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Nexus 7 |OT| Google's $199 7-inch tablet by Asus
- Thread starter ThatObviousUser
- Start date
Initial impressions: Jelly Bean is nice. Third party apps not so much. Not just talking about the lack of tablet apps, but app polish and design for existing ones.
Physically, it's much lighter and smaller. Imagine your iPad in landscape and cut it in half--that's about the size. I probably wouldn't use it to watch movies or videos over the iPad since it's so much smaller, but it's a lot nicer to hold for reading things like Instapaper. Text rendering isn't as great, but it's $200 so I'll give it a pass.
-Pyromaniac-
Member
Only thing I bought was the paid version of wifi transfer for $1.38 (wtf at these random ass prices lol).
-Pyromaniac-
Member
Umm doesn't the new firefox have flash. If some people are still clinging to that why not just use that browser.
a week in and i haven't had a hardware issue with the device either. i don't notice any creaking on the screen, but i'm not about to press down on it repeatedly to try to find it. it's a $200 device, so i wasn't expecting the build quality of an iPad. the hardware and software have exceeded my expectations as someone coming blind from Apple's mobile ecosystem.
i'm debating on rooting the device. does it wipe the device in the process, and if so how hard is it restore settings so i don't have to waste hours reconfiguring it to pre-root status?
i'm debating on rooting the device. does it wipe the device in the process, and if so how hard is it restore settings so i don't have to waste hours reconfiguring it to pre-root status?
No, everything will be intact after rooting the device.
Here's some pics of the case I mentioned in THIS post: -
Front: -
There's a slight bit of damage on the front (the white dot you can see), but they're sending me a replacement and allowing me to keep this one, so i can't complain at the customer service.
Back: -
Inside: -
It looks like my screen is scratched in that pic, but it's not.
Front: -
There's a slight bit of damage on the front (the white dot you can see), but they're sending me a replacement and allowing me to keep this one, so i can't complain at the customer service.
Back: -
Inside: -
It looks like my screen is scratched in that pic, but it's not.
looks nice, i picked up this little targus 7" zip case pouch from walmart earlier tonight for $20, that'll do the job until a proper case comes out
also, they have this "hip street" universal tablet stand for $10, which i picked up too - it lets you size it so you can have the nexus 7 stand vertically or horizontally - a good alternative to not having a kickstand http://www.hipstreetonline.com/products/Universal-Tablet-Foldable-Stand.html
also, they have this "hip street" universal tablet stand for $10, which i picked up too - it lets you size it so you can have the nexus 7 stand vertically or horizontally - a good alternative to not having a kickstand http://www.hipstreetonline.com/products/Universal-Tablet-Foldable-Stand.html
Neverender
Member
Is there any way I can change the clock on the lock screen or add widgets to the lock screen? Really hate the clock font.
There's quite a few lockscreen apps. Go locker and widget locker come to mind.
Yeah, I'm hoping for a nice high quality case too. The one I have is fine and it was only £7, but I would like the Nexus 7 equivalent of the official Amazon leather Kindle case.
Whatever case I get, I'm definitely getting one with magnets in the flap though (which the one I bought has), because I really like that feature. When you open the flap, the screen automatically comes on without you having to press the power button, so you just swipe to unlock and you're away. Closing the flap puts the tablet to sleep.
joeygreco1985
Member
What RSS reader does everyone use?
I don't really like Flipboard after trying it out. I don't really like how Feedly organizes stuff and I'm not sure if "Reformat" is supposed to be like Readability but it doesn't seem to work very well.
The Google Reader App is really basic and doesn't have anything to make articles that force you to read on their website load the whole thing. I've installed Pocket and the workaround for now seems to be to share it with Pocket and then read it on that...
