's someone selling a Nexus 7 16gb on craigslist in my area for $200. Is there any reason that it's a bad idea to get one of these used? I can just wipe it or something to everything of his off of it right?

If the person selling it was smart, they would have already wiped it...Unless they want the buyer full out access to their Google account. But yeah, there is a wipe option under settings.

Barring any physical damage or defects, that is a pretty good deal!

 

[buhdeh]

there's someone selling a Nexus 7 16gb on craigslist in my area for $200. Is there any reason that it's a bad idea to get one of these used? I can just wipe it or something to everything of his off of it right?

Yes, tons of the older models have screen lifting issues. I guess as long as you inspect it first it's fine.

 

[sorijealut]

Yes, tons of the older models have screen lifting issues. I guess as long as you inspect it first it's fine.

If your device does have this problem, will they fix it for you?

I am quite certain my device is one of them, I frequently notice bleached out looks and sometimes the previous screen will remain.

 

[M_A_C]

Yes, tons of the older models have screen lifting issues. I guess as long as you inspect it first it's fine.

What should I look for? Is it obvious?

 

[buhdeh]

What should I look for? Is it obvious?

Look on the left side edge of the screen above the middle and see if the screen lies flat along it from the side view. Depending on severity, you might also be able to feel it just by running your finger along the edge.

The serial number on the box is also an indicator of when the tablet was manufactured. The newest retail versions (which I have) start with C9O and seem to have fewer issues than the older ones (C6O-C8O).

 

[ektoll]

My buddy wrote up a very nice beginner's guide if you are interested...

http://www.reviewlagoon.com/?p=723

He put a lot of work into it.

I'm more and more interested by this tablet, so this will eventually become really useful

 

[WascallyWabbit]

What should I look for? Is it obvious?

Check out this video:
http://youtu.be/ssRndQfx4IA

How to check for screen lifting, dead pixels, and touch sensitivity

 

[vdlow]

Mine arrived today. 16GB model, serial starts with C8O. The screen must be lifted 0,1mm, it's almost impossible to see something. No touch screen problems, no dead pixels, perfect build quality, and I think I prayed enough so no problems will happen from now. lol

Already updated, rooted, and instaled my apps. Still amazingly fast. What an amazing piece of hardware it is.

 

[kurtrussell]

Mine arrived today. 16GB model, serial starts with C8O. The screen must be lifted 0,1mm, it's almost impossible to see something. No touch screen problems, no dead pixels, perfect build quality, and I think I prayed enough so no problems will happen from now. lol

Mine is also a C80 and it's perfect. It has the occasional screen responsiveness glitch, but I understand that's a software issue. No lifting, no dead pixels, yadda yadda yadda - hardware is fine!