I wish Reeder was on Android
gReader Pro, way better than Reeder
thats the thing, I most agree with aside from say battery life and portability and also imo the device was hard to hold.
was that things were just harder to accomplish then just say a flick of a mouse wheel or scroll pad on my laptop
scrolling for any long length of time just leaves my hand tired and holding the damn thing for any longer than an hour is just tiresome, so I guess for general useability and comfort the Laptop is still king for me.
thats not to say a tablet is not a fun gadget though it's just still too locked down for my taste such as the fucking around and killing of flash on the OS soured me on the whole aspect of it even though you can side load it. My Gnex which is essentially the same thing with Cell data a rear camera and 32GB of space @ 4.65" feels just right it's easier to use on the go, hell even walking it's easy to use and lighter and less bulkier.
generally my usage pattern and how I want a tablet to be were not fulfilled by the nexus 7" and that is a damn shame.
like I said perhaps i will get a Phablet as my next smartphone device and just bridge that gap between phone and tablet
5.5"- 6" 1650x1080 res or more
G Note 3 anyone ?
that being said (after spending a week with a tablet for the very first time) I am not opposed to the ideas of a tablet though but they must meet a couple of requirements b4 I buy one again
1. 200-300$
2. 7-8" Screen
3. Bezel I can actually hold comfortably with
4. 12-24hr battery life watching video (pie in the sky shit I know)
5. no known hardware defects
6. LIGHTWEIGHT, I don't care if they feel if it's weighty it feels expensive or if it's light it feels cheap, make the damn thing light as a feather, because peoples hands will tire faster
7. not bulky, or heavy, the back of the Nexus 7 there was a lot of empty space inside
8. Nexus, or android or full Windows 8 device (will probably go windows)
9. easy to hold for long lengths of time
10. grippy back not SLIPPERY!!!
11. a solidly built device from a good hardware company
12. one that supports flash (somehow)
13. Fullscreen no nav buttons or can get rid of them via mods
14. 1080p res or higher then 720p
(possibly a dream tablet a couple of generations away) say 2015-2017 ish
who knows maybe a nexus 10
or a Nexus 7 2.0
Bboy AJ
My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
Gross exaggeration.
Nice way of putting it. That's way too small for my tablet uses, I think. I'd like to get my hands on one to see for myself but a big screen on a tablet is very nice. I just need it to be lighter.
ThatObviousUser
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Other than Newgrounds and a bit of Cinemassacre, I haven't been on a site that required Flash in quite some time.
K
kittens
Unconfirmed Member
I was in the middle of making a slip case for my N7, got antsy, and left the house to go read some comics at a local bookstore. While I was there I saw this Timbuk2 Kindle Case, thought "Eh, what the hell", and bought the black one. It's a perfect fit!
Download and install the Flash player 11.1 APK (Google it) + install the beta version of Firefox = Flash support on the Nexus 7.
Yep, its going to be a long while I think before it becomes even remotely difficult to have flash on Android. Discontinued or not.
I want it, want it, want it. Sure only some sites are Flash, but some is enough. To hell with not being able to use a site until I get to a desktop. I buy these capable devices so I dont have to be hamstrung to my desk like that
I was rooted, so I just wiped everything though the Clockworkmod recovery and did a factory restore via settings.
But if your not rooted just go to settings and restore to factory.
do it two times if paranoid
should be good
They probably go back to the factory and refurbished and get there shit deleted anyway.
On another note
anything it felt alot heavier and bulky then they though it would be ? compared to say a Samsung Tab 7 - 2.0
maybe beefier internals but still too heavy for my taste and usage
the weight killed it for me.... hell I'd take a 10" tab if the WEIGHT IS RIGHT and light enuff and not bulky to hold.
Plugged headphones into it for the first time yesterday only to find that I have to wiggle on them to get sound in both speaker. I then have to keep them from moving in the jack to keep the sound from cutting out. I was afraid it was my headphones but I tried another pair and same problem. Office Depot only does exchanges for technology items and I doubt they've got any in stock.
Someone mentioned dead pixels in a previous post; I've got two stuck pixels on this one, both red.
Someone mentioned dead pixels in a previous post; I've got two stuck pixels on this one, both red.
That's what I figured, but why risk it?
Well, it was definitely an interesting experiment. I definitely love a lot of shit about it. It's a great device for someone looking for that kind of thing, but it's just not for me right now. Fuck, I don't even have a smart-phone yet, which may be my next purchase actually. The thing with this N7 is that I only really used (and planned on using it) in my house only. I never really planned to bring it with me anywhere. Maybe to school, in between classes, but then I realized that all my classes are grouped together anyway this semester.
I think a smart-phone would be ideal for me. It can get me texting and calling people more I'm thinking, and I can still browse mobile sites like Gaf or something. See, the thing was that at times I felt like I was forcing myself to use the N7 over my laptop. Granted, my laptop isn't great; it's a Toshiba satelite that's not even that great for tech standards a few years ago, but I always felt like I was just forcing myself to use the N7 over it because it was the new thing in the house. It just never worked out.
This is like an odd example, but I like watching videos of stuff while I eat; like how most people watch TV when eating, I watch Youtube/Blip videos. The thing was that I realized I couldn't stand it up right (which could have been fixed with a case I guess) and that I couldn't really touch it because I'd get food all over it and fuck it up. So it's just easier to plop-down the laptop in front of you and watch the shit you want to watch.
I don't know, like I said I really liked it, and it is going to get me to buy a smart-phone soon, but I'm just not sure if I'll need a tablet even then at that point. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.
Well, it was definitely an interesting experiment. I definitely love a lot of shit about it. It's a great device for someone looking for that kind of thing, but it's just not for me right now. Fuck, I don't even have a smart-phone yet, which may be my next purchase actually. The thing with this N7 is that I only really used (and planned on using it) in my house only. I never really planned to bring it with me anywhere. Maybe to school, in between classes, but then I realized that all my classes are grouped together anyway this semester.
I think a smart-phone would be ideal for me. It can get me texting and calling people more I'm thinking, and I can still browse mobile sites like Gaf or something. See, the thing was that at times I felt like I was forcing myself to use the N7 over my laptop. Granted, my laptop isn't great; it's a Toshiba satelite that's not even that great for tech standards a few years ago, but I always felt like I was just forcing myself to use the N7 over it because it was the new thing in the house. It just never worked out.
This is like an odd example, but I like watching videos of stuff while I eat; like how most people watch TV when eating, I watch Youtube/Blip videos. The thing was that I realized I couldn't stand it up right (which could have been fixed with a case I guess) and that I couldn't really touch it because I'd get food all over it and fuck it up. So it's just easier to plop-down the laptop in front of you and watch the shit you want to watch.
I don't know, like I said I really liked it, and it is going to get me to buy a smart-phone soon, but I'm just not sure if I'll need a tablet even then at that point. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.
Docking pins, for charging docks etc.
Had that problem too. Not sure if it was my earbuds or the device though. The earbuds work in everything else perfectly fine. I didn't have a spare pair to test on the device though. Will go do that now.
Why choose? It's cheap enough that you can have both. A combo of the basic Nexus7 and iPad3 is less expensive than some of higher end models of the new iPad. Actually a basic Nexus7 + iPad3 + Kindle combo is still cheaper than the 64GB iPad with Cellular
That seems like major overkill to me. Two tablets? One for just niche uses?
Well, I tried out some more earbuds, but they're all fucked up in some way (not on just the N7), but if my perfect working earbuds are any indication, something ain't right.
Also, I have to agree with another point that Emily made, the thing is fairly heavy. I'm not sure how heavy compared to an iPad, but it's way heavier than it looks, which is a shame.
I know that feeling of you have to use the device because you just dropped 272.18$ for it so you should use it
but for nearly every scenario I just found that a laptop cannibalizes must of the stuff it does anyway
browsing the web ? it can only go so far, heck even less if they decide to kill, stop flash on JB altogether blocked installs and what not, not even being able to sideload it on further updates of the OS.
only way I see it being useful is in some sort of travel capacity but even that is limited to wifi and the 16GB does not help it's case.
even if I were to take it outside, it felt like why bother I can just bring my phone and it just literally does everything it does anyway
here was my setup for the N7
didn't help that I had those two screens and a laptop
watching video on it was nice but I have to hold it for a long length of time ? vs a laptop where you can just plop down pretty much anywhere
Exactly, Emily. Plus, I really like to multi-task and do other shit when watching videos. Whether that be browsing Gaf or playing a video game, that's impossible to do with this thing for various reasons. The lack of multi-tasking on nearly any app that uses video makes it so that I have to stop the video all together to do other shit on it, or I'd just have to bring out my laptop to either watch the video, or browse the web, which defeats the purpose of it all together; and if I'm playing a game, I can't really stand the thing so it's in my peripheral vision, and the screen is too small for it to really be used for that anyway.
Remember, I think (besides the various and sadly numerous hardware defects) this thing is an amazing device, especially for the very cheap price it comes with. If you want a tablet for things, you travel a lot, go for it. I don't do that though, or at least when I travel to go on vacation every year, I really don't want this thing with me. I don't want to have to worry about bringing it to the beach, as the sand will fuck this thing up. I have paperback books that I can read, and my iPod Nano that is a motherfuckin workhorse.
EDIT: Also, are you using Internet Explorer?
Remember, I think (besides the various and sadly numerous hardware defects) this thing is an amazing device, especially for the very cheap price it comes with. If you want a tablet for things, you travel a lot, go for it. I don't do that though, or at least when I travel to go on vacation every year, I really don't want this thing with me. I don't want to have to worry about bringing it to the beach, as the sand will fuck this thing up. I have paperback books that I can read, and my iPod Nano that is a motherfuckin workhorse.
EDIT: Also, are you using Internet Explorer?
neither of the tablets are for niche uses...
It's fairly heavy compared to paper I guess... It's quite light compared to any other tablet.
OverSkreen or StickIt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BEIjDHcoxw
FlyingTeacup
Member
which stand for your n7? I ordered amazonbasics
That's one of the cool things about Android, that it seems to always have some kind of workaround. That's awesome, but it still can't rectify that the screen is to small to really want to watch shit on, especially when doing something else.
Like I said, great little machine (if you get a good one) that's worth the price easily if it's something you are looking for.
Veetle
Contrary to other posts, you will have to wipe the device to root it (because you will have to unlock the boot loader).
You can back up some of your stuff via Google, and other things like your apps and their data via backup using adb. There are root toolkits that will help you back things up before you wipe but you will have to do things like set up your home screens again.
I might have to pick up another tablet down the road if that Shadorun game turns out to be as awesome as I'm expecting.
So, if anything, this thing has made me appreciate my laptop more. I'm thinking that maybe when I return it for nearly 3 hundo, I'll sell my laptop for another 300 hundo (is that reasonable if I upgraded it with a 500 GB HDD?) and buy a new one for about 600.
So, if anything, this thing has made me appreciate my laptop more. I'm thinking that maybe when I return it for nearly 3 hundo, I'll sell my laptop for another 300 hundo (is that reasonable if I upgraded it with a 500 GB HDD?) and buy a new one for about 600.
well there's this app called "stick it" that lets you play video on top of whatever your doing
did you return it yet ?
nah Firefox 14
IE is just bad news bears imo
tbh if it wasn't for the hardware defects and issues I probably would have been happy just to keep it, but creaky screen and a stuck pixel that won't go away it just soured the whole thing for me, that combined with the weight, bulk and awkward portrait bezels (do they really expect me to CLAW grip this damn thing ?) killed it for me
oh well it's been interesting experiment indeed.
I would have probably kept it too if it weren't for the creak, but that, similar revelations to what you had, and some others are leading me to just waling away and being happy with experiencing a good tablet.
I think I may look for a good 600$ laptop now though. I need something that doesn't have to be too powerful, but can do everything smoothly like browse the web while watching videos, maybe play some games, but I'm not really too interested in that. Any suggestions?
Also yeah, Firefox is solid, forget IE. Still not even close to FF or Chrome in overall quality.
Veetle
veetle doesn't require flash on iOS browsers (one of the few streaming sites to make that a priority) and they also put out an iOS app
Bboy AJ
My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
Two tablets? Plus my already owned Kindle, MacBook Air, and Galaxy Note? That's just too much. I only really use my tablet to browse the internet, anyway, and the iPad is great for that.
Yeah, but unfortunately there's no real workaround for android users
one of the only reasons why I still need flash, haha.
Bboy AJ
My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
Spoof iOS browser user agent?Yeah, but unfortunately there's no real workaround for android